Philips iPronto Does It with Linux

An anonymous reader writes "The Philips iPronto may well be a gadget-lover's dream come true. Ever glance around the family room in bewilderment at the number and diversity of remote controls required to make your entertainment systems go? If so, you might think you know why Philips created this brainy new remote. But getting rid of all those little button-studded black plastic battery-eaters isn't all this Linux-powered marvel aims to do." And all for the low low price of $1700.

Comments

Startup time?!

[jraf]

I was looking around for the battery life specs (I couldn't get to the specs page on the Philips website) .. and came across this page http://www.remotecentral.com/wn030403.htm Found out that its got 5 days of standby lifetime.. not too fantastic, but with a convenient dock its acceptable I guess. But the second new feature of the firmeware upgrade said Reduced start-up time... Hell..ANY startup time for a remote control isn't going to be good..

So how do I fumble for it?

[thatguywhoiam]

I don't know. This iPronto thing, it seems to have a kind of major design issue.

Put it this way:

I'm about 80 minutes into Fellowship of the Ring. The room is completely dark (except for the tv of course). I have, balanced precariously on one leg a vat of popcorn, girlfriend likely leaning on other shoulder. There may or may not be a few drinks on the table in front of me. I may or may not be really stoned.

Then that Balrog scene comes up and I just have to slow-mo it this time, it just looks so amazing, so in my dark, cluttered, reclined, drunk/stoned state, I fumble for the remote to hit the slo-mo...

... and whip out this iPronto thing, light it up, start dragging my greasy fingers across the touchscreen through frickin pull-down menus, eyes blinded by the sudden shift in light and focus, the Balrog's going mental on Gandalf's ass, I spill my drink...

Nah. Don't see it. For $1700, I want to just yell what I want, or twiddle my fingers in the air, and have it do something.