5 Nifty Apps That Turn Your Android Into A Universal Remote

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With all the gadgets, remotes, and thingamajigs piling up on your coffee table, finding the right remote can sometimes be a real pain. But thanks to a few heroic Android developers,�there are tools to consolidate some of those pesky remotes … into your Android phone. While you can’t use an Android app to turn your TV on or change the channels (because of the lack of an infrared emitter in the Android phones on the market today), the following apps let you control a home theater PC, Tivo, Squeezebox and other devices via your phone. And at the very least you can save a few bucks when it comes to media center accessories.

The following 5 apps are neat demonstrations of what you can do with a flexible, app-friendly phone like the Verizon Droid, the T-Mobile G1 or the Sprint HTC Hero.

1. RemoteDroid

This app transforms your Android into a wireless keyboard and mouse. It consists of 2 components: the RemoteDroid app on your phone and a server application for your computer. The difficulty level for set up is low; hop on a Wi-Fi network, run the server application and enter an IP address into the phone (the server app even displays it for you). Best of all, the app is free, so you’ll have that much more money towards a custom home theater PC.

2. Boxee Remote

It’s too bad you can’t call your lost, wee Apple remote when it’s disappeared and you know it’s gotta be around somewhere. But if you’re using Boxee, you’ve got a backup: The Boxee Remote app makes a great, free backup remote if you use Boxee as your primary means of streaming television and movies from your computer.

3. TivoRemote

A note to Tivo Series 3 and Tivo HD people: Forgetting to record your favorite shows on Tivo is a thing of the past. Put your medium-savvy tech hat on, dish out $1 and remotely control your Tivo from anywhere using Tivo’s Network Remote Control setting and TivoRemote. Since I don’t have a Tivo myself, I wasn’t able to personally test this application, but the reviews are positive and the community feedback are hymns of praise. One commenter on the market also found a ninja-like purpose for the pocket-sized remote, “My wife finds this highly irritating… thanks!”

4. SqueezeControl

SqueezeControl is a free app that taps into and controls your Logitech SqueezeCenter, a handy wireless network music player. We are all accustomed to lugging our phones around, so any app — like this one — that eliminates the fumbling of pockets for an additional device has a place in our world.

5. Gmote

Similar to RemoteDroid (and, like it, totally free), this app becomes a wireless keyboard and mouse for your computer or HTPC set up. It’s not too hard to set up: All you need is the phone app along with the server application on the computer you wish to use. Gmote pulls music, movies, and other media and organizes it all in convenient folders. In addition to it’s wireless keyboard/mouse functionality, it offers a remote control screen to quickly control your media.

What apps do you use to control your media? Post your suggestions in the comments below.

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