As technology progresses, people are going to be faced with all sorts of questions. Like, do you really want to get up from that couch? After all, you’ve got vacuums that pick up after you without you needing to push them around; you’ve got video game consoles that turn off and on without the need of you actually pushing a button on the box; and now the home automation market is on the verge of climbing to a brand new level. Considering the iPhone’s capabilities, there’s no wonder that this is happening at all. Just plug in a simple IR dongle, and you’re off to the races. Or, perhaps quite the opposite.
New Potato Technologies is based out of North Carolina, and they’ve created a new infrared dongle that plugs into your iPhone (or iPod Touch, if you’re so inclined). But, unlike the multitude of other IR dongles out there, this one from New Potato plugs into the dock connector. And much the same way that you’re standard IR remotes control the products in your home, the FLPR can tell your stereo equipment, fans, and lights exactly what to do. All from the comfort of your 3.5-inch touchscreen.
As an added bonus though, the application that New Potato Technologies has created for the FLPR also contains over 14,000 device codes, so that connecting to all your IR-based devices should be a relative breeze. If this is something that you’re dying to have, for no better reason than you want a legitimate excuse to use your iPhone upside down, you can go ahead and order one from the company’s website today. It will cost you a cool $79.99 for the IR dongle. If you’re more inclined to wait, retailers such as Best Buy should be ready to sell you one by March 28th.
[via Engadget]
