Request to Smartphone Manufacturer's...

Years ago I knew camera phones would be popular - because who wants to carry around two devices when one device could do the job of both?

Then, it was a no-brainer to add the functionality of other "dedicated" gadgets that everyone owns and put it into a phone (most only need software):

• Music player
• Watch
• Alarm Clock
• GPS device
• Pager
• Email
• Web browser
• Play Games
• Movie Player
• Calculator

So, why not add the function of yet another gadget that you use everyday into your phone?

Think about it, what other hand-held device do you use everyday?

....Your TV Remote!

Wouldn't it be cool to not have to search for the TV remote and instead just reach into your pocket and pull out your phone to pick a show on your Tivo? It would also be impossible to loose your phone "remote" because you just have to call it to locate it :)

Yeah, older PDA's did include an IR transceiver in them, and some software developer's even wrote tv remote control software to allow it to function as a tv remote. But, the IR interfaces in those devices were designed to "sync" to other PDA's at very close range (usually just a few inches), so they were impractical to replace your tv's remote (which can operate at 10+ feet). This is why I feel the idea of using your smartphone as a remote control never took off (because the beam was either too weak to be useful, or that the IR was on the side of the device, making it akward to "aim" while reading the buttons). So, natually, as bluetooth took on the role of wireless syncing, manufacturer's started to not include an IR module in their devices.

A complete IR transceiver (with a consumer electronic grade high-output IR LED and IR receiver so it can "learn" the buttons on you remote controls) will only add about $1.00 to the cost of the phone. That's just a fraction of what it cost's to add the camera and music abilities to your phone. So, it could the most cost-effective addition a phone manufacturer could add to their phones.

Adding an consumer-grade IR module to you phone will not just replace the functionality of your remote, it will greatly enhance it too. The color display and touch screen of your phone allow a much more rich user interface that a bunch of dumb buttons could ever hope to offer. Case in point - the Logitech Harmony remote is popular because of it's color display and flexability to create macro's and other "advanced" functionality.

By having the IR hardware built into smartphones, software developers will now have a completely new category to develop apps for. For example, how cool would it be that when your cellphone rings, it automatically transmits the "Pause" code to your Tivo set so you won't have to manually pause it before answering the phone, and then it un-pauses your Tivo when you hang up. Another idea is to add an advanced "Sleep" function that will not only turn off your TV after you fall asleep, but it could also turn off your stereo equipment, and turn them back on to wake you the next morning!

Another idea I had was to place an array of simple IR LED's (the same used to allow video camera's to view in dark) in an exhibit booth or conference hall that will transmit documents or files in a continuous loop. This way, anyone wanting to "grab" a copy of the file or document being discussed would only need to run a "Receive" app on their phone that would receive the file being transmitted. By transmitting the file in a loop, it could "broadcast" the file to multiple phone's simultaneously instead of having to handshake to each device one by one in a time-consuming serial fashion.

Also, since your phone connects to the internet, it's super easy to update the IR codes for new electronic equipment.

These are just some idea's that came to mind. The possibilities for using IR is only limited by the imagination of software developers.