WiFi-enabled universal remote pulls codes from the web
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jan 30th 2008 3:25AM
posted Jan 30th 2008 3:25AM
You probably won't be seeing TVcompass's SR 1500 universal remote released looking exactly like this (or even bearing the TVcompass name) but we have high hopes some other company will rebrand the WiFi-enabled unit soon. Featuring a QVGA display,and Windows CE, the SR 1500 pulls device codes from the web using the built-in browser, which supports Flash and J2ME, backup settings to a server, and do custom guide displays. There's no pricing yet, but hopefully that'll get sorted when this thing gets picked up for resale.[Via pocketpcwire]
I can haz universal remote?
Bluetooth would have been better... I know PS3 owners would agree.
I'm wondering how that would work... for now a Universal Remote just knows what IR signal to send when, with bluetooth thrown in it would have to know what kind of signal to send when with what information to send out, plus how would it handle pairing? I'd kill for that feature for sure, although for now the only thing I can't control with my Harmony remote is powering on/off the PS3.
No one is going to put bluetooth into a universal remote. Because of the way that the spectrum is dedicated to companies, it does not make sense the same way that RF-only devices would not make sense in a home theater system. IR, or IR-to-RF-to-IR, codes are the way things are gonna be controlled for the foreseen future in home theater. To control your ps3, just wait for the modded remote to come out and give you IR to program into your Harmony!
Anyone who thinks adding bluetooth to an IR remote is easy knows nothing about the problems involved. It's Sony that should fix their broken system.
Then again, who would have thought anyone would make a WiFi enabled remote? Mindlessly complicated and for what? So that you don't have to plug in a USB cable the 2 times a year you change equipment? Stupid.
If you knew anything, you could see the endless possibilities with a WiFi remote. It may be early, but this is certainly the way of the future.