Blog

Remote Buddy updates bring macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 compatibility and bugfixes

2024-09-15T03:00:00+01:00

We're happy to release Remote Buddy 2.6.1 and Remote Buddy Mobile 2.5.1 today, with compatibility with the latest Apple OS releases - macOS Sequoia and iOS 18.

Compatible with macOS Sequoia

Remote Buddy 2.6.1 is now compatible with macOS 15 Sequoia and includes bugfixes from which users running previous macOS releases also benefit.

Before this update a chain of errors triggered by a new behaviour (bug?) in macOS 15 Sequoia could render large parts of Remote Buddy's Preferences unreachable. We therefore advise all users to update to version 2.6.1 before upgrading to macOS 15 Sequoia.

Compatible with iOS 18

We also released an update to Remote Buddy Mobile that fixes an issue with iOS Password Manager integration as well as a crash when holding the software keyboard's space bar for a longer period of time.

Available now

Remote Buddy 2.6.1 is now available from our website and a free update to existing V2.x users. Remote Buddy Mobile 2.5.1 is now available from the App Store.

Press Kit

A press kit with images and screenshots is available. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you have.

Remote Buddy 2.6 expands IR support, adds shell actor and UI improvements

2024-03-19T03:00:00+01:00

Remote Buddy 2.6 brings many new features and improvements - under the hood, but also in the interface.

Improved Custom Actions

Global Custom Actions

It is now possible to create custom actions on the global "All apps" level. Actions created her marked as globally available by default.

New actor for shell scripts

When creating custom actions, there's now one more building block you can use: the new Shell script actor.

By default, it uses /bin/sh to run your script, but also allows you to pick a different one. Beyond using zsh or bash to run your script instead, that also opens the door for using further scripting languages, like f.ex. Python 3 (/usr/bin/python3).

If you'd like to follow the output from your script, enable logging through Diagnostics… > Tools > Diagnostic Export > Debug logging and enter the following into Terminal:

tail -f "~/Library/Application Support/Remote Buddy/Logs/com.iospirit.RemoteBuddy.log"

Also, if your script takes a while to finish, you have the option to have it run asynchronously, so that Remote Buddy returns to processing your input immediately.

Custom Action Editor improvements

The Custom Action Editor itself has also received updates. It now pre-selects the custom action (if any) you assigned to the button for which you invoked it.

You can also duplicate actions now. And a bug that could sometimes assign your action to the wrong button when you pressed "Use" has been fixed.

Expanded infrared (IR) support

More IR codecs and better IR recording

Version 2.6 can now not only decode but also encode the most commonly used IR code formats: NEC, RC5, RC6 and Apple IR.

When recording IR codes, the revised IR recording view now shows you the natively recognized codes in a popup:

If you select a recognized code from the popup, Remote Buddy will rebuild the code every time it is sent. By making sure the IR code leaves the IR transmitter as precisely timed and accurately encoded as possible, rebuilt codes can make IR commands sent through Remote Buddy work more reliable and responsive.

Sending and learning IR commands with AppleScript

To open up Remote Buddy's IR subsystem to other apps, we added two new AppleScript commands that can be used to receive and send raw IR timings.

To receive ("learn") an IR command, use the irreceive command:

tell application id "com.iospirit.RemoteBuddy" irreceive format "microtimes" timeout 4 without noisecheck end tell

If you then press a button, irreceive will return a string with raw IR times, f.ex.:

1801,809,918,808,918,809,926,800,918,809,918,808,918,809,918,1693,1798,813,913,813,914,813,914,0

That string can then be used to send the IR command using irsend:

tell application id "com.iospirit.RemoteBuddy" irsend microtimes "1801,809,918,808,918,809,926,800,918,809,918,808,918,809,918,1693,1798,813,913,813,914,813,914,0" end tell

Introducing `irtool`: IR support for the command line

The new irtool makes Remote Buddy's IR subsystem accessible to the command line as well. Assuming you installed Remote Buddy in your Mac's Applications folder, the new command line tool can be found at /Applications/Remote Buddy.app/Contents/MacOS/irtool.

Invoking it without any parameters, it prints out the available options, which mirror the AppleScript commands:

$ /Applications/Remote\ Buddy.app/Contents/MacOS/irtool irtool 1.0 - send and receive IR codes through Remote Buddy (C) 2024 IOSPIRIT GmbH. All rights reserved. Arguments: -s, --send Send an IR code -m, --microtimes [times] The microsecond time intervals to send as IR code, alternating between pulse and space times, seperated by comma, f.ex. "9000,4500,0". -r, --receive Receive an IR code -t, --timeout [seconds] Timeout to wait for receiving an IR code. A value of 0 means no timeout. (default: 0) -f, --format [format] The format in which to output the received IR code. (default: microtimes) -n, --noisecheck Perform noise check before listening for IR codes. (off by default) -v, --version Print version -h, --help Show this help message

Here's an example on how to receive and then send a raw IR code:

$ /Applications/Remote\ Buddy.app/Contents/MacOS/irtool -r 918,814,1801,810,919,810,919,810,920,810,919,810,915,814,915,810,920,810,919,810,919,810,920,1695,915,0 $ /Applications/Remote\ Buddy.app/Contents/MacOS/irtool -s -m "918,814,1801,810,919,810,919,810,920,810,919,810,915,814,915,810,920,810,919,810,919,810,920,1695,915,0"

More improvements

Renaming remote controls

If you're using multiple remotes with Remote Buddy, or even multiple identical models, you may want to change the name of your remotes to discern them more easily. To rename a remote, go to Remote Buddy Preferences > Devices and perform a right-click on the remote you'd like to rename, then choose "Rename…" from the context menu.

