Turn Your Pocket PC Into a Remote Control

The dividing line between home and work just got a bit thinner with the announcement from Universal Electronics of a technology that installs in Pocket PC handhelds and is able to control everything from an office projection system to the Sony Tivo.

The Cypress, California-based company this week launched Nevo, a chip and software technology that contains more than 110,000 control codes for almost all electronic devices with a consumer infrared port and some Radio Frequency protocols.

Next week UEI will reveal the name of the Pocket PC 2002 handheld manufacturer that will ship one of its models this summer with the chip and software installed. Sources say the OEM is one of the top three market sales leaders.

"This will become a real differentiator in the market for the OEM," says Paul Arling, chairman and chief executive officer of UEI.

Remote Control

The Pocket PC OEM is adding consumer infrared to the device in addition to support for the IrDA, or Infrared Data Association, standard. Consumer infrared has a range of 25 feet as opposed to IrDA with a range of only 2 to 3 feet. Using Nevo in the office, projectors and conference-room TVs can all be controlled from the handheld.

The interface includes a wizard that prompts users to select a brand. The built-in database will then rank all code sets for that device in order of popularity. Once accepted, the software puts it into the interface and adds the control buttons to the handheld.

Users can also define "rooms," or folders, adding groups of devices to be controlled in each room as well as combining controls, such as a Tivo button with a set-top box control button. Each button can be color coded as well.

As new devices come into the market, the codes will be available on the Mynevo.com site so users can download the codes to their handheld, according to Arling.

Coming Soon

Arling also hints at a couple of new directions for the company. In the near term, users will be able to create channel favorites for easier surfing through the hundreds of television channels now offered.

Farther out will be connectivity to IEEE 802.11x devices so a user might more easily transfer MP3 files from one device to another, Arling says.

Under normal usage a consumer infrared device can run nine months to a year on two AA batteries; adding the capability to a handheld is not expected to reduce battery life significantly, Arling says.

Arling believes the Nevo technology has a role to play in the office, where remotes for audio visual devices are often misplaced and replacement costs for a remote control for a projector can cost upwards of $150.

The first devices to include Nevo will ship in July; support for the Palm platform is expected later this year.