DANKEY  Perfect application, my MacMini with Snow Leopard and RemoteBuddy it's now back to life!

Tested in trial mode for few days and then purchased.

Thanks to the developer for the good work.  
(Version 1.16)

THMGHTD  This software is seriously impressive. And it's as thorough as it is intuitive, so the more you dig into it the more you'll get out of it.

Although it's built upon a complete, alternate driver for your Mac's infrared/remote control services, it's hardly limited to the Apple Remote. Suddenly, the remote for my EyeTV (250 Plus) controls any application I like, however I like.

And don't get me started on the AJAX Remote -- simply ridiculous. The speed, features and control literally at your fingertips when using your iPhone/iPod Touch should probably embarrass other developers in the same field; they are clearly not in the same league.

Remote Buddy is the first and perfect example I've seen of our digital junk really, truly getting along.

P.S. Be sure to check out the supported hardware, including Bluetooth devices -- it is no small list.  
(Version 1.15)

YOGASUPPLIES1  Thanks for a great app so far too!   
(Version 1.15)

GETTHEGIRLFRIEND  Excellent application. I have tried at least 2 other apps that extend the functionality of the apple remote. This one is by far the best.

Get Girlfriend  
(Version 1.15)

JCTULL  I recently plunged into the world of the iPhone. Having had a bluetooth phone before that was not crippled in the way the iPhone is, I was quite content with Remote Buddy. After getting the iPhone, I tried out the AJAX remote capabilities of Remote Buddy. I was pleased, but recognized that a lot of progress was needed to make it usable.

That is no longer the case with the latest update. All the problems I was experiencing appear, under brief testing, to be a thing of the past. I am excited to have a dependable remote for presentations or other uses. Great work on fixing the issues in the last version. This is a great product and entirely a good value in my book.

Now I have to take the time to learn how to use Remote Buddy to its fullest potential as there is a lot of functionality that I have yet to explore.  
(Version 1.11.2)

BLARGHH  I'd purchase a code for this, but $30USD seems a bit steep for what I'd use it for. Call me cheap, but I only really use it to watch DVD's on my LCD tv every few days or so (which it is great for, with the "change to main display" remote function)

Nice program, just wish there was a "by donation" aspect to it, as I'd gladly paypal $15 for what I use it for, but I guess that's another whole story..  
(Version 1.10.1)

MIGUEL  This program is simply ahead of its time. The attention to detail, the simplicity, the feature set and quality of Remote Buddy is nothing short of amazing.

The most impressive feature is iPhone AJAX. I can't wait to see what the developer will do with the iPhone SDK.  
(Version 1.8.10)

HCOKIM  Even if this application only included the iPod touch/iPhone AJAX Remote, I would have shelled out the cash for it. I was in complete awe at how slick and well-implemented the iTunes controller was - I've never enjoyed using an application this much.

I recently was DJ'ing for a party through iTunes, and Remote Buddy freed me from sitting in front of the computer; I could walk around, talk to people, and wirelessly change the songs from anywhere in the room. Great conversation starter too. :)

This application is well worth its price tag.  
(Version 1.8.9)

DB2  Wow. Just set up Remote Buddy on my iPhone. Works as described. After fiddling with BlueTooth on my iPhone (is that feature functional yet?) I read the FAQs (!) and found the bonjour setup. After that, it was a snap. Now I can select and move my music all over my house using my iPhone, remote buddy and several airport expresses. Very cool. if only I could use RB to direct movies from my iTunes library to my iPhone for viewing there I'd be in remote heaven.

Overall, good job and well thought out.  
(Version 1.8.9)

EPW MUSIC  I love this program. The ability to create your own actions is perfect, I just set up actions for Digital Performer so I can record myself using just the Wiimote to control the program. Great work developer!  
(Version 1.8.8)

AIKOUSHA  Just a comment to the developer based on their reply below.

