If you’re sick of sifting through a pile of remotes every time you want to flip between the TV and the Blu-ray player, a universal remote is certainly a good solution. However, the Neeo isn’t content with just handling all of your AV.
Instead, the Neeo is being billed as “a smart system,” which basically means it can control all of the smart home systems you have sprinkled around. This includes AV, lighting, thermostats, and more. However, it doesn’t work alone. The remote is packaged with something that the company calls “the brain.” This is actually a hub that relays all of the commands from the Neeo remote and passes them on to the various devices in the home.
That brain actually has antennae to support seven of the major smart home systems standards, including Bluetooth 4.0, Bluetooth BLE (low energy), WiFi, 6LowPAN, ZigBee, Z-Wave and Thread (initiated by Nest Labs and its partners). All of that technology goodness means that the Neeo works with tens of thousands of AV devices and smart home systems, including the Apple TV, Sonos, the Nest, hue smart bulbs, and so much more—and all right out of the box.
“Average remotes are inconvenient especially when you have one for every device and we have seen little innovation in that field in the past decades,” said Raphael Oberholzer, CEO and cofounder of Neeo. “We created Neeo so you can control all your devices instantly and with minimum effort, so you’re not jumping from remote to remote or app to app. To make it even more effortless, we have designed Neeo so it recognizes you when you pick it up to give the ultimate personal experience.”
Yes, that’s right; the Neeo actually has patent-pending technology that allows it to recognize you when you pick it up. That way, you’ll always have your favorites, playlists, films or any other content at your fingertips.
The Neeo remote features a 3.2-inch high-res touchscreen with 480 x 800 pixels, along with a few buttons. According to the company, it can run for months without needing a charge and has an SOS function if it ever gets misplaced. Other features include 360 degrees of infrared coverage, a learning mode, and more.
Of course, there’s also a Neeo app, which puts all of those remote functions on your favorite iOS and Android portables. Instead of needing the remote, the app communicates with the brain and controls all of the devices in the home.
After launching a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, the company is getting ready to bring Neeo to the masses this summer. The Neeo remote is available for pre-order for $99, with the Brain costing $219. Of course, you could just combine your purchase and pay a package price of $299.
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