ZigBee Remote Control Announced By ZigBee Alliance - - Offering Flexible Control To Let Consumers Free From Pointing Remotes At Devices

The ZigBee Alliance has just announced the release of its ZigBee Remote Control, where the company aims to make it the new global standard where advanced remote controls are concerned. In fact, the ZigBee Remote Control will be the first public application profile that was specially designed for use with the ZigBee RF4CE specification which was announced earlier in 2009. With the ZigBee Remote Control, it frees consumers from pointing remotes at devices, thus offering flexible control from nearby rooms. This makes way for unique two-way communications between the remote and device, alongside improved remote battery life in a wide range of consumer electronic devices including the now-pervasive HDTV, home theater equipment, set-top boxes and other audio equipment.

This would mean the ZigBee Remote Control will oust 30 year-old infrared (IR) technology with radio frequency (RF) control, while doing away with the need for all the pointing confusion coupled with other performance problems that are normally associated with IR remotes and large screen LCD and plasma TVs. Apart from that, it is also a boon to any seasoned couch potato especially with its ability to locate misplaced remote controls. Boasting a common command set for true interoperability, the ZigBee Remote Control eliminates the need for multiple remote controls. As for your equipment, you can now store them anywhere you like – including out of sight, since the ZigBee Remote Control is still able to zap your commands despite the obstacles in place. Other features include enhanced user interfaces, advanced display capabilities and over-the-air upgrades and programmability.

It would be interesting to see which CE company will take up the challenge of making their devices work with the ZigBee Remote Control. Gotta love the never-lose-the-remote part – it will definitely save you a whole lot of time searching all over the place, and it might even improve marital relations since you guys no longer need to argue about who was the last person to use the remote control, eh?