Using Your Cellphone To Control RC Cars

rocannon writes "Cellular-news reports that NEC has announced a technical cooperation with the Japanese toy manufacturer, Konami to enable its range of MICROiR toys cars to be controlled from the DoCoMo N504iS handset or the J-N51 handset sold by J-Phone. More details on Cellular News."

Comments

Bluetooth Anyone?

[notb4dinner]

Wouldn't Bluetooth be a better way of achieving this? If they were to make the cars recieve they're control via Bluetooth, any Bluetooth device (including phones) with the appropriate software could control them. This would mean your not tied into buying a particular phone for what is nothing more than a gimmick (albeit an incredibly cool gimmick). Of course I make this with no real understanding of the latency involved in Bluetooth or the cost of a reciever (although I do remember it was originally supposed to be cheap enough to embed in everything).

Re:I dont know whats worse

[Mononoke]

I agree 100%.

I'm still waiting for a phone that:

1. Uses a properly designed antenna.
2. Still works after it's dropped.
3. Has covered buttons so that I don't accidentally dial when I sit down.
4. Has decent battery life.

What I don't need/want:

1. Games. I've got a pack of cards that works without batteries.
2. A camera. I've got a camera with a real lens.
3. A PDA. Once again, more wasted battery power.

I just want a friggin' phone that works.

I dont know whats worse ... but cool/T68i

[adzoox]

Having the added ability to use my T68i as an iTunes and DVD player controller for my Mac is a nice value bonus.

I have ended up using Salling Clicker (linked above) for more things than I thought. (keynote, turn on password protection, etc)

While controlling remote control cars may not be all that cool. (Range is horrible for those little cockroach cars) I do think it would be nice to have something like the feature integrated into Sony Clies where you can control ANY TV STEREO or CABLE BOX with just the selection of a brand name and type of device. I would love to be able to do this with my phone.

After talking to the programmer of Romeo, a similar program - I have been keeping up with developments that t68i phones will soon be able to control TV's and VCRs, and etc - through an actual "on phone program" - right now Romeo and Salling Clicker are Push based.

Does anyone know if there is an infrared to bluetooth or vice versa converter coming out?