HTC has done it! They have brought the IR port back to life in the new HTC One. Since you are going to be able to turn your TV and tons of other A/V equipment on you might as well have a TV app to go with your couch potato sessions as HTC introduces an interactive guide called Sense TV.
I remember my days using a Compaq iPaq and showing off the cool utility it had that allowed me to configure and operate electronics in several rooms of my home without picking up the standard remote that paired with my equipment. It was mostly due to the IR port just like the new HTC One has stashed in the power button on top of the phone. With HTC’s latest jack-of-all-trades smartphone, comes all the features of a universal remote control for your TV and accompanying media equipment and a location based TV guide that will remind you of your favorite shows or introduce you to shows you not have noticed earlier, because they don’t belong to the four or five channels you often rotate around. With the remote software users will be able to build controls for multiple rooms, though we are not sure at this point how many rooms can be saved, and the remote can be quickly accessed from the notification bar or the lock screen.
HTC Sense TV is powered behind the scenes by the makers of the app Peel, but the user interface is a one of a kind version that can only be enjoyed through the HTC One; current HTC models may get this service if they get upgraded to Sense 5, but they will not have the luxuries of changing the tuner. At launch, Sense TV is compatible with all major cable providers in the United States and a bunch of services abroad like Virgin Media, Sky, Freesat and more. Hulu is another supported client and we hope to see more services especially Netflix to work through this interface as well.
HTC wants to share the development experience with the community so if you have an idea that involves IR like SLR camera control or some other IR compatible device head over to HTC’s blog to sign up for access to the API software and get involved. Be sure to let us know if you are working on a project using HTC equipment and software so we can feature your creation on this blog.
Source: Engadget
0 comments:
Post a Comment