My first (and last) Apple fanboy post
When the iPad was first announced, I saw zero use for it. I thought it was just an oversized and overpriced iTouch that would be a waste of money. Then it was launched and I got the opportunity to play with it a bit. Although it felt nice and looked sexy, it still seemed fairly useless beyond just being a coffee-table iTouch. I didn’t really think much more about it until just the other day. With a nerd-tech lifestyle and plans to expand my entertainment center, I’ll most likely be in the market for a universal remote. What could be more interesting and flexible to control your media with than an iPad?
Ok so there are definitely things more flexible, but this is a good way to start.
“Control your entire house with the iPad!!!!!!!!!”
Controlling the ENTIRE house might be a little overkill (for now), but it’s definitely great news. I do want to be able to sit on my couch and, without having to stand up, be able to control every piece of media equipment in my entertainment center, WITHOUT juggling tons of remotes. Sounds simple enough, but anybody who has plugged their PC into a TV/stereo knows how finicky things such as volume can be, for starters. If you are using a stereo system for your audio, there are THREE volume controls. One on the media player application (Hulu, YouTube, VLC, etc.), one for the output of PC, and then of course one on the stereo. The first step in a practical media controller is to be able to level all of these out and not be darting around the room or juggling remotes to get the volume right.
The next step is being able to change AV inputs between devices. In my setup I will have a computer (3 of them, actually), X-Box 360, Nintendo 64, a PlayStation3 (maybe; for BlueRay DVDs), a projector, two TVs (one in the bedroom), a cable box (maybe), a surround sound receiver, and a vintage 2 channel receiver (for nostalgia). All these devices need to be connected in a way to allow any output to be routed into any input. For example, what if I am playing X-Box on the projector using surround sound and streaming music from my PC to the second stereo, but suddenly decide I want to watch a movie from the PC on the projector using surround sound? With my current setup, that would require changing multiple inputs using 3 different remotes and even unplugging an item or two. The ultimate setup would require only 1 wireless remote to change all inputs & outputs, and you would never have to leave your couch to configure anything in the system.
“Don’t you have to pay big bucks to be that lazy!?”
This may sound like a long shot of a convoluted tech setup requiring loads of custom software and hundreds of dollars in home networking equipment. Fortunately, this is not the case! Plugging a simple infrared dongle into the iPad (or iPhone/iTouch for that matter) will instantly turn it into the ultimate universal remote. Any piece of equipment that has an infrared remote of its own can now be controlled seamlessly by this single device. TVs, stereo receivers, DVD players, and even AV switches. This is really nothing new - universal remotes have been around as long as the remote it’s self.
“So why not just use a universal remote?”
Well why stop there? What about controlling the PC it’s self? It’s obvious that nobody wants to fumble with a mouse and keyboard while sitting on the couch, but you do have options like the Logitech diNovo Edge or even the diNovo mini. I own an Edge and sure it will be great to have sitting nearby for extended typing sessions or some PC gaming, but it isn’t perfectly ideal for quick PC interaction and web surfing. The tiny touch pad can be sluggish to use and will cramp your hand. Now that we’re all spoiled with the magic of touch screen devices, everything else just seems slow. As far as physical interaction with the web goes, it’s difficult to think of anything that could beat the style that was debuted in the iPhone. Well fortunately enough, the iPad also remains a web browser.
However, I’m not thinking in the same sense that you are probably imagining. I’m not talking about using the iPad’s built-in Safari client, I am talking about using a remote desktop manager to virtually control your PC. Imagine taping, swiping, and multitouching on the iPad’s screen but being in control of your fully functional desktop computer in real time. Zero delay when clicking, dragging, scrolling, or typing. The leading remote desktop service, LogMeIn.com, offers a seamless iPhone/iPad app that lets you visually interact with your desktop PC from anywhere in the world. Now you can trade that keyboard and mouse in for an iPad and be one step closer to Minority Report.
“But why do I need to involve the computer when I can just browse the web, read my e-mail, play games, and look at photos right on the iPad?”
Well you can, but it isn’t fully integrated with your system and frankly, the world. You have to limit yourself and conform to it’s standards when you are using the iPad, but you do not have to conform when you are in the Windows or Linux environment. The iPad’s web limitations are obvious at the very least, and the possibilities that become available once you load up LogMeIn are literally endless. For a primary living-room media center controller, you don’t want to conform and limit yourself. The ultimate media center should come with the ultimate usability experience. This means you’ll want Flash enabled, you’ll want to play cutting edge games, and you’ll want to be able to launch Photoshop or Microsoft Office. You can’t get to that level using the iPad purely by it’s self.
So yeah, in one swoop the iPad has replaced at least 3 remote controls, a keyboard, mouse, and go ahead and throw in a whole laptop. Not to mention endless trips to the screen, unbalanced volume levels, and frustrated cord swapping in the dark.
Lets just take another step back. Using the iPad as a device to control your entertainment center will replace all your remotes, wirelessly switch the routing of wired A\V inputs and outputs, and serve as a direct portal to your media center while replacing all other PC input devices.
And I’m not even a fanboy.
