Thursday, June 20, 2002
The PDA that's also a universal remote? It's here!
Posted by Jason Dunn in "ARTICLE" @ 09:59 AM
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2871473,00.html
David Coursey from ZDNet has some interesting news - it seems that a certain Pocket PC OEM has added a special chip and software to their device to make it work like a powerful universal remote control. Very intriguing! Who is it? We know it's not Toshiba or HP. Nothing about the Loox or Asus devices having this feature - that leaves Compaq or Casio. Casio hasn't made a peep about their next-gen Xscale device...so my money is on Compaq. What do you think?
"And now for something that, if not completely different is, well, different enough: Turning your PDA into a remote control for all your home electronics devices. Next week, a major manufacturer will announce that all its newest PDAs will come equipped with a new chip and software that turns a Pocket PC into a universal remote rivaling dedicated models costing $1,000 or more. This doesn't mean you should rush to the living room and throw your old remote controls in the trash. But it does mean that at least one Pocket PC--I can't reveal the name of the vendor until it's announced next week in New York--has gained an interesting new feature.
The prototype I've seen demonstrated uses a chip and software created by Universal Electronics, an old hand in the universal remote business. The company provides technology for some of the higher priced remotes, but they also make lower-end, everyday products: The company estimates that 150 million people a day touch a remote control that uses their technology. Key to Universal's offerings: An extensive database of the codes used by tens of thousands of devices that accept infrared remote control commands. These include not just televisions, but also home stereos, VCRs, DVDs, personal video recorders, and even some office video projectors. Microsoft has licensed this technology for use in its e-home project, intended to bring a remote control into multimedia PCs."
And of course, it just wouldn't be an online forum if Peter da Silva didn't pop in with his "Palm can do this better and cheaper" dance.
David Coursey from ZDNet has some interesting news - it seems that a certain Pocket PC OEM has added a special chip and software to their device to make it work like a powerful universal remote control. Very intriguing! Who is it? We know it's not Toshiba or HP. Nothing about the Loox or Asus devices having this feature - that leaves Compaq or Casio. Casio hasn't made a peep about their next-gen Xscale device...so my money is on Compaq. What do you think?
"And now for something that, if not completely different is, well, different enough: Turning your PDA into a remote control for all your home electronics devices. Next week, a major manufacturer will announce that all its newest PDAs will come equipped with a new chip and software that turns a Pocket PC into a universal remote rivaling dedicated models costing $1,000 or more. This doesn't mean you should rush to the living room and throw your old remote controls in the trash. But it does mean that at least one Pocket PC--I can't reveal the name of the vendor until it's announced next week in New York--has gained an interesting new feature.
The prototype I've seen demonstrated uses a chip and software created by Universal Electronics, an old hand in the universal remote business. The company provides technology for some of the higher priced remotes, but they also make lower-end, everyday products: The company estimates that 150 million people a day touch a remote control that uses their technology. Key to Universal's offerings: An extensive database of the codes used by tens of thousands of devices that accept infrared remote control commands. These include not just televisions, but also home stereos, VCRs, DVDs, personal video recorders, and even some office video projectors. Microsoft has licensed this technology for use in its e-home project, intended to bring a remote control into multimedia PCs."
And of course, it just wouldn't be an online forum if Peter da Silva didn't pop in with his "Palm can do this better and cheaper" dance.
