The
Enemy. Which remote do you want to
program?

    Now
you have a decision to make. Which remote should you
program? Ideally, you would choose the biggest
(naturally!) remote, which probably has the ability
to memorize the more important functions from each
of the smaller remotes. But if you spend the time to program your
monster remote, what happens to your programming when you
change the batteries in it? And after all that
programming, can any of the other people in the household
understand what you did?

   
Fortunately, there are several choices that you can
make. You can go ahead and program your largest remote,
hoping
for the best. You also might consider buying a
remote that has upload/download abilities from the
internet, hopefully it will also have the ability to
backup your programming. But, if you have a Pocket
PC, there may be another answer.

   
WinCESoft has a software product called IrDA Remote
Control II. This utility allows you to use your
Pocket PC as a fully customizable remote control for
your home entertainment system. They also have a
trial version of the product that is nearly
identical to the full version but is limited in the
number of button presses and the CCF- IR- code-
import function.

WHAT’S HOT

    The current version of Remote Control II
is v1.15. RC II is "skinnable" and has a built-in layout
editor so you can build your own button and control layouts. It offers
support for infrared extender hardware such as the Ultramote CF Extender,
and supports Fast-IR and Consumer-IR interfaces. It is inexpensive
at $29/€25, accepts commonly available CCR codes, and supports
Pocket PCs as well as Handheld PCs. Best of all, version 1.15 adds
two features that people have requested; if you are lucky enough to
have a Pocket PC that supports VGA, Remote Control II can be used in
VGA mode (with the appropriate skin). Also, if you have a Pocket PC
with the IR port on the bottom (such as the iPaq 4700 series), RC II
has a feature to invert the screen.

SETUP

    As I have an HP iPAQ 4700, RAM memory is
always something I am mindful of. So I first attempted to load RC II into
a 512MB SD card, which did not work OK (I did not attempt to modify this
with Tweaks2K2). So I did the next best thing and installed it into the
iPAQ File Store.

RC II
installs to the iPAQ File Store

   
Before completing the installation, I got a warning
about the app being designed for a previous version
of Windows Mobile (I am running WM2003SE). The
application does work fine in portrait mode and VGA
modes, however, this would require that you have a
"project" designed for landscape mode.

Version warning during install (if you are running
WM2003SE)

   
Once the program is installed, you have to fill out
a registration form that records some system
information from your Pocket PC. You then have to
email this information to
WinCESoft, and they, in
turn, send you back a registration key. It’s worth
it though; this registration key is good for all
upcoming versions of the product. Once you receive
your
key, enter it in and press OK.

Enter your registration key and let’s get started!

PROGRAM FEATURES

    Fortunately, RC II does not start with a blank screen and
expect you to program it from scratch. RC II is "skinnable", meaning
that it is infinitely customizable to suit your needs. The program comes equipped
with a default "project", called vSilver (240×320), which has several
different screens for DVD, TV and Video Functions.

RC II
loads the default "project"

Instead of making a
remote screen unusable by putting too much information on one screen,
the project spreads each function (TV, DVD, VCR/Video) across several pages.

Selecting IR Quick Learn
to begin learning keys

All set to learn a
function from your remote control. Press Channel 1 on the remote.

All done. The highlight
on Channel 1 means that this function has been learned.

    There is one caveat
in this mode. The menu button on the upper right side of the screen is
also programmable. Make sure that you leave IR Quick Learn mode before
tapping the menu button or you may get stuck in Quick Learn mode and not
be able to leave it.

    For those of you who have
VGA-capable Pocket PCs, there is a new mode. This mode allows for
the use of VGA-quality skins without the need for any of the VGA
mode software packages. To use this mode, simply mark the checkbox
in Settings and load up a VGA project (downloaded from here).
This mode change requires the RC II program to restart (this takes
very little time).

Switch
to VGA mode by marking the "Use Hi- Res. (VGA)" checkbox.

VGA
Mode – Smoooooooth. Renders graphics at 192DPI
instead of 96 DPI.

If
your Pocket PC has the IR port located on the bottom
of the case instead of the top, RC II also has
a mode to invert the control screen so the IR points
in the correct direction.

 Switch
to Inverted mode by marking the "Rotate Display
180" checkbox.

Inverted
VGA goodness.

    As
you might imagine, this review barely scratches
the surface of RC II’s capabilities. RC II has
very detailed modes that allow for many modifications
to the remote software, and several people have
generated new, specific project skins which are
available at no charge from the WinCESoft website.

HELP SUPPORT

    There is a brief, but
fairly detailed help file included with RC II. This
help file has information on everything from basic
functions such as training the remote to advanced
features such as to programming CCR Philips Pronto
(Remote) codes and
links to publicly available CCR sites.

    The
WinCESoft.de
website is has more technical information regarding Remote Control II.
You will also find skins that have been submitted by other users as well
as an ongoing forum on the subject.

OPTIONS

    Some of the modern
Pocket PCs (mine included) were designed with Fast-IR
(FIR) instead of Consumer IR (CIR) interfaces. The
basic difference is range, with CIR. With my Fast IR
device, I get a range of over 5 meters (15 feet)
with no problem. If this range is not enough for
you, you can by a CF-based IR extender for use with
RC II.

SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS

   

Remote Control II runs on Pocket or Handheld PC
devices, and supports the PPC2002, WM2003 &
WM2003SE, Windows CE 3.0, HPC 2000, and .NET 4.x
Operating Systems. RC II used 4.3MB of RAM when run
with the 320×240 vSilver "project", and only
consumed 715KB of space when installed to the iPAQ
File Store.

BUGS AND WISHES

   

 The only functional problem
I had with this software was in Quick Learn Mode, when I forgot to shut
it off before clicking the button that hides/unhides the menu. Yes, the
menu button is also programmable. I had to forcibly shut down the application
to make it forget my "mistake", but I chalk this up more to
a lack of experience with the software. I had no performance issues with
the software other than a brief wait when it first loads the graphics
skin (vSilver project).

     On to the wish list. Foremost, I would love to see a companion program for the
PC that would allow the creation and programming of codes, similar to what we
have for Theme creator software. Second, although the software supported both
portrait and landscape on my Pocket PC, it would be nice for the software to
be able to switch orientation when the Pocket PC does (would require two different
skins, I suppose).

PURCHASING

   

Remote Control II can be purchased from the
WinCESoft.de
website. The purchase price is $29 or