iPhone, iPad could be universal remote

An Apple patent promises the possibility of a truly universal remote to control all of a household's entertainment devices, a US tech Web site is reporting. The patent would allow an iPhone or iPad owner to take a picture of a piece of electronic equipment, like a television, and upload it to the iCloud where Apple would determine the type, make and the model of the device, Patently Apple reported Thursday. Apple would obtain the IR codes for the device's existing remote control, then program a universal remote with virtual buttons corresponding to those of the old remote control and send it to the iPhone or iPad, which could then control the device. The technology could end the endless juggling of multiple remotes most users face but comes with problems of its own, the Chicago Tribune pointed out, like what happens if you've left your phone at work or you've lost it? Also, users would have to swipe their phone open, type in a password and find the remote control app button all just to turn down the volume to answer a phone call or see who's ringing the doorbell, the newspaper said.