Elgan: Your TV remote is obsolete

Computerworld - It seems like everything's got its own remote these days. My TV has two. No, make it three: The new Apple TV I got for Christmas came with one. My heater has one. The lights in my bedroom have a remote control dimmer and on/off switch. My digital camera has a very small remote, but I can't find it. And the fan in my kitchen's got one (something's always setting it off -- probably a neighbor's garage door opener).

Remotes add clutter. They need batteries. They're easy to lose. And most TV remotes are so complex that people tend to ignore most of the features.

There's got to be a better way to remotely control things. And there is. One emerging theme in consumer electronics is the replacement of remote control units with smartphone apps. Another theme is to replace them with a sudden and incredible wave of motion-control devices.

The universal remote in your pocket

Several really good remote-control options have emerged on smartphones, especially on Apple iPhone and Google Android devices. They use a variety of methods to connect to home entertainment systems.

Some, like Qualcomm's Skifta and the Sonos Controller use your existing home Wi-Fi network.

Others, such as the Beacon Universal Remote for iOS devices and AVI Shadow for BlackBerry, use Bluetooth.

And still others, like RedEye from ThinkFlood, do things the old-fashioned way, by connecting via infrared.

There are literally hundreds of options for controlling TVs and stereos via smartphones. But while some companies are replacing remotes, other companies are adding smartphone control to devices that didn't use to have any remote control options at all.

LG launched this week a system called THINQ that enables owners of some LG washers and dryers, refrigerators and ovens to control those appliances via smartphone.

MyFord introduced this week a new app called MyFord Mobile that will enable drivers of the Ford Focus electric car to control things on the car when they're not inside it. For example, the app enables you to start the car and turn on the heater while you're still in the house, as well as monitor the battery charge and find a charging station.

Audiovox announced this week that it's shipping its CarLink smartphone interface module, which enables remote start, keyless entry and, most importantly, the ability to find your car in a parking lot from iPhone, Android and Blackberry phones.

And Samsung this week launched a new camera called the SH100, which lets you remotely control the camera (for self and group shots, presumably) from any Samsung Galaxy S class smartphone.

A company called Splashtop announced this week an Android app for controlling a PC, and for streaming the content on a PC to the phone. (Their iOS version shipped a couple of months ago.)