Got your attention? Excellent.
Ok. I'm a little angry. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I know the way the world works. There is an industry dedicated to providing remotes that would be sorely impacted by any economic solution that provided sophisticated universal control from an increasingly ubiquitous, accessory-friendly, natively programmable multitouch device.
Yeah... I'm talking about the iPhone/iPod Touch. Question is, does said industry have the clout to surpress the innovations available in advancing technology, or are such solutions simple "niche" markets incapable of graduating into the mainstream?
Some background. Several years ago Griffin Technologies released a little gadget called Total Remote. It looked like a somewhat bulky headphone adapter. When plugged into the headphone jack on a PocketPC, the accompanying app would generate sounds that the handy adapter would handily convert into IR signals powerful enough to control your IR device (VCR, TV, etc) from up to 100 feet away.
Problems of IR incompatibility with targeted gadgets, device incompatibility (frequent software crashes in some circumstances and with some PDAs), and issue with recessed headphone jacks bubbled up, but it remains unclear to me why this device went away. From some descriptions, it seemed that most of the issues stemmed from the multitude of hardware profiles running the PocketPC operating system and problems with the coding of the software.
Regardless, it didn't seem that the concept was flawed... only the execution. Fast-forward to 2009, where we live in a vastly more socially networked space and it beggars the question... Is this the most vastly unrealized development opportunity on the Internet?
Think about it. Let's look at two potential SKUs in a hypothetically revived Total Remote offering:
THE HARDWARE
THE SOFTWARE
...
Is it just me, or wouldn't this be the sweetest solution on the planet?
I can't see a reason in the world why a.) It wouldn't be wildly popular. b.) it would involve technology that would be extremely hard to produce for a manufacturer like Griffin (maker of the iTrip, Total Remote) or Belkin (maker of many fine iPod accessories). c.) Wouldn't be the basis for a paradigm shift in the tech market.
The iPhone/iPod Touch IS THE platform to launch this on. Forget the PDA market. Forget other smart phones where your device wouldn't have half the installed user-base without 10x the tech support and device compatibility issues.
The single hardware profile makes support a much, much easier business proposition, and the "free" AppStore software offering would provide a pre-sales vehicle that would give the family of devices monumental traction and aggregate online user accounts and email subscriptions to help drive more sales.
What's up with this? Does anyone else see this opening?
I purchased a Harmony Remote for $139 sometime ago. It had a little LED screen, and hooked to my Mac over USB to download device profiles. I'm not using it now. Why? Because it was tedious. I learned to use it, but I'd have to admit it was a messy, geek device that took too many button presses to get mixed results.
The biggest roadblock to this roadmap, in my mind... is Apple & Existing 3rd Party Patents. NOT that Apple would want to stifle innovation, but that some unknown conflict arises. They may simply say "No" to the application... and that's the end of it. The application may be released, and a cease and desist might spring up from Phillips or someone else. However, if the manufacturer BEGINS with the $29 option... then advances to support the $79 option with an update... then opens up to the $159 option as a pattern of acceptance by Apple is established... I think it would be a worthwhile endeavor with minimal risk.
Total Remote already existed. I'd say its time for it to exist again for a platform with real traction.
/rant
~ CB
Ok. I'm a little angry. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I know the way the world works. There is an industry dedicated to providing remotes that would be sorely impacted by any economic solution that provided sophisticated universal control from an increasingly ubiquitous, accessory-friendly, natively programmable multitouch device.
Yeah... I'm talking about the iPhone/iPod Touch. Question is, does said industry have the clout to surpress the innovations available in advancing technology, or are such solutions simple "niche" markets incapable of graduating into the mainstream?
Some background. Several years ago Griffin Technologies released a little gadget called Total Remote. It looked like a somewhat bulky headphone adapter. When plugged into the headphone jack on a PocketPC, the accompanying app would generate sounds that the handy adapter would handily convert into IR signals powerful enough to control your IR device (VCR, TV, etc) from up to 100 feet away.
Problems of IR incompatibility with targeted gadgets, device incompatibility (frequent software crashes in some circumstances and with some PDAs), and issue with recessed headphone jacks bubbled up, but it remains unclear to me why this device went away. From some descriptions, it seemed that most of the issues stemmed from the multitude of hardware profiles running the PocketPC operating system and problems with the coding of the software.
Regardless, it didn't seem that the concept was flawed... only the execution. Fast-forward to 2009, where we live in a vastly more socially networked space and it beggars the question... Is this the most vastly unrealized development opportunity on the Internet?
Think about it. Let's look at two potential SKUs in a hypothetically revived Total Remote offering:
THE HARDWARE
THE SOFTWARE
This could be a staple of most iPhone/iPod Touch toting households. The first product would be a "starter" product, aimed at people who want to try it out inexpensively, and don't mind having to "point" their iPhone at their VCR, TV, etc. For $29, the manufacturer (Griffin, Belkin, or even... however unlikely... Phillips) could gather a wellspring of customers who want to get an inexpensive Universal Remote using their existing multitouch device. It is entry-level and expectations should be low. The second product, $79 upgrades people to a much nicer product that requires no pointing, has a farther range of usage, and keeps their headphone jack free so they can listen to music or talk on their phone while using the remote (not possible with the other format). $159 would be the ultimate solution, that uses its WiFi connection to let people control their devices from other rooms in the house. It adds RF controls for a wider range of gadgets, and completes a total solution that will have the entire landscape change. It will cause people to immediately want to access this device from outside of the house (not on the network), but this could easily be a yearly service upgrade offered by the manufacturer by subscription (maybe $19.99 per year to access unlimited remote devices from ANYWHERE in the world, an introductory rate of $9.99 would set the tech world abuzz if the solution works).
...
Is it just me, or wouldn't this be the sweetest solution on the planet?
I can't see a reason in the world why a.) It wouldn't be wildly popular. b.) it would involve technology that would be extremely hard to produce for a manufacturer like Griffin (maker of the iTrip, Total Remote) or Belkin (maker of many fine iPod accessories). c.) Wouldn't be the basis for a paradigm shift in the tech market.
The iPhone/iPod Touch IS THE platform to launch this on. Forget the PDA market. Forget other smart phones where your device wouldn't have half the installed user-base without 10x the tech support and device compatibility issues.
The single hardware profile makes support a much, much easier business proposition, and the "free" AppStore software offering would provide a pre-sales vehicle that would give the family of devices monumental traction and aggregate online user accounts and email subscriptions to help drive more sales.
What's up with this? Does anyone else see this opening?
I purchased a Harmony Remote for $139 sometime ago. It had a little LED screen, and hooked to my Mac over USB to download device profiles. I'm not using it now. Why? Because it was tedious. I learned to use it, but I'd have to admit it was a messy, geek device that took too many button presses to get mixed results.
The biggest roadblock to this roadmap, in my mind... is Apple & Existing 3rd Party Patents. NOT that Apple would want to stifle innovation, but that some unknown conflict arises. They may simply say "No" to the application... and that's the end of it. The application may be released, and a cease and desist might spring up from Phillips or someone else. However, if the manufacturer BEGINS with the $29 option... then advances to support the $79 option with an update... then opens up to the $159 option as a pattern of acceptance by Apple is established... I think it would be a worthwhile endeavor with minimal risk.
Total Remote already existed. I'd say its time for it to exist again for a platform with real traction.
/rant
~ CB
Yikes.
