Germany-based company Zero1.tv has announced its VooMote One IR sleeve and app that converts iPhone or iPod touch into a universal remote. While the idea itself is not particularly new, some users might find VooMote One interesting as the add-on allows to create custom layouts linked to certain locations, like the living room or bedroom, with different sets of electronics to be operated via iPhone or iPod touch.
Some companies have realized quite quickly that a smartphone could work as a universal replacement for the growing number of remote controls piling up at our homes. Rolled out back in 2010, L5 Remote IR dongle with a free app for iPhone is an example of such a device.
Also working in conjunction with a free app, the VooMote One add-on includes a "Room Control" feature that allows you to group devices according to their locations, e.g. living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc., and to give each location a name and a matching icon. VooMote One also enables the creation of custom control layouts, combining functions of various devices on a single screen, while the "One Touch" feature lets the user set macros that run a number of preset functions with a single tap.
According to Zero1.tv, VooMote One captures "more than 30,000 infrared codes" and is capable of recognizing "574 TV brands, 995 Top Box/DVR brands, and 151 audio and CD brands," while its library is being updated constantly. Apart from that, it can learn new devices automatically by pointing the original device's remote control toward the LED transmitter of VooMote One sleeve.
Encasing the iPhone with the add-on reportedly does not limit the smartphone's core functions (camera, on/off button or incoming calls). The IR add-on and app are compatible with "practically all generations of the iPhone/iPod touch (2G-4G)" (utilizing an adapter system). The app is free to download via App Store, while the sleeve is priced at US$99 and will be available from August 5, 2011.
Product page: VooMote One
The video below is a brief presentation of the device:
