I
iOverpriced
Guest
For those of you not familiar with Boxee, it's a free media center application for Windows, Mac/Apple TV, and Linux. With it, you can watch all the movies, TV, music, and pictures stored on your computer or network. In addition, it pulls down programming from Hulu, NBC, CBS, and many other internet TV/radio stations.
Sounds great right? Sadly the very thing that makes Boxee awesome (running on a plethora of devices), is also a big drawback. Your universal remotes probably won't work! This alone made me shy away, until I found this fantastic Android remote.
As you can see, it's very simple. Using the touch screen in portrait mode, you can control all the functions of the (in my case PC) client. It's very responsive and works exactly as it should. There's a few basic options for haptic feedback and auto connect. This means that when you're connected to wi-fi, the app will automatically link to the default connection without prompting.
Another nice feature is being able to type when you need to search for something. The onscreen keyboard will automatically come up when you select a text field, and you can use the navigation buttons to easily scroll through the results.
(PC)
What's wrong with it?
In two words, portrait mode.
This app works exclusively in portrait mode. Even extending a keyboard, if you have that option, will do nothing. In fact, if you decide to slide the keyboard out and use a d-pad for navigation, you'll still need to keep the phone vertical. This is an odd choice and may just be something the developer overlooked. Before reviewing this app, I never even thought to use the hardware keyboard, so it's barely an issue.
Boxee Wifi Remote
Pros
-Simple, functional interface
-Onscreen keyboard pops up when needed
-Stable and reliable
Cons
-No landscape mode
-Voice to text not supported
Sounds great right? Sadly the very thing that makes Boxee awesome (running on a plethora of devices), is also a big drawback. Your universal remotes probably won't work! This alone made me shy away, until I found this fantastic Android remote.
As you can see, it's very simple. Using the touch screen in portrait mode, you can control all the functions of the (in my case PC) client. It's very responsive and works exactly as it should. There's a few basic options for haptic feedback and auto connect. This means that when you're connected to wi-fi, the app will automatically link to the default connection without prompting.
Another nice feature is being able to type when you need to search for something. The onscreen keyboard will automatically come up when you select a text field, and you can use the navigation buttons to easily scroll through the results.
What's wrong with it?
In two words, portrait mode.
This app works exclusively in portrait mode. Even extending a keyboard, if you have that option, will do nothing. In fact, if you decide to slide the keyboard out and use a d-pad for navigation, you'll still need to keep the phone vertical. This is an odd choice and may just be something the developer overlooked. Before reviewing this app, I never even thought to use the hardware keyboard, so it's barely an issue.
Boxee Wifi Remote
Pros
-Simple, functional interface
-Onscreen keyboard pops up when needed
-Stable and reliable
Cons
-No landscape mode
-Voice to text not supported