Support for IINA

This release also includes support for the IINA media player. If an app you'd like to control is not yet supported by Remote Buddy, please let us know.

Tutorial: how to use Siri Remotes to control a MIDI setup for podcasting

Tim Pritlove discovered Remote Buddy when he was looking for a way to use Bluetooth remote controls to control his RØDECaster Pro II setup for podcasting.

His generous feedback on the experiences and discoveries he made while making this happen has been an essential source of inspiration for the majority of the improvements in this release.

If you'd like to learn how Tim made it all happen, don't miss his step-by-step tutorial on sendegate.de (in German).

Thanks Tim!

Availability and Release Notes

Remote Buddy 2.6 is available now. You can find the full release notes for this release here.

Press Kit

A press kit with images and screenshots is available. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you have.

Remote Buddy updates bring macOS Sonoma compatibility, support iOS password managers and dictation, add iPad hardware support

2023-09-25T03:00:00+01:00

We're proud to release Remote Buddy 2.5 and Remote Buddy Mobile 2.5 today, with many new features and improvements. Here's a quick overview of what's new:

Compatible with macOS Sonoma

Remote Buddy 2.5 is now compatible with macOS 14 Sonoma and brings enhancements to enable new features in Remote Buddy Mobile 2.5.

iOS password manager integration

In Remote Buddy Mobile 2.5, the keyboard now offers integration with password managers on iOS 15 and later.

To send a username and password from your iOS device, bring up the keyboard in Remote Buddy Mobile, tap the "key" button and select the account information you'd like to send to your Mac.

The username and password you selected then become available as buttons above the iOS keyboard. Once you tap them, Remote Buddy Mobile sends the respective information as keyboard input to your Mac.

Dictation support

Also new in Remote Buddy Mobile 2.5 is support for dictation. To use it, bring up the iOS keyboard and tap its microphone button. When you're done dictating, tap the microphone button again and the recognized text will be sent to your Mac as keyboard input.

Trackpad, mouse and hardware keyboard support

Screen Sharing in Remote Buddy Mobile 2.5 now also supports a wide range of input devices connected your device. On iPad, you can now use an iPadOS-supported trackpad and mouse to scroll, zoom, click and drag.

If you have a keyboard connected to your iPad or iPhone, you can now also use it to enter text on your Mac.

Available now

Remote Buddy 2.5 and Remote Buddy Mobile 2.5 are now available.

Press Kit

A press kit with images and screenshots is available. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you have.

Vidimote 1.8 makes skipping unwanted videos & entering PiP easier

2023-09-18T03:00:00+01:00

Vidimote - the Safari extension for advanced playback and speed controls for web videos - is once again updated with useful improvements.

Here's what's new in version 1.8:

Skip and PiP button on top of videos

The new Skip and Picture-in-Picture (PiP) buttons are shown for the first five seconds directly on top of videos, so you can skip unwanted videos or enter Picture-in-Picture with a single click or tap.

Automatic Speed Lock

We noticed a growing number of websites that are periodically resetting video playback speed to 1x - completely on their own.

To mitigate this problem, Vidimote 1.8 now comes with Automatic Speed Lock, which allows speed changes made by you, the user - but blocks unasked speed changes made by the websites themselves.

Settings shortcut

To make settings easier to discover, we added a settings button in Vidimote's popup to open the settings in the Vidimote app.

Available now

Vidimote 1.8 is now available for just 2.99 US$ / 2.99 € for the Universal Purchase, which includes both the iOS/iPadOS and macOS versions.

Get Vidimote 1.8 now on the App Store for iOS/iPadOS and macOS.

The update is free for existing users.

Press Kit

A press kit with images and screenshots is available. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you have.

Vidimote 1.7 released, at a lower price

2023-03-16T03:00:00+01:00

Vidimote - the Safari extension for advanced playback and speed controls for web videos - has just been updated to version 1.7. Here's what's new:

Inline permission assistance

In the past, if Safari's permission system rejected putting a video into PiP or fullscreen mode, Vidimote displayed a message with multi-step instructions on how to solve the issue with a few taps.

Vidimote 1.7 now brings this down to a single tap - in a popup that it shows right within the web video's page:

The wording "this version of your browser" used in that popup is not an accident, by the way. Other than the latest release versions of Safari at the time of writing, Safari Technology Preview 165 already appears to consider a tap or click inside Vidimote's popup as user activation - and no longer rejects PiP and fullscreen mode actions on website's that Safari previously did.

