RedEye (Free)
Version – 1.1.1
REVIEW – “Goodbye remote control, hello iPhone!”
Today I’m proud to be bringing you one of the most revolutionary apps available for the iPhone/iPod Touch platform! RedEye by ThinkFlood, Inc. is able to turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into a full-fledged remote control that can control any infrared device in your household! An important disclaimer before I go any further with this review: it is important to note that this particular app requires an infrared transmitting iPhone dock that is available at Thinkflood.com for $188 shipped. This price is very reasonable however when you consider how much you would pay for a remote control with a full-fledged touch screen interface!
The RedEye app works by communicating with the aforementioned iPhone dock. What this means is that while the initial price may be a little bit steep you will not have to have to have a piece of hardware connected to your iPhone or iPod touch for it to work because all of the communication is done by using your device’s built in WiFi capability! This means you could potentially have unlimited devices that could easily be used to control your RedEye system.
Setup of the system is extremely simple. When you get your RedEye hardware unit all you have to do is plug it in using the supplied adaptor and insert your preferred dock connector if you would like to use it to charge your device. Once your hardware is assembled you’ll need to download the “RedEye” app for free from the iTunes App Store!
Setting up the iPhone app is fairly simple, but it will take you a few minutes or maybe even an hour to get it set up the 
way you want it the first time. If you have ever used an advanced all-in-one remote you will realize why this is and that 30 minutes to an hour is actually extremely quick for setup. The great thing is that because all of your setup information is actually stored on the RedEye device itself you only have to set it up one time no matter how many different iPhones/iPod Touches you use to control it!
Before you access the app for the first time you will need to connect your device to the RedEye’s built in WiFi network. Once you connect to it and start up the app it will take a few minutes for it to update the dock with the latest information. After that basic setup you can then start setting up your devices. An important note here is that if you want to be able to access your WiFi at home, you can also set up the RedEye to be a wireless client on the home network fairly easily, as well. Setting up devices and activities works much like the software for some of the more advanced universal remotes. You can create buttons and interfaces that do one command or that do several things (macros) with just one press of a button.
Another important thing to note is that if you have devices in more than one room that you would like to control, it is possible to have multiple dock units and control them all using the same interface! While I’m not sure very many people are going to spend $188 on more than one of these, it is nice to know that it is possible if you did want to spend the money.
As far as device compatibility I did not have any problems setting up any of my devices except for my Xbox 360. The app was unable to locate IR codes for it, but I was still able to set it up using the apps “learning” feature and my Xbox 
Media Center remote. I actually got to talk to one of the developers at Thinkflood and he said that the “Xbox codes were just received and will be included in our database very soon!” Another question that people are sure to have is whether their beloved PS3 consoles are supported and to this he answered that “they are currently looking into several different ways of providing support for the PS3 console. Unfortunately the console does not use IR technology, but they are working on a workaround.”
Overall I was quite impressed with the device support. I was able to set up all kinds of devices both brand new and old and get them working with only minor problems. Once you get all of your devices and activities set up, you can access them in several different ways. You can use “activities” to start up your devices and bring up your preconstructed “remote” for that setup, you can access all of the commands on a particular device, or you can access a list of all the commands that you have programmed in for every device.
As I used the RedEye app I was very impressed with the start-up time and its relatively quick reaction time. I honestly thought that there would be more of a delay because of the network that is in between your initial button presses and the actual devices receiving their IR signals. There are still a few bugs in the software for RedEye as far as getting buttons to move around exactly where you want them to but these problems are relatively minor and are not even dealt with once you have everything set up the way you like it.
So to sum this all up, the wait is over! While there have been countless announcements of people working on hardware attachments to make your iPhone or iPod Touch work as a remote control, there is finally a product on the market, and it just works! If you have been waiting for this capability as long as I have, then this is an opportunity that you simply cannot pass up! I would encourage you to head to Thinkflood.com and purchase your own RedEye today!
- David H.
Download Now!
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Developer – Thinkflood, Inc.
URL: http://www.thinkflood.com
DEVELOPERS NOTES
RedEye is your personal remote control.
With the RedEye system you can use your iPhone or iPod touch to control your TV, stereo, cable box, DVD player, and many other devices that receive standard (infrared) signals. In other words, no more hunting through your sofa cushions for all those different remotes – all the control you need is right in your pocket.
RedEye is…
PERSONAL. Each person in your house can use her own iPhone or iPod touch as a controller, and more than one controller can interact with your gear simultaneously.
SIMPLE. One touch launches any activity – watch TV, listen to music, play a video. And custom screen layouts for each activity mean you never have to hunt for the right button.
SMART. Multi-touch gestures for common functions, free software upgrades delivered through iTunes, the ability to control different rooms from anywhere in the house – all cheaper than other universal remotes.
Download Now!
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© 2010, Davidh. All rights reserved.