If you had a brilliant idea of using your iPad as a huge remote control, Logitech Harmony link will make your life easier! Logitech‘s Harmony Link device turns the iPad or smartphone itself into a one-touch remote control for your TV. Logitech is announcing its ideas on how to integrate a traditional TV with a touchscreen tablet that is a more natural user interface than a remote control with too many confusing buttons. And with the Logitech harmony link you can use your iPhone, iPod Touch or Android smartphone as well to control your TV.
With the Harmony Link, you plug in a small wireless device next to your TV. Then you use the iPad to connect to the Harmony Link via a Wi-Fi wireless network. When you use your finger to change a channel on the user interface on the iPad, the Harmony Link translates your finger stroke into a command for the TV. The Harmony Link sends an infrared signal to the TV, completing the channel change. To get it to work, you need to download a free Logitech Harmony Link app for your iPad. After setting it up, the Harmony Link and the app work together to delivre a personalized schedule of your favorite TV shows, channels, and genres so that you can find something good to watch. When you finish browsing and find what you want, you can use the iPad rather than a remote control to switch to the right channel.
With the iPad is that you can find out a lot more about your show through the web-based interface that appears on the iPad. The Harmony Link can control up to eight devices via the Wi-Fi network. It’s about the size of a hockey puck and only has to plug into a power outlet. The Harmony Link can also connect with more than one iPad at a time, so that multiple family members can use their own iPads to control the TV, rather than fighting over a single remote. There isn’t a huge delay in translating the control input from the iPad to the TV.
The Harmony Link will go on sale in the U.S. in October for $99.99.
[VentureBeat]