When I brought my home entertainment system into the digital age, I took pains to put together a system that would hopefully avoid one of the scourges of the 21st century: remote control glut. Except for a region-free DVD player, all the electronics were Sony, a company that has a slick system for helping components talk to each other and usually provides very “teachable” remotes with its components. After a lot of trial and error and researching obscure brand and model codes on the web, I got the system to a point where I could do almost everything with the receiver’s remote. Still, it was hard to remember which controls I had transposed onto which buttons and even now my wife prefers to fish the right remote out of a basket rather than trying to remember that “HDMI-1” is the cable box and “HDMI-3” is the Blu-Ray. And admittedly my attempts at toggling the subtitles sometimes end up replaying the disc from the beginning.
Years ago, I had a really cool app on my Palm PDA that used the device’s IR (infrared) interface as a universal (almost) remote. I longed for a way for my iPhone to perform the same task. My dream finally came true with FLPR by New Potato Technologies and they generously gave me the opportunity to road-, er, couch-test the new device. FLPR’s hardware plugs into the docking port if your iPhone or iPod and is controlled by a free, downloadable app.
Slick Setup The initial setup is incredibly simple. The app contains an extensive database of remote codes (over 46,000) from a wide variety of manufacturers for virtually any device that uses an IR controller including things like room lighting and draperies. Adding a device from the database is done with a few taps and a bit scrolling. I had the basic programming of most of our home theater system completed in just a few minutes. I could then customize each device, giving them a friendlier name and a more meaningful-looking icon. If I wanted to, I could give each device’s remote a unique skin, as well.
The button layout has a bit of a “version-one” look and feel. Though you can choose to hide inactive/un-programmed controls, you can’t change the positions of any of the buttons. The good news is that the layout is far more consistent than your collection of dedicated remotes. The more advanced, device-specific commands are located as a scrolling series of buttons on a second page. Even though it doesn’t seem to be a common occurrence for most users, there were a few times when the software would hang. However, removing and reattaching the FLPR device would eventually clear up the problem.
Customizing Made Easy The preprogramming can have its pitfalls. For example, when I change channels on the TV, I actually want to control the cable box. And when I adjust the volume, I want to be talking to the receiver. The tool for reprogramming buttons on the FLPR is nothing short of brilliant. When you have one of your remotes open, a couple of taps will put it into learning mode. Point FLPR at the business end of the real remote and choose a button. A very slick, animated signal strength display will confirm that the two devices are communicating and a series of clear prompts walks you through the programming process. FLPR knows when it receives a viable code and is honest enough to tell you whether or not the learning process succeeded. You even have an opportunity to test things out without leaving the programming mode.
The FLPR app also lets you build remotes from scratch. Because the remote code database can be updated through the App Store, it’s not very likely that you’ll need to do this very often for a new component. However, you may want to take advantage of this option to build a custom remote with all your most frequently used buttons assigned to your preferred devices.
Programmable Macros Another notable FLPR feature are programmable macros. You can create a sequence of commands, for example turn on certain components and switch to a favorite station. To accommodate Blu-Ray players that take longer to boot than Windows Vista, you can program in pauses and delays.
At $80 for a tiny, simple-looking add-on, FLPR seemed at first to be a bit pricey. But considering that it gives your iPhone or iPod the functionality of several hundred dollar’s worth of a Logitech Harmony, it’s a bargain. The app itself is a free download that can be installed on any or all of your family’s devices (so you can fight over the FLPR dongle as easily as you fight over the remote). As compact as it is however, it’s quite a bit easier to loose between the sofa cushions than a dedicated remote. The IR controller is quite robust, has a good deal of range and easily penetrated the heavily tinted glass doors on our entertainment center.
The current version of the software has its limitations, but it’s hard not to imagine its potential considering all the possible improvements that may be just an update away. The current version of FLPR is compatible with the iPad. However, it’s difficult not to speculate that an iPad-specific version that takes full advantage of the additional screen real estate could turn this into a must-have home theater accessory. (Think about it: a universal remote with wireless Internet access...) Even in its current form, FLPR (and a couple of National Geographic eBooks) would probably help you justify keeping an iPad on your coffee table. Besides, you’ll probably never be able to play Angry Birds on a Harmony during commercials.
