RedEye products and apps from ThinkFlood have allowed you to use your iOS devices as home theater remotes for a couple of years now. If you add some of their hardware connectivity products, you can even use them to control lights and appliances in your home. But why should Apple users have all the fun? ThinkFlood has just announced their RedEye application for Android smartphones and tablets. The RedEye Android app is compatible with networked RedEye products (RedEye and RedEye Pro) and supports devices running Android 1.6 and later, including 3.0 (Honeycomb) for tablets. RedEye is currently the only remote control platform compatible with Android smartphones and tablets. You’ll be able to define profiles for each networked system or each room in your house, and everyone with an Android device will be able to share the profiles so each has his own remote control. You can customize button layouts for your remotes, and keyboard shortcuts in Android allow you to easily control functions. There’s even a program guide in the application to help you plan your viewing.
RedEye hardware can be purchased online from ThinkFlood and is available from dealers and retailers worldwide, in more than 60 countries. You can obtain the app in the Android marketplace. See the full press release (after the jump) for more details.
RedEye Networked Remote Controls Move Beyond iOS
ThinkFloodʼs RedEye networked remote controls now in full production release for Android and PC
Waltham, MA – August 18, 2011 – ThinkFlood today announced production availability of the Android version of their RedEye application. Together with award-winning RedEye hardware, the RedEye app allows consumers to control their home theater, lighting, HVAC, and other equipment using common networked devices, including smartphones, tablets, and PCs.
In 2009, ThinkFlood launched RedEye as the first universal remote control solution to leverage the power of iPhone and iPod touch devices to control non-networked electronics in the home via a Wi-Fi network.
Now RedEye customers can also use Android phones and tablets alongside iOS devices and even personal computers to control equipment in their homes.
The RedEye Android app is compatible with networked RedEye products (RedEye and RedEye Pro) and supports devices running Android 1.6 and later, including 3.0 (Honeycomb) for tablets. RedEye is currently the only remote control platform compatible with Android smartphones and tablets.
More than a Smartphone Accessory
ThinkFlood representatives say that their original intention with RedEye products was not to turn the iPhone into a remote control, but rather to enable the control of non-networked devices over the Internet.
“The iPhone was a great start for us because it is such an elegant and popular device. But it was never our goal to have an exclusively iOS platform,” said Matt Eagar, founder and president of ThinkFlood. “Instead, we designed RedEye with the idea that you can pick up any networked device – iPhone, PC, Android device – and control your system from anywhere you have a network connection.”
“When you take a multipurpose device like a smartphone or PC and attempt to use it as a replacement for a dedicated device like a traditional remote control, you canʼt simply copy the functionality of the dedicated device,” remarked Craig Materick, ThinkFloodʼs lead software architect.
“With RedEye, the benefits outweigh the costs,” Materick continued. “For example, phone calls never interrupt you when using a dedicated remote control, but when using a smartphone they do. Rather than let this be a problem, RedEye allows you to use any networked device as a controller – so when one phone is unavailable, you can switch to using RedEye on another device – whether itʼs a tablet, laptop or another phone. This flexibility has other benefits – namely, that each person in your house can have their own controller, and they can control the system from just about anywhere.”
RedEye systems include the following optimizations for smartphones and PCs:
• Multi-user support. Use any networked device (personal computer, smartphone, or tablet) to control the system.
- Control from anywhere. As long as you have a network connection, you can control your system – from any room in the house, or even away from home.
- Automatic synchronization. Each controller automatically detects the system configuration through the RedEye hardware, so adding a new controller is effortless. Also allows one person to pick up controlling right where another left off.
- Complete customization. Organize not only common activities, but also unique button layouts appropriate for each activity, right down to the graphical look and feel.
- Platform-appropriate shortcuts. On iOS, multi-touch and motion gestures and on Android and PC, keyboard shortcuts allow for easy operation without looking down at the screen when controlling.RedEye hardware can be purchased online from ThinkFlood and is available from dealers and retailers worldwide, in more than 60 countries.Download the latest version of the RedEye application from the Android marketplace or iTunes.About ThinkFloodThinkFlood designs and develops hardware and software for control systems. Its award-winning RedEye universal remote platform for smartphones, tablets, and PCs offers features and functionality previously available only in remotes priced several times as much. ThinkFlood is a privately held company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. For more information, visit http://thinkflood.com.
Contact:
April Mendez
ThinkFlood, Inc. [email protected] 617-299-2000 x1005###
