@jpbturbo One of the biggest problems to me is the devices that require the remote to access advanced control features. Why I can't select the component input on my TV without the remote is beyond me!

I don't know if I understood you correctly. May be you need to find the discrete codes for the TV's component inputs and find a way to add these codes to the Remote App. This is where learning universal remotes shine. I don't know if the Android App allows for any learning. You may also need a programmable remote like JP1 remote to teach the discrete code to a learning remote or to your app.

May be this is not relevant to this thread..or may be it is.. as we are discussing ways to avoid remote clutter. :-)

I have all my music ripped to a music server running XBMC and have used the XBMC Remote Android app to control it over my wifi. At my old job we had set up some of our smart classrooms with serial to IR adapters so that the consumer equipment like VHS/Laserdisc players could be controlled from the computer via a small application.

One of the biggest problems to me is the devices that require the remote to access advanced control features. Why I can't select the component input on my TV without the remote is beyond me!

All smartphone based IR remotes need an IR dongle to be attached to the phone to transmit IR signals, AFAIK. While this iPhone/iPad/Android based remotes can be cool to show off, they are just a pain in the ass to operate for regular viewing. Nothing beats hard buttons for remote operation and I don't like to look at the screen to press a button. There is also the question of using expensive smart phones to do the donkey work that remotes are supposed to do, especially where kids are involved.

I am not even a fan of IR remotes, except for the fact that IR remotes can be learned by universal remotes. For relatively inexpensive solutions, RF remotes are the way to go and once used, there is no going back (Of course most RF based remotes only do RF-IR conversion). I used $50 Xsight18 RF remote with Nevo REX-433 RF base ($70) and now I control all my home theater including PS3 (with the help of IR to Bluetooth dongle) with it. No need for line of sight operation, you can hide your equipment and operate the remote even from bedroom to switch off the all equipment. All my OEM remotes are now gathering dust.

I feel Harmony, especially their newer models, while having a great database and ease of setup are crippled and lacks some critical functions like macros. They are not great value for money either.

Honestly if all manufacturer's can make the remote as an optional purchase and make available the IR code available on their website and also make it available to Universal remote code manufacturers, it will go a long way to save the remote clutter. Not that it is going to happen, since who will pass the cash cow to another company :-). There is also the practical side; it is very difficult to make one-fits-all kind of remote, especially in the rapidly changing electronics industry where newer features are added every now and then.

@Vitaliy_Kiselev

You're right IR has gone the way of the Dodo. The only smartphone that I could fine that had is is a Nokia 900.

well a lot of other cellphones in the same class, rather than comparing them with entry grade models. Though it has become less common nowadays than it use to be where you would have IR in every corporate laptop

Yes that is one good thing I noticed about cellphones recently, more of them are adopting micro USB as their charging interface. All this non-standardisation is just protectionist/anti-competitive behaviour by companies. Totally agree they should be taxed. The iphone doesn't have an integrated IR sender, unlike a lot of other cellphones. Not to worry, if Apple ever get around to introducing it, they'll announce it as revolutionary and groundbreaking

@dtr It was 2009, my Nokia phone bought in November still has the old Nokia charger and not the mini usb charger indicated as standard..

Or we could have an expanding pointy finger, that extends across the room and pokes the buttons on your equipment. That could work! It would be the first self-powered, device-independent universal remote.

Great post. Capital offence then if not life sentence?

Harmony Remote by Logitech is one Solution to the pile of remotes you normaly have. I have used it for manny years now. This kind of Solution could be implemented in an iPad or iPhone app.

Here's an idea. Iphone app that replaces ALL your remote controls.

It is very old idea that come to many many people :-)
If you think a little about practical remote handling and usage you'l l realise that in reality it will be bad.

Here's an idea. Iphone app that replaces ALL your remote controls.

Remotes have to be some of the worst designed products in history. I mean it's 2012.