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(4 out of 5)
Have you ever wanted to be able to sit back on your couch and control your MP3 player or QuickTime movie without moving an inch? With a CD player and TV, you've had this capability for quite a long time. Unfortunately, remote controls have been severely lacking in the computer world. Entering the remote market, for both Mac and Windows, Keyspan has released the Digital Media Remote (DMR). The DMR is easy to install, can control your favorite application, and can be customized to do quite a bit.
Installing
the Digital Media Remote couldn't be much easier. When you plug the
DMR into the USB port of a Mac OS 9 computer, a dialog box pops up to
tell you that you don't have a driver, and asks if you want it to
search for one. When I tried it, it found the driver immediately, and
started to download. Unfortunately, the download failed. Installing
from the CD was a cinch; stick in the CD, run the installer, unplug
the DMR and plug it back in. Done. The DMR software doesn't require
you to restart, so you're up and running immediately. How much easier
can it get?
Once you're installed, using your remote is as simple as pushing a button. Any program that can accept keystrokes to control actions can be used with the DMR, including QuickTime Player, SoundJam MP, and PowerPoint. In QuickTime movies, MP3 players, CD player, and the like, you can control the volume, track, start and stop the music, etc. The remote allows you to control PowerPoint slideshows for a presentation, up to 35 feet away. For several of the most popular applications, Keyspan included a preset configuration, so you won't have to mess with the settings immediately. It's as easy as pressing a button.
The Keyspan Digital Media Remote is about 1.5" wide, 3" long, and 0.5" tall. It has a very nice smooth grip, and is made partially from translucent plastics. The remote's base station also looks good, and has a spot to hold the remote when you're not using it. The entire unit is very light and takes up very little space. The remote has a total of 15 buttons, each with a different picture denoting what it ought to do (of course, you can set each button to do whatever you want with the included software). Batteries for the remote are included (it uses two Sony CR2025's).
When
you push a button on the remote, the Keyspan DMR software grabs it,
figures out what application is open, and sends a key command
according to your preferences. Currently, the only thing that the
software can do is send keystrokes. However, Keyspan is working on a
newer version to allow you to do more (likely open files, run
applescripts, and maybe even move the cursor and click). This imposes
some severe limitations -- only apps that accept key commands work.
Of course, there ARE ways to get around that, as I mention in the
next paragraph. For apps with total key control, the remote works
great. If you can't control anything with keys, you're in deep
trouble.
The software is relatively easy to use. It's not as easy and intuitive as it should be, but it's easy enough to work without reading a manual. When you open the Keyspan DMR control panel, you click a configure button to get into the real workings. The configuration app allows you to choose an application, and set specific keystrokes (as well as key repeat rates, and more). You can set each button to send any keystroke, either by clicking a button and pressing that key, or by entering in the hex code. Currently, the software has a very scary technical look (it isn't actually hard to use... just looks like it). Keyspan really needs to put together a better user interface (maybe different user modes... beginner, advanced, techno-geek).
Running
into the "key" limitations, I decided to do something about it.
Opened up my brother's handy copy of REALbasic, and started
programming. After a bunch of testing, we decided the only way to get
what we wanted is via the new hotkeys (F7 - F12, currently only on
iBooks and the newest iMacs). We wrote a simple app that can be
controlled by key commands, and allows you to make a list of files
(programs, applescripts, urls, etc.) to select and load (we even
added text-to-speech as an extra feature). Then, set-up the F12 key
to open up "MenuApp" (as we called it), and set the "Menu" button on
the remote to push F12 in each app. Now, when I hit the "Menu" button
on the remote, a special app with access to anything I want pops up,
which can be completely controlled with the remote.
In the end, the Keyspan Digital Media Remote can be very helpful if you need to do presentations, or would like to set your Mac up as an MP3 player. If you run PowerPoint presentations often, or at all, the Digital Media Remote could be a lifesaver -- especially if you need to run them from a distance (Keyspan says up to 35 feet... I found it to work even at 38 feet, but no further). However, the keystroke-only limitation is a serious one, and knocks out a lot of possible uses for the remote. As soon as Keyspan rewrites their driver software, the remote will have many many more uses, and will be indispensable to the presenter, the couch-potato, and the guy who just has to have the coolest technology. If Keyspan fixes their software completely, I'll give the DMR a 5 Mac OS face rating. In the meantime, it's still a good buy.
As a member of my local Mac user group said when I demoed the unit, "It's the ultimate in laziness -- a remote control for your iBook!"
John Norton is MacMilitia.com's webmaster, and welcomes questions and comments about this review.
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