It would appear that the iPhone and iPod Touch universal remote market is starting to heat up, with the recent announcement at CES 2010 of two different solutions. The second of these products announced today comes from NewKinetix, who has also developed an add-on accessory and App for use with the iPhone or iPod Touch.

The Rē, as it’s properly called and almost impossibly typed, comes with a built-in database of IR codes, supports code learning and macros, and can control a nearly unlimited number of devices. No pricing or exact availability is listed, however the site states that “the Rē™ accessory is priced well below WiFi based iPhone remotes and dedicated universal remote controls”.

The original press release is included below.

NewKinetix Introduces Plug-in Universal Remote Control Accessory for IR Control of AV Devices using the iPhone and iPod touch

Portland, OR, (January 5, 2010)- NewKinetix LLC, of Portland, Oregon, will be demonstrating their Universal Remote Control, Rē™, at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The Rē infrared (IR) hardware accessory plugs into your iPhone or iPod touch mobile digital device and the user interface will be provided by a supporting Rē Universal Remote iPhone application planned to be offered free on the App Store. As users are turning to their iPhone for information and entertainment, an IR universal remote accessory for the iPhone has been highly requested throughout social media platforms, as in mobilecrunch.com's “5 iPhone Accessories We're Still Waiting For.”

As a plug-in accessory, the Rē Universal Remote requires no cables, batteries, charging, or network connections to provide complete control of your TV, stereo, DVD player, or most any remote controlled device. Its portability allows you to use it anywhere you go, and it is set up and ready for use with any IR ready AV entertainment device within minutes. The Rē accessory includes an extensive database of IR codes that will control most popular AV entertainment devices.

Not only will it eliminate remote control clutter by consolidating all of your remotes into a single unit at your fingertips, but the smart design and functionality of the application software is intended to offer extensive personalization capabilities including:

• Create remotes automatically for each device to be controlled
• Customize Activity Remotes to control entertainment activities like “Watch TV” or “Watch Movie”
• Edit button images and button layout on the touch screen
• Add buttons and learn IR codes to enhance device remotes
• Setup and playback of button sequences to provide automated device control
• Create “Favorites” lists that span multiple sources, so quick access can be personalized for TV channels, CD tracks, movie scenes etc.

The Rē is planned for initial availability in North America.

For more information on the Rē, you can check out the new Rē web site.

About NewKinetix

We are a team of highly skilled design engineers, who have been working together for the past two decades providing easy to use hardware and software solutions to solve complex problems. Our focus has always been to approach design with a complete systems perspective, focusing on ease of use and interactivity.

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