My main computer will never be connected to the internet, yet I manage to have more than 100GB worth of programs (not documents) on it. Many things were downloaded, tested and scanned at a library/university computer. Things that insist on attempting to make unpermitted external contact are deleted rather rapidly, as all calls to the internet (or any communication route, including USB and FW) are instantly notified to the user. Anybody who really wants a secure computer will operate this way, as it really is the only foolproof method.

That's why a second computer is used for internet operation, and anything created on the main computer is moved with a portable drive whose drive contents are wiped before re-attachment to the main computer.

Thinking everybody with a computer absolutely has to have an internet connectionat all times is at best selfish, and a bit presumptuous.  
(Version 1.8.8)

TURIM  hi!

haven´t had the chance to try this out yet, but i´m wondering have fast things react since it´s "just a very advanced" web-like app (or did i it read wrong)?

e.g. i want to use my iPhone for iTunes-controller on my MBP, how fast will iTunes react when i push a button on my phone?

and, will you make RB into a native app now that SDKs soon are out?

anyways, it have the looks like a killer-app :-)  
(Version 1.8.6)

HERVé 5  Gosh, the new iPhone / iPod touch features are just **hypnotic**

I think RB should receive an incentive from Apple for helping selling them :D

Honest, I own RB, but I never considered buying a touch thing from Apple... up to now!!  
(Version 1.7.1)

FELIX SCHWARZ  Dan,

there's no heavy networking or secret "calling home" here. Remote Buddy verifies a license code once - and only once - when you enter the license code with our website.

I know other software vendors don't implement online verification features in a consumer friendly way.

Remote Buddy, however, is different:

- it does not send any personal information

- it does not send any details of your hardware

- it informs you about exactly what is being sent and it asks for your explicit permission

- it will not keep you from reinstalling and using your Remote Buddy license 1000 times on your Mac each and every day, if you so wish

- it will not lock you to a single machine

- it will not get in your way if you reinstalled your machine and have no internet access (as Remote Buddy has a 30 day trial period without any feature limitations - within which you most certainly get across an internet connection)

And most importantly: it has, and I can't stress this enough - not in a single case - prevented the usage of Remote Buddy by legitimate users.

All of this info is, btw, also available in our FAQ.

I understand your general concerns, seeing that other companys are incapable of implementing a scheme that is both user friendly and respects your privacy.

However, these concerns are not justified in Remote Buddy's case. It is both user friendly, always requests your permission and informs you - in detail - about what is transfered, and it fully respects your privacy.

Remote Buddy did start without online verification in the first place. It is only the rampant piracy that followed and had almost killed the project, that made me decide to go - and not light heartedly - for online verification. This decision was made for - not against - customers as (sadly) only this way enough revenue can be generated to support the steady growth of Remote Buddy and the implementation of innovative, new features.

Best regards,

Felix Schwarz  
(Version 1.1)

DAN55304  I was going to purchase today. However, reading here that RB calls home to verify license information has changed my mind. I have way to many issues with programs calling home during machine startups to willingly add another one. Remove calling home, guarantee it won't be back, and I'll buy.

I understand piracy as a software developer myself. However, ruining my Macintosh experience, by heavy network activity while everyone calls home, isn't the solution.  
(Version 1.1)

AELYZABETH  Excelent app!

I just downloaded the demo version to remotely control onscreen presentations and I found much more than I expected. Just after getting used to my new remote-controlled MBP and fully personalizing its features, I immediately purchased my code.

Keep up the good work!

Looking up to Leopard version too!  
(Version 1.0p15brc2)

FELIX SCHWARZ  Hello Herve 5,

I'm sorry to say, but you are making wrong claims here (not intentionally, I guess, though):

- "intrusive, new online re-registration"

Remote Buddy now requires online activation after rampant attempts to use pirated license codes. If I see sales going down by 75 percent within days after the latest attempt and the support desk gets flooded by support inquiries that are apparantly from people using this code, with severe adverse effects on both reply time to those who have bought a license and the overall development, uncalculable financial risks and a threat to the existance of the company, a reaction has to follow. I don't think, anybody (other than competitors of course) would have been happy, if I had chosen the other possible option: stop development.

