“Apple Computer recently researched and developed a wireless touch-screen remote control concept that would automatically discover and communicate with existing and future consumer electronics appliances as well as the personal computer, a filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office has revealed,” Kasper Jade reports for AppleInsider. “The invention, titled ‘apparatus and method to facilitate universal remote control,’ is described in an April 2002 patent filing as a universal remote control with display screen that is capable of communicating wirelessly with digital lifestyle applications running on a computer in addition home electronics appliances such as a television, stereo, VCR and DVD player.”
Jade reports, “A wireless communication mechanism built into the remote would allow the device to automatically detect appliances within range. Once an appliance is detected, the remote would request a set of user-interface controls from the appliance and then make those controls accessible to the user via graphics on the remote’s touch-screen.”
More info in the full article here.
Bet Woz is pleased…
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Damn, that’s some shit.
Please let this be tomorrow’s big product launch. If all we get is that lame Motorola E790 phone (or, worse, that craptacular Xbox phone), I’m leading a march on Cupertino with torches and pitchforks.
Bastards stole my idea!!!
nerds.
In other news, London was granted the 2012 Olympics and Lance Armstrong is still leading the Tour de France.
I was going to get the Remote Wonder Plus from ATI, but now I’m holding out, that is, if it’s $100-150. Then again, most of the other appliances I have around the house are rinky dink electronics that can’t communicate, so I’d only be using it for my Mac. But that would rock! A remote control designed by Apple, finally, form and function come to the remote control.
I believe we will indeed see such a device, but not until the next generation Airport Express (with video and stereo connections) is ready to ship and people will want to buy both at the same time. As much as I would lke to see one of these ASAP, I’ve stopped drooling and anticipating Apple’s announcements like I used to: I almost always come away disappointed. Not of course because their products aren’t worthwhile or exciting, but they are never released with any sense of surprise. It has been a long time since I have been “WOWed” by anything Apple has released.
Now, if they would release this remote, a tablet, or a PDA-type handheld device, the “WOW” would be back!
MW: general, as in “Apple’s recent hardrware product releases have been generally uninspired.”
and now all we need is a new version of airport express with support for video and audio and we’re away
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I’m so frickin exxxcited!
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” It has been a long time since I have been “WOWed” by anything Apple has released.”
The solution to that is to stop reading Mac rumor sites and news sites. It’s also because you build up huge expectations in your heads that no one can ever satisfy.
Remember when the iPod was announced, all of you who wrote things like “yawn” and so forth. Looks how big it turned out to be.
And Chirac is once more ridiculous.
What are they waiting for????
Gimme, gimme, gimme!!!
Me want.