1. ssbtech's Avatar
    IR ports used to be standard on Pocket PC and Palm devices several years ago. I had a TV remote control app on my Dell Axim that used the IR port to send commands to the TV.

    Why do we not see devices using IR ports any more? Think of the "Home automation" possibilities there could be with the PlayBook if it supported IR, or being able to use the phone as a TV remote...

    Something I miss from the "olden days"
    10-29-11 06:01 PM
  2. SwitchBeach's Avatar
    I think you answered your own question with the first 5 words and the last 2 words of your post.

    "IR ports used to be" and "olden days"
    diegonei likes this.
    10-29-11 06:04 PM
  3. blackjack93117's Avatar
    Because you have to point it properly to connect - RF is not so directional, plus higher bandwidth.
    10-29-11 06:06 PM
  4. TheScionicMan's Avatar
    Lots of PCs used to have a Floppy drive too...

    Pretty limited functionality. Of all the possible hardware they could add to the PB, an IR Port should not be one of them, IMO.

    I'd rather see them enable USB host and then you could rig an IR attachment.

    At some point, the Swiss Army knife approach just becomes bloat.
    diegonei likes this.
    10-29-11 06:13 PM
  5. anindoc's Avatar
    the IR is the bluetooth of today.
    10-29-11 06:46 PM
  6. Daruba's Avatar
    As "old school" IR might be, my latest HD 3D tv still use it, it still opens my 2011 car...

    Yes, some great apps would be possible with the use of IR. i guess there will be a technical hassle to enable IR in a smart phone / tablet of today.
    10-29-11 06:52 PM
  7. FF22's Avatar
    Ah, that explains the absence of a2dp - it's from the "olden days!"
    10-29-11 07:16 PM
  8. SumthinNew's Avatar
    As "old school" IR might be, my latest HD 3D tv still use it, it still opens my 2011 car...

    Yes, some great apps would be possible with the use of IR. i guess there will be a technical hassle to enable IR in a smart phone / tablet of today.
    "IR" opens your car?
    Don't you mean RF?
    10-29-11 07:19 PM
  9. ssbtech's Avatar
    They can cram two cameras, two speakers a magnetometer and gyroscope (neither of which can be used yet) into the damn thing, but no IR port.
    10-29-11 07:26 PM
  10. Spamcube's Avatar
    I heard the new Vizio tablet has one built along with an intergrated app that turns it into a universal remote. Most people use Harmony remotes. I would actually prefer they have an IR built in my phone. Better yet, have the TV makers start making bluetooth remotes like the PS3 and intergrated as an app on smartphones. A company can actually make a simple IR add on that plugs into the 3.5 mm headphone jack and a third party app to turn the Playbook into a remote.
    10-29-11 07:36 PM
  11. SumthinNew's Avatar
    They can cram two cameras, two speakers a magnetometer and gyroscope (neither of which can be used yet) into the damn thing, but no IR port.

    Have you played any games on your PB (or preloaded NFS?) I'm pretty sure the gyroscope is what senses the tilting of your PB to interact with the games.
    10-29-11 07:39 PM
  12. Daruba's Avatar
    "IR" opens your car?
    Don't you mean RF?
    Yeah, you're right!

    10-29-11 07:50 PM
  13. TheScionicMan's Avatar
    They should have added a parallel port too and that would have solved the printing problem....
    erhan8 and diegonei like this.
    10-29-11 09:54 PM
  14. sam_b77's Avatar
    Well my instinct was to give a sarcastic comment as well, but then one awesome use for an IR port came to mind. Make the PB into a universal remote for my home theater.
    Imagine and amazing app writtin for the PB with awesome graphics and transitions. Would have loved that.
    10-29-11 10:53 PM
  15. TheScionicMan's Avatar
    The trend seems to be towards wifi-based remote apps since the new TVs are coming with Wifi.
    Murados likes this.
    10-29-11 11:32 PM
  16. ssbtech's Avatar
    Well my instinct was to give a sarcastic comment as well, but then one awesome use for an IR port came to mind. Make the PB into a universal remote for my home theater.
    Imagine and amazing app writtin for the PB with awesome graphics and transitions. Would have loved that.
    Well that was the point of my original post.
    10-29-11 11:38 PM
  17. ssbtech's Avatar
    Have you played any games on your PB (or preloaded NFS?) I'm pretty sure the gyroscope is what senses the tilting of your PB to interact with the games.
    I was going by what this poster said: http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...3/#post6809710

    Note that a gyroscope is not the same thing as an accelerometer.
    10-29-11 11:42 PM
  18. ykhehra1's Avatar
    sony android tablet have IR
    06-18-12 04:22 PM
  19. carter17's Avatar
    this is one of the reasons that i got the galaxy tab 2 it controls all my stuff in the front room its a very nice feature. hope more company's start putting them in. so far only vizio tab but that thing is so slow then i think the xybord by moto has an ir blaster and the galaxy tab 2

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk
    06-18-12 04:30 PM
  20. pacoman03's Avatar
    IR sensors were included in a lot of old laptops, PDA's etc. because they could be used to transfer data between devices. The problem was that these transfers were extremely slow. There are newer ways to transfer files much more quickly, so IR became obsolete.
    06-18-12 05:30 PM
  21. pinkert11's Avatar
    RF would better then IR. A lot of set top receivers Satellite or cable. My amp also has RF for the remote, no direct pointing or direct line of sight. I don't get why RF hasn't killed IR already.
    06-18-12 09:57 PM
  22. ralfyguy's Avatar
    Maybe somebody could reverse engineer the IF/BT add-on for the Harmony remote that controls a PS3. Make an app for the PB that sends BT signals to the converter, which sends the commands to the TV via IR.
    06-18-12 10:42 PM
  23. Sith_Apprentice's Avatar
    IR has a very short range (compared to BT/WiFi) is very slow in transferring data, and offers zero security. Its uses are also fairly limited.
    06-19-12 06:41 AM
  24. codiak's Avatar
    Casio make a wrist watch - maybe that would be a good substitute no...?

    https://forums.crackberry.com/e?link...token=bW4UVTNX

    and some other unknown brand do to
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/NEEWER-Black...bUvbUpU7465204
    Last edited by codiak; 06-19-12 at 08:36 AM.
    06-19-12 08:33 AM
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