As with regards to the "intrusive" claim, please have a look at the changelog. All that is transmitted is a MD5 checksum of the license code and an MD5 checksum of a non-unique machine identifier. This can be used to verify a license code (by comparing the MD5 checksum with precomputed checksums of valid license codes on the server), but otherwise no information at all can't be extracted from it. This isn't exactly intrusive.

- "locks the application to one single machine"

Not true at all. The activation will not stop you to activate Remote Buddy on your collection of 30 Macs if you so want. The activation is designed with very generous and liberal, *time-based* limits. So unless you activate it like, 3000 times within 10 days, you will never have an issue.

- "ugly warnings"

It's a common disclaimer that is also part of every realworld license. I see no problem with that. The kernel extension was made necessary by two facts:

1) Operating a Wii Remote reliably just out of user space is not possible.

2) Apple made changes in OS 10.4.9 that make the Apple Remote behave undesirable for many users (i.e. a menu button press launches both Front Row and any app that listens to it - not limited to Remote Buddy). I think, that providing a clean fix for this problem is only in the interest of the users, who could otherwise not continue to use the software. I've seen other "fixes" for this elsewhere, which remove system files and disable default system functionality altogether. Remote Buddy takes a clean approach and actually solves the problem without messing with or changing the system software. Again, I don't see any bad thing here.

3) Emulation of an Apple Remote. Compatibility with iAlertU and all other apps that listen to the events of an Apple Remote. This is only possible in kernel space, too.

- "takes forever to setup"

1st click for the "Welcome screen", "second click on install", "third click on confirm", "enter password", done. Three clicks and entering your password once does not match my definition of "takes forever", sorry. It could be broken down to just one click for sure, but I want to inform the user first before my application installs a kernel extension. At least I want to be asked before doing such a thing.

I hope that clears things up for you - and everybody else reading your post. Please feel free to email me at any time if you have further questions.

Best regards,

Felix Schwarz  
(Version 1.0rc2)

HERVé 5  I have been an early adopter, and I described here almost enthusiastically why I preferred RB to all others for its simplicity.

Well.

This last upgrade (may 3, 1.0rc2) brings, *without warning*, huge changes with an intrusive new online re-registration (including for paid users!) that apparently locks the application to one single machine, and moreover installs a kernel extension with ugly warnings ("use at your own risk", etc.) that requires admin password and takes forever to setup.

I'm sincerely sorry to say this, but last year when I checked them all, I would probably have skipped RB for one single of these two issues.

Let's hope I didn't catch it all.  
(Version 1.0rc2)

NATE HOULE  I agree with ZACHWS. Cornering the RAZR market would be advantageous to you... And me ;-) Good work so far, cool app!  
(Version 1.0rc2)

ZWS  Please put in RAZR support! There is definately a market with millions upon millions of RAZR phones in mac users' hands. SallingClicker didn't include RAZR support. Beat them to the punch!

Thanks for a great app so far too!  
(Version 1.0rc1)

FRED3RIK  Sweet app with a responsive developer. I'll definitely be buying this (when I scrape together some cash).  
(Version 1.0pre10b)

XSMURF  I just wanted to say I really like RB :) I simply would not use my Apple Remote if it wasn't for it!

The only thing I find a bit annoying is that you can't switch the OSD from screen to screen. I often watch a flicks on the TV while doing something else on the machine, while using RB. Thus, having the OSD on the TV (second monitor) would make more sense. And most of all it would allow my girlfriend to watch a flick while I work on the machine totally transparently!

My 2 cents :)  
(Version 1.0pre7b)

HERVé 5  I compared Remote Buddy to iRed Lite and Sofa Control, and for me the outcome was extremely clear.

IRL appeared extremely complex to set up, and SofaC just didn't come with presets for the main application I'll use it with, Graphic Converter.

Remote buddy in contrast worked with just *no* setup.

I launched it, launched GraphicConverter, selected some photos, started a slide show and pressed the remote "forward" button. Guess what, it showed the next slide. Back and zoom worked the same way.

