One great feature about many Nokia devices is the infrared capabilities. Many E-Series devices sport it for real estate purposes. The E71 is currently the last Nokia device that I am aware of that still retains IR hardware, all newly announced hardware unfortunately, drop it.
This review will be on Psiloc irRemote which is a piece of software that allows any S60v3 device with an IR module to control a plethora of media devices. The database holds over 1400 codes for devices and it’s very easy to find and use the codes. No more entering in numerical sequences and hoping it works. Simply find your model and presto.
Upon opening the application you’re greeted with a listing of the saved devices and can select one for immediate use.
If you’ve got a fresh installation and need to find a device simply push Options and select Add Device.
You now have a selection that varies by the type of device.
There are many types you can control by scrolling down.
We’re going to search for Sony TV. After selecting TV, we hit Refresh to sync the codes to the online database to ensure we have the most up to date listings.
You can either immediately start typing to find the device or scroll using the dpad. Once you find your model, select it and hit Refresh.
The great thing about the irRemote database is that it is user submitted and ranked. You can see the amount of stars which will indicate if it worked for other users or not. To download and install, simply select it and press in on the dpad.
Select it from the saved devices list and you will be presented with the remote interface which is very straight forward and easy to use.
You control it using the dpad and the numeric keys. If for any reason your device will not send the codes, you can change the interaction mode by heading into Settings.
Here, you can also adjust the Settings for skin, network access prompts and default access point for downloading.
The only issue I have with irRemote, is since the database is community driven, there are many duplicate entries. Some work, others do not. You can rank them so others will know, which is nice. It’s one of the trade-offs of have a user submitted database. A lot more support, but chances for duplicates and errors as the codes are not tested or moderated.
Psiloc irRemote is one of the many reasons I keep my E71 with me instead of using the other rival choices, such as a Blackberry Bold, HTC Hero or Touch Pro 2. I’m never without a remote anymore. Available for purchase at Psiloc Homepage for a time fee of $28.55 and the IR database community site is available here. Also worth mentioning, they have a 10 day free trial version.
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