“NEEO” smart remote smashes Kickstarter goal
This could finally be it! A universal TV remote that isn’t terrible. NEEO launched on Kickstarter just days ago and has already raised over a million dollars.
NEEO sounds pretty clever: Essentially it is a smart box that sits near your TV and will let you control all of your AV devices – from your TV, to your Blu-Ray player, to your air conditioning using your phone. The box supports a tonne of different standards – including Bluetooth, Wifi, Zigbee and Z-Wave – so it should have a wide range of compatibility.
On the app side, there will be the ability to set up essentially macros, to automate tedious processes. For example, instead of having to switch on the TV, switch the AV input, switch on the Blu Ray player and press play, all you’ll have to do with NEEO is hit the one “DVD” button.
Interestingly, the makers aren’t just relying on phones – there is also a NEEO remote, which is essentially an Android device mashed up with a traditional remote – so there’s still physical buttons for volume control, but the screen can cover the more complex procedures. Intriguingly, the remote is said to have a “hand sensor” which will figure out who is holding it, and be customised appropriately (including parental controls).
The first shipments should be hitting as early as March.