Now THAT's the way a Macintosh application should always work :-)  
(Version 1.0pre7)

/USR/BIN/PAUL  Wow, Preview 4 brings lots of features to the table! I have changed my opinion since my last review (Shown Below). I very much like what has been changed in this software in respects to it's power and flexibility. However it does have some short-comings in my opinion:

1) If you're in an app, like let's say iTunes that you are controlling with the remote, when you bring up the menu, there should always be some default command for every app, such as "Quit" "Minimize" or "Hide". To do this now, you have to navigate all the way to the root of the menu and select "System" and then the app name and then Quit.

2) Simplicity. I know this is always hard to bring simplicity and power/flexibility together in one app, but take a look at "mira" and there you'll see an app that has the same function as Remote Buddy, but is very simple and easy to use, yet powerful.

3) I looked everywhere for changing a "Global" or "Default" keys of my remote and couldn't find this feature. Both Sofa Control and mira have the ability to change global keys when your currently in no application. If Remote Buddy had this feature, it would be a huge step in the right direction.

I had originally purchased Sofa Control, but now with the release of mira, I have purchased that software as well. I was pretty close to purchasing Remote Buddy, but the 3 items I mentioned above prevented me from buying. This doesn't mean I won't buy it in the future or that it isn't a great app.

What I like about Remote Buddy:

1) I like that every app has it's own menu, so the user doesn't have to remember what each key does for a particular app.

2) I like the integrated file browser with file and preview information.

3) Great looking interface when using it with the remote.

That is my 2 bits!  
(Version 1.0pre4)

/USR/BIN/PAUL  I've tried both Sofa Control and Remote Buddy, and they both have their advantages. Sofa Control is very flexible, but slow, the interface needs some polishing and only allows one remote. Remote Buddy is extremely fast, has a great looking interface, allows multiple remotes, but lacks very much in functionality. Just as a quick comparison, when you want to quit an application:

In Sofa control, you just select menu and then quit. Very easy and intuitive.

In Remote Buddy you have to navigate way back to the root of the menus, select System, then select the app you wish to quit, then select quit. Very tedious.

In Contrast with another comparison:

Remote Buddy allows you take control of the system allowing you to sleep or shut down.

Sofa Control does not have this built-in, however Sofa Control is so flexible because of it's marriage with Apple Script that this could very easily be configured.

All in all, I wish these developers could work together OR at least copy some of the ideas from one another to make their app better. Thanks to both developers for creating such useful apps.

If I had to choose to use only one of these apps, it would probably be Sofa Control because of it's power of flexibility.  
(Version 1.0pre3)

FERRUCCIO BUSONI  What I do with my remote is use it to watch a movie, then sleep the computer remotely. I downloaded this so I could do that with VLC player, but I can't figure out how to have the Play (Held) button sleep the computer. It looks to me like it isn't possible. So the app is useless to me.

Also, can command, control, option and / or shift keys be mapped to buttons? I can't figure out how to do much — even get this thing off VLC Player behavior when VLC is closed. I don't see any documentation. I'll look into this more, but it shouldn't take this much effort. How lazy we are.  
(Version 1.0pre3)

OCEANCUBED  I agree completely with the previous post.

Remote Buddy should have been built as standard into Tiger, perhaps when Apple see Remote Buddy they will integrate into Leopard?!

Until that time comes I will gladly pay the developer for Remote Buddy, very well written piece of software.  
(Version 1.0pre2)

PLASMANUT  Excellent application. I have tried at least 2 other apps that extend the functionality of the apple remote. This one is by far the best.

I have only spent a few minutes using it and it is way more intuitive and easy to use as the other ones (not to mention it does more).

It will be nice to see behaviours added for other apps and more fucntionalities added to existing behaviours (such as the ability to scrub through a movie in VLC, for instance).

I fully intend to buy this. I definitely would file that one under the "Apple should have built this in Tiger" category. Kudos to the developer!  
(Version 1.0 Preview)