Review: Novii Remote Blaster

Can the Treo 650 be the ultimate remote control? See our review on the Novii Remote Blaster to see if it's right for your A/V set-up.

Novii Remote Blaster for Treo 650 Review

Ratings:
By: Christopher Meinck

Novii recently released the NoviiRemote Blaster for the Treo 650. With the use of Novii's software,the included SDIO add-on, the Novii turns your Treo 650 into a universal remote. In my home, we suffer from being television junkies. Our set up across three rooms includes 3 televisions, 2 DirecTV Tivo's, 1 HD-Tivo, 2 Cablevision HD-DVR's, an Onkyo receiver and a Zenith DVD player. So, suffice to say, any tool that claims to run over 100,000 devices was something that intrigued me.

Getting Started

The NoviiRemote Blaster for Treo 650 comes with the following:

• SD Card Plug-in Accessory
• Holder
• Software

Set-up was a breeze. I installed the Novii Blaster very quickly and was on my way to set up my devices. Novii adds Novii among your categories to make it easier to access - simply pressing the Home button will cycle through the categories. As a DirecTV subscriber, I have 2 standard Tivo's in my house. Our Tivo's acts as a DVR and as my satellite receiver. I entered Home Devices > Set Up section where you have a choice of:

• TV
• Cable
• DVD
• VCR
• Audio
• PVR

Once you select Add Device, the Novii software brought into their wizard mode. I selected PVR and then had the choice of Autosearch or Next. I selected Next and it displayed a list of DVR/PVR brands. I selected Hughes_Tivo and it brought me to Step 4 (the final step) which allowed me to test the unit. The Tivo main screen came up right away. By far, this was the quickest set-up I had encountered with a programmable remote. I moved on to a Panasonic TV. Set-up process was similar using the wizard. At step 4, I selected different codes and would test using the power button. I was able to cycle power, so I selected finished. Surprisingly, only a few features of the remote worked. I was able to get another code working, but the volume was reversed. Pressing the minus sign increased the volume. Each time, I had to delete my existing profile and create a new profile. There is no button to edit an existing device.

I went through my other AV devices using the same process. In most cases, I was able to retrieve the correct codes using the installed codes. For some reason, I was not able to get my DirecTV HD-Tivo functioning using the Novii Remote. This surprised me because it functions using the standard Tivo "peanut" remote.

Functionality

With the advent of Tivo, I rarely watch live television. This way, I can buzz through commercials, watch my favorite programs at any time and thus maximize my television viewing. This requires active use of the remote fast forward/rewind/ and pause. The layout of the onscreen remote is setup differently than the Tivo remote. For example, the Select button is flush left as opposed being below the four way navigation. While the Tivo functions seemed to be peppy enough, I found myself continuously watching the remote to make sure I've hit the correct button. This made for a very un-natural television viewing experience. The Novii remote buttons are very small and this is due to the small real estate of the Treo screen. A portion of the screen is taken up by the device selection buttons. This allows you to choose between devices. At the top is an arrow which allows you to choose from your PVR's. I'm not sure why they didn't include all of the available devices and allow you to minimize by pressing on a tab. this would free up a about 1/5 of the screen. I wanted to use my thumb but found that using the stylus is necessary. There is also an option that allows you to program your buttons. Still, I couldn't find a comfort zone with the Novii. I'd like them to take a page from TomTom's wonderful Navigator software that allows you to navigate the software using your thumb. Additionally, I could see the Novii Remote being difficult for family members to use.

Overview

Perhaps it was a stretch to ask the NoviiRemote to stack up to either the Tivo peanut or the Harmony 659. The set-up wizard worked great on some of my devices, but some does not equal all. If you've got a minimal AV set-up, then the NoviiRemote Blaster for the Treo 650 is a low-cost alternative that will help eliminate remote control clutter. If you have a serious AV set-up, then using the Novii Remote could be problematic. From a usability standpoint, it simply doesn't stack up to Harmony line of universal remotes - or the peanut.

The NoviiRemote Blaster for the Treo 650 retails for $34.95.