Oh, the things that we can do today with our post-millennial gadgets and gadgetry. It seems like only yesterday we were adjusting the bunny ears on our TVs, hoping to get rid of the static and white noise that was ruining our Sunday afternoon football game. As Bob Dylan famously said, “Times they are a-Changing,” but when it comes to technological wizardly, the times have already changed, for better or for worse is simply a matter of customer opinion.
iPhone_as_TV_Remote
Whether we asked for certain technologies or not, they have arrived. Today it is possible to use your iPhone or iPad as a remote control for your FiOS TV. While the universal remote might seem like a concept from a Philip K. Dick sci-fi story, it’s just one of the many bells and whistles being featured in modern gadgets. There are pros and cons to such a feature, so let’s break them down.
The Pros :
1. Do you remember, not too long ago, when the automatic car starter was a hot commodity? People in New England and Canada were quick to sing its praises. On those sub-zero winter days they could electronically start their cars from inside their houses, wait for the cars to warm up, and then venture off to work. An iPhone TV remote works in a similar fashion. Say you’re walking home from the commuter rail; when you’re a block away from home, you pull out your iPhone and click on your favorite show. When you walk inside, Two Broke Girls, Mad Men or Homeland is already waiting for you.
2. Dogs and small children can wreak havoc on television remotes. Who knows why the remote has to be your Golden Retriever’s favorite chew toy, but it is. Not only that, but little Johnny has thrown the thing around the house so much that it’s cracked and certain buttons are broken. In fact, numbers 2 and 9 haven’t worked in months, and you’ve had to resort to using the archaic up and down arrows to flick through the channels. You will not have to worry about that anymore when you’re using you iPhone or iPad as a TV remote.
3. How many times have you lost your television remote? How many times have you gone to switch on the TV after a long day at work only to find that the batteries are dead, and guess what, you don’t have a single battery in the house. Today, all you need to do is take out your iPhone and click.
The Cons :
1. Techno-glut. Our iPhones and iPads do so many extraneous things already, do they really need to function as a universal remote control, too? This is more of a philosophical con than a technological one, but just because a software developer can create the technology doesn’t mean that we really need it.
2. Once you take out your iPhone to flip on the TV, chances are you’re going to continue to play with your phone. The next thing you know you’re watching a YouTube video and doing a Facebook check, maybe Instagram too. We spend so much time on our phones texting, surfing, gaming, fiddling and all together wasting time that we don’t need any other opportunities throughout the day to engage in phone play. There is nothing more aggravating than watching a TV show or movie with someone who is constantly playing with their phone.
3. Between the 50-inch HD TV and the home theater system, many technophiles have more remotes scattered across their coffee tables than they know what to do with. However, while some people might say it’s a pro to get rid of all those remotes and simply use an iPhone or iPad as a universal device, let’s go against the grain on this one and call it a con. Why? Because every family across American loves to play the Remote Control Game.
Mom, how do I turn the TV on? Dad, why doesn’t the stereo work? What button do I push? This is the type of family pastime that no technology should take away.
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