iPhone Remote Acts as Wi-Fi Keyboard for Apple TV

[MacRumors]

As noted on DaringFireball.net, Apple's popular Remote iPhone application adds a useful and unpublicized feature to your Apple TV - a keyboard.

The Remote App [App Store] is a free download from the App Store and runs on both the iPhone and iPod Touch. It adds remote control capabilities for both iTunes and your Apple TV through your local Wi-Fi network connection. For the Apple TV, it acts primarily as a media browser, allowing you to browse and playback both music and video.

However, if you navigate to YouTube Search or iTunes Store search on your Apple TV itself, this keyboard will appear on your iPhone or iPod Touch and allow you to wireless type in your search terms. This is a much nicer alternative than selecting letters individually with your television remote.

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[carlsjunk]

Hooray!?

 

[Abstract]

All the Apple products really bleed together well.

 

[Philberttheduck]

much much better. now if only they threw in

usb support for a camera, keyboard, mouse (and hdd ) then it'd be a much better investment.

 

[Matthew Yohe]

All the Apple products really bleed together well.

Sounds dramatic!

Blend together maybe?

 

[jfull15]

YAY! Now i just need an AppleTV....


Apple is starting to blend their products together better... AppleTV just needs mobileme support and a few other things... AppleTV has SOOO much potential still.

 

[DMann]

The remote app with iTunes is excellent. It controls the play lists and volume from anywhere in the house, with no lag whatsoever. Integration with TV is even sweeter.

 

[8CoreWhore]

sniff sniff

I smell more functions in the future. Ok, guys - let's hear some ideas! If you can control your AppleTV from Wifi at home, how about controlling it from the road? What would it take?

 

[DMann]

I smell more functions in the future. Ok, guys - let's hear some ideas! If you can control your AppleTV from Wifi at home, how about controlling it from the road? What would it take?

You actually can control it from the road, since it appears to interface over Wi-Fi. Great gag with house guests - have their favorite songs randomly haunt them while you are away.

 

[OunZe]

brilliant!!!

saves so much time! love it!

now only if you could play your music on your iphone through wireless speakers.... i.e. - same feature as iMac in office playing music wirelessly through airtunes to living room speakers. iPhone needs to be able to play music from iPhone to computers on same network..

I bet it will be in the next update! if apple isn't working on it yet then i copyright this idea and it is for sale!

 

[onionperson654]

Sounds like it could actually be close to a practical application of the now dead Internet tv movement. Just add Safari and voilà.

In fact, between the accelerometer and the iPhone/iPod touch multitouch, that's actually multiple possible interfaces. Unlike Internet Tv, people would obviously have another computer, but this could be Internet TV for Web 2.0 .

Of course, knowing Apple, they want everyone to buy media from iTunes. Maybe it's profitable as a combination of Apple TV and a mac min. I want a media extender/pc, just not be tied to iTunes.


P.S. As I type this on my iPod touch I realize that I already have that second computer thanks to Apple's innvation with the touch/iPhone. A third?

 

[Telp]

if apple isn't working on it yet then i copyright this idea and it is for sale!

I hope your ready to take Apple to court when they don't come to you and shower you with gifts before stealing your self copyrighted thought .

 

[OunZe]

I hope your ready to take Apple to court when they don't come to you and shower you with gifts before stealing your self copyrighted thought .

yeah - oh well a man can dream right?

 

[Telp]

yeah - oh well a man can dream right?

That is right. And any dream involving Apple is a good dream .

 

[jfull15]

You actually can control it from the road, since it appears to interface over Wi-Fi. Great gag with house guests - have their favorite songs randomly haunt them while you are away.

I did that at an Apple Store! set up my iPhone as a remote between a MBP, hid iTunes, and then stood about 20ft away at another computer, waiting for somebody to come up - then BAM! I started playing music at the maximum volume!

 

[Xyl]

You actually can control it from the road, since it appears to interface over Wi-Fi. Great gag with house guests - have their favorite songs randomly haunt them while you are away.

Not quite. You need to be connected to the same network where your iTunes or appletv resides.

 

[JoeDRC]

play apps like super monkey ball on your tv screen using your iphone/ipod touch as a remote?

 

[macduke]

I did that at an Apple Store! set up my iPhone as a remote between a MBP, hid iTunes, and then stood about 20ft away at another computer, waiting for somebody to come up - then BAM! I started playing music at the maximum volume!

Now thats the kind of thinking...and action taking...that I like to hear about. Kudos to you, sir. Though they would probably catch on sooner at an Apple store than, say, someplace like Best Buy. Think I'll swing by there this weekend with my friends just to have a laugh. They would need iTunes 7.7 though. What would be funny is to pair your iPhone with EVERY mac in the entire store and blast them all at the same time. From outside......and videotape it for YouTube fun times.

Question: Isn't Apple's wifi network locked down? Yet it still let you use the remote through their own wifi? Odd.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

This is an amazing APP, controls all the music on my BMB from my i-Touch
very. A beacon of light on the APP store

 

[jfull15]

What would be funny is to pair your iPhone with EVERY mac in the entire store and blast them all at the same time.

I thought about that, but you can only control one computer at a time. :/

I was also really surprised that:
A. not many people are doing this
B. Apple hasn't put a stop to this

& to your question about the wifi - I don't think Apple's is locked down - but there are usually like 10 different wifi signals at the Apple store - you can always change the computer's airport signal to another wifi signal, and then connect your iphone to that one too.

 

[twoodcc]

now this is a very nice feature. too bad i don't have an apple tv. maybe one day

 

[lotusflower]

Time capsule support

I love using the remote app, but it would be great to take the whole computer out of the equation. Imagine sending multiple streams around the house all from your synced data living on your time capsule. Maybe in version 2.0

 

[tbohlsennswssrg]

I thought about that, but you can only control one computer at a time. :/

I was also really surprised that:
A. not many people are doing this
B. Apple hasn't put a stop to this

& to your question about the wifi - I don't think Apple's is locked down - but there are usually like 10 different wifi signals at the Apple store - you can always change the computer's airport signal to another wifi signal, and then connect your iphone to that one too.

Just take an army of around 20 friends with iPhones/iPod Touches and connect to 20 computers in the apple store and blast the iTunes at MAX Volume

 

[jfull15]

I love using the remote app, but it would be great to take the whole computer out of the equation. Imagine sending multiple streams around the house all from your synced data living on your time capsule. Maybe in version 2.0

I;m not sure about the time capsule thing.. that's marketed as a backup drive, so apple would never market a feature to stream media off of it. but what about a remote access to your files on your computer - or heck AN iDISK APP FOR iPHONE!

& you cantake the computer out of it - for an AppleTV

& the point of it is for use of computer..?
It wouldn't work well to crowd too many features into one app..

 

[jfull15]

Just take an army of around 20 friends with iPhones/iPod Touches and connect to 20 computers in the apple store and blast the iTunes at MAX Volume

hahaha..


that's in no way suspicious AT ALL....

oh PS: don't forget the AppleTV!