The Xbox One Is Turning Your Phone Into the Only Remote You Need


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The Xbox One Is Turning Your Phone Into the Only Remote You Need

 

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If you have cable, the Xbox One's TV-controlling powers are a great feature; having a list of just the channels you watch is how all cable-surfing should be. But if you have cable, you probably also have a DVR, and the Xbox One has been useless at controlling it. Until now.

 

With updates rolling out to Xbox One users in the near future, Microsoft is adding DVR control to Smartglass by way of emulating a touchscreen version of the cable box remote you love to hate on your phone or tablet. That's great?no more fumbling around the couch cushions?but unfortunately there's no One Guide-esque menu to freshen up your list of recorded shows; you just have a new way to browse it. Still, it's a step in the right direction.

 

And speaking of One Guide, the cable-channel menu you want and deserve is also coming to Smartglass, effectively turning any and all of your touchscreen devices into supersmart remotes, and giving the Xbox One more TV-powers that you don't have to open your mouth and say "Xbox!" to use. That is always welcome.

 

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These minor-but-awesome updates will definitely help the Xbox One solidify its position as the most powerful (if also the most expensive) set-top box out there. With DVR control, your phone should become the only remote you need unless you have to change inputs or do some weird picture calibration or something.

 

The continued rollout of more features means that hopefully the Xbox One's media powers will only get better. Now if only folks making those god-awful cable boxes would take a hint and start working on this stuff themselves.

 

Source: Gizmodo

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This will be great for America. It'd be nice to get the One Guide in the UK or Australia

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This will be great for America. It'd be nice to get the One Guide in the UK or Australia

 

They didn't say Australia but the UK plus Canada, France, Germany, Italy and iirc Spain will begin to preview the OneGuide and voice command options.  Only select testers it sounds like but they want to get feedback before they push it out, I figure this could be for May a June XB1 update actually.

 

The SmartGlass update and remote thing are part of the preview.

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They should allow for you to turn on your One via Smart Glass.  I would love to have a game or movie fired up before I even reach the tv...

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They should allow for you to turn on your One via Smart Glass.  I would love to have a game or movie fired up before I even reach the tv...

I just said this to my friend earlier today. I agree sir.

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Awesome! Would love to not have to use my cable remote.

It can also have functionality that NO remote - cable or otherwise - could possibly have.  (Remember, tablets and phones have functionality not possible in fixed-functionality remotes supplied with cable boxes and even Tivos.  Yes - as good as the Tivo remote is, it is still a fixed-function remote.)

 

You can turn on your One via Kinect today - entirely "remoteless".  That's the only real limitation of XB1 as a hub - the hub must be turned on first.  (However, that is true of any hub device.)

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I just said this to my friend earlier today. I agree sir.

 

 

This lets me know that you are awesome in some shape, fashion or form...  :laugh:

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I take it you'll need a Windows phone to use these features?

 

I'm sure their gonna go ham on the iOS devices with this.

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I'm sure their gonna go ham on the iOS devices with this.

It is likely a free app of some sort - and why would it be locked down?  It will likely be written for Windows Phone, iOS, and Android and distributed free.

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i though your voice is all you needed with the xbox one!

That's the beauty of choice.

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My Galaxy S4 has universal remote built in. I can do this without any Xbox gimmicks.

 

I use my Note 3 to dick with the TV at work in the Teabar. Most of the people I work with are middle-aged and not very tech-savvy.

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Great news. My phone is pretty much on my person at all time, where as my remote has the ability to vanish in to thin air at the drop of a hat!

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This will be great for America. It'd be nice to get the One Guide in the UK or Australia

I've hooked up my Freeview HD (UK) box and got the preview update/Smartglass. I'm very, very impressed. The ability to be in-game and say "Xbox go to BBC One" and it actually ignore the SD channel and put you straight into the HD channel is simple bliss. Then after finishing that, saying "Xbox, go to Forza Motorsport 5" and it kicks off exactly where you left it is just beautiful.

 

The ability to browse the TV guide on my phone while the TV is still dedicated to the channel is awesome. Love it.

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Remotes without physical buttons are terrible ideas. It's the exact reason I haven't upgraded my Harmony One to Logitech's new Harmony despite my One having a few broken buttons.

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The universal integration is great in principal, but personally I couldn't rely on my already iffy battery with my Nexus 5. Would rather just use an all in one harmony remote or something (don't even have one of those lol, right now I'm using my standard TV remote).

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