New SD Card Universal Remote Control Device

Posted By: Ryan Friday, September 10, 2004 9:59:33 AM

NoviiMedia has unveiled a new product, the NoviiRemote Blaster, an SD card and software for turning your handheld device into a powerful, universal remote control. This mini universal remote control is the first of its kind on an SD card.

NoviiRemote Blaster SD IR for palmOne handhelds NoviiRemote Blaster ends the battle for control of the remote forever by turning your handheld into the household remote. Easily program the hard buttons on your handheld for all of your entertainment devices, including TV, Cable/Sat, DVD/CD, VCR, TiVo, etc. Brilliant colors on your screen identify volume, channels and other functions. NoviiRemote Blaster controls over 100,000 home entertainment devices.

The Blaster is powered by the most popular remote software on the market, the NoviiRemote software. The developers of NoviiRemote Blaster set out to create a remote control that works better, looks better, is easier to use and is faster to set up, when compared to the many other remote controls on the market.

This first version of the Blaster works on the following handhelds from palmOne: Zire 72, Tungsten E, Zire 71, Tungsten T2 and Tungsten T. The current Blaster hardware does not support Sony Clie devices, Handspring devices, Tungsten C, Tungsten T3 and Tungsten W. A future version will work on most handhelds with an SD slot. The NoviiRemote Blaster is now available for purchase for $59.99 USD.

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Nice

PalmOne Guru @ 9/10/2004 1:23:58 PM #

Nice to see this product getting some spot light. I use to use there older software on My M515. I know the software works on my T3 wish the Inared Booster did to.

RE: Nice

I.M Anonymous @ 9/10/2004 2:22:37 PM #

But why pay $60 for the booster when you can get the the same software for $20 and use the built-in IR port? I never have any trouble controling my TV from 15 feet using my Tungsten E.

RE: Nice

PalmOne Guru @ 9/10/2004 2:32:08 PM #

Which software is that When I was looking around the only OS5 software I could find was Novie.

RE: Nice

MTM @ 9/10/2004 3:37:25 PM #

< http://www.pacificneotek.com/ >

I use it every day: the dogs ate my real remote.

Mike

RE: Nice

Sleuth255 @ 9/10/2004 4:57:56 PM #

Works great in bars too!

RE: Nice

budrowilson @ 9/10/2004 6:02:47 PM #

When I used NoviiRemote on my Zire71, I was extremely pleased with the software. In fact, I could stand at one end of the house and still control the TV at the other end (it is a small house, of course, it was still a distance of about 35 feet). It had a powerhouse of an IR port compared with all the other Palms I had owned (Palm IIIxe, m505, m515).

I was expecting the same type of performance when I upgraded to my Zire72. However, I was astonished when the IR functionality only worked well within a range of about 5-8 feet. I don't know if Palm powered-down the IR or if I need to get the newest version of NoviiRemote that is better suited to the Zire72, but I do know this booster is necessary if Palm tinkered with the IR on the 72. That said, it would be more of a toy than anything else. But if you've got a Zire72, and cash to burn, why not?

RE: Nice

I.M Anonymous @ 9/10/2004 9:52:02 PM #

The software on this card is NoviiRemote

RE: Nice

acaltabiano @ 9/12/2004 12:58:12 AM #

It'll be "nice" when they release a version that supports 320x480. All that screen on my TT3 and it has not a single fuction with novii. That's a shame! If it was used, it would ALMOST do away with that other "page" of buttons. It could allow for many more buttons on handhelds with that size screen.

They'll get my money when it makes use of all the features of my handheld.

RE: Nice

hkklife @ 9/13/2004 11:01:23 AM #

It's mind-boggling for me to see how many developers can just sit around and continue charging overly high prices for their apps & games that still do not support high-res+ screens, nearly a year after the T3's release. Then there's the whole other crop of programs that seem to have been written back in '02 that can utilize an NR/NX/NZ Clie screen but not the standard Palm 320*480 API. Novii, AvantGo and most Handmark programs are just a few of the notable laggards. It looks like it'll take the release of an "affordable" 320*480 model such as the T|E2 to get some of these devlopers in gear.

RE: Nice

A9700rO @ 9/13/2004 12:55:56 PM #

On the T | E, the IR range is somewhat better than the Zire 72. I own both handhelds. The SD device is only useful on the handhelds that have a low IR range. For example, It's pretty much useless buying it for the T | E than it is for the Zire 72. You're better off with the software alone on some handhelds.

Sillly

Gekko @ 9/10/2004 2:58:21 PM #

Just silly.

RE: Sillly

hkklife @ 9/10/2004 5:09:25 PM #

Yup, almost as silly as the iBiz FM radio SDIO card! If there were multiple dual-SD-enabled Palms on the market, it'd be a decent toy if the price was right. But when you lose, say, 256mb+ of external storage capacity in favor of an IR blaster then it's just an unacceptable tradeoff. Also, I personally don't want ANYTHING protruding out of the top of my handheld--it'd get broken in a heartbeat.

I really am surprised the industry as a whole didn't make a stronger case for increased strength IR in the mid-late 90s, as a stopgap measure before BT & wi-fi came about. You never see printers with IR ports anymore and very few laptops for that matter. A shame, as it's still an elegantly simple way to transfer small amounts of data.

RE: Sillly

just_little_me @ 9/10/2004 9:41:58 PM #

My Dell 8600 - only a few months old - has IR, along with BT and WiFi. I use the IR to quickly send PRC's to my Palm's when I don't want to do the whole HotSync thing...

I have Novii setup on a TC which takes pride of place in the living room - gives me the chance to control the TV, and surf the net during the ads! :-)

JLM.

RE: Sillly

ganoe @ 9/10/2004 10:29:40 PM #

> I really am surprised the industry as a whole didn't make a
> stronger case for increased strength IR in the mid-late 90s

It isn't really an issue of "increased strength," but that the hardware and software on the Palm is designed for IrDA, not consumer IR. Some PDAs in the past have had two IR emitters: one for IrDA and one for consumer IR. It's unfortunate that PalmOne hasn't chosen to include hardware adequate for use as an IR remote.

RE: Sillly

GM23 @ 9/14/2004 6:03:30 AM #

but still weather this blaster really can enhance the IR transmitter on my dear PDA? i do hate installing all these remotes and choosing the codes while my PDA with Novii remote doesn't allow to control the TV wherever i am....

RE: Sillly

Jeremy A @ 9/17/2004 1:40:16 PM #

Well, I bought Novii Blaster 6 days ago and I can't but express my satisfaction with it.

I should mention that the range of my Palm with Blaster is quite long, up to 60 feet, I guess! And I don't need to aim at TV-set or any other device and it's a great plus for me as well, as it's even more than I could wait from the remote for 60$ :-)

RE: Sillly

The Novii Team @ 9/20/2004 5:16:35 AM #

With NoviiRemote Blaster on your palmOne handheld, you get a remote control that does more, looks better and is more fun to use than comparable remotes selling for one thousand dollars!

You can now own the TV controls at your friend’s house, or your favorite sports bar! Instead of pointing your handheld, you can just hold it naturally in your hands. The maximum range you can achieve with the Blaster is 75 feet. The range is likely even longer in some situations. :-)

A chip inside the card contains the infrared codes for over 100,000 popular home entertainment devices.

The Blaster is easy to setup! Just select your brand of TV, VCR, DVD, DVR, cable/sat box, CD player and audio receiver from the list, and the NoviiRemote software automatically finds the right codes. You can be up and running in seconds.