Fingers crossed these changes make it in the next release version of Safari as well!

macOS Ventura bug workaround

With macOS Ventura, Apple also introduced a very specific bug. That bug can break mouse tracking on non-Retina displays, which - in Vidimote's case - cuts off access to part of the extended picture-in-picture controls that partially rely on detecting if a mouse pointer is hovering over certain regions of its user interface.

Fortunately, a workaround could be found, restoring access to all of the extended picture-in-picture controls - regardless of which type of display the picture-in-picture window is on.

Available now - and at a lower price

At launch, Vidimote already provided fantastic value at 4.99 US$ / 4.99 €.
At its new price of just 2.99 US$ / 2.99 €, it's a steal!

Even more so since that price is for a Universal Purchase that includes both the iOS/iPadOS and macOS versions.

Get Vidimote 1.7 now on the App Store for iOS/iPadOS and macOS.

The update is free for existing users.

Press Kit

A press kit with images and screenshots is available. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you have.

Remote Buddy 2.4 update

2023-02-26T03:00:00+01:00

Remote Buddy 2.4 is here, bringing along new features as well as improvements and bug fixes. Here's a quick overview of what's new:

Support for the Alexa Voice Remote Pro

Amazon's new flagship, the Amazon Alexa Voice Remote Pro is now also supported. With 26 buttons configurable on a per-app basis in Remote Buddy, the remote provides a lot of opportunities to map useful actions for every app.

As the first remote in Amazon's line-up, this model's buttons are also pleasantly backlit in the dark, with our unit not showing any light bleeding or spotiness whatsoever. The backlight activates automatically when the remote is moved in a dark environment - f.ex. when you pick it up.

Control playback speed in Kodi

The Kodi Behaviour gains new speed control actions (+/-/1.0) for Kodi. To be able to use them, make sure Player > Videos > Sync video with screen is enabled in Kodi's settings. They may otherwise not have any effect.

This option is only visible in Kodi's settings in the Standard, Advanced and Expert levels, but not in the Basic level. In a standard Kodi install, you can switch to a different level by clicking on the gears icon in the bottom right of Kodi's settings.

Since these actions do not work with all Kodi versions and configurations, these new actions in Remote Buddy are experimental for now.

New Siri Remote option

By popular request, this version adds a new option to turn off on-screen notifications when switches between Remote, Trackpad and Keyboard modes occur. You can find it at Remote Buddy Preferences > Devices > Siri Remote > Show message on mode change.

Other improvements

If you select the option to launch Remote Buddy at login within Remote Buddy, it now makes use of a new API in macOS Ventura. It also fixes a possible crash bug.

Now requires at least macOS 10.13

With Xcode 14, Apple has dropped SDK support for macOS 10.9 through 10.12, forcing us to raise the minimum required macOS version from 10.12 to 10.13.

Since all Macs supported by macOS 10.12 ("Sierra") are also supported by macOS 10.13 ("High Sierra"), however, our hope is that no-one is left behind by this change.

The last version of Remote Buddy supporting macOS 10.12 can be downloaded from this support page.

Remote Buddy 2.3 adds support for macOS Ventura, the new Siri Remote, Microsoft Edge and Jellyfin Media Player

2022-10-24T03:00:00+01:00

Remote Buddy 2.3 is here! Here's what's new:

macOS Ventura support

Remote Buddy 2.3 has been thoroughly tested with and tuned to work well with macOS 13 Ventura.

Support for the 3rd generation Siri Remote

Apple recently introduced the 3rd generation Siri Remote, which comes with a USB-C rather than a Lightning charging port.

And with Remote Buddy 2.3 and macOS 13 Ventura, you can now also use the new Siri Remote with the Mac. Unfortunately, macOS 12 Monterey - at least at the time of writing - does not include drivers for the 3rd generation Siri Remote.

Control Microsoft Edge - web video control included!

With version 2.0, Remote Buddy has greatly upgraded the experience of controlling Safari and Chrome, including actions to control embedded web video's playback, speed, volume and more.

Now, with version 2.3, the same experience becomes available for Microsoft Edge.

Support for the Jellyfin Media Player app

By popular demand, version 2.3 adds support for the Jellyfin Media Player, including actions to control playback, speed, volume, fullscreen and more.

Many small improvements and bugfixes

Testing Remote Buddy with a new major macOS update is always a very time-consuming task. But when we're at it, we're not just looking for things that were broken by changes in the operating system, but also for areas that could be improved in general.

So with this update, pairing instructions have become more detailed and clearer. The AirPlay target switcher on macOS 12+ now lets you know if the Sound menubar item it needs is missing - and offers help to add it. Connected displays are once again shown by their name in Preferences. IR recording buttons now have a context menu that allow you to copy recorded IR timings as JSON. Also, our Knowledge Base and FAQs have been extended to cover additional topics.

How to get the update

To update to the latest version, please use Remote Buddy's built-in updater - or download a copy directly from our website.

Enjoy!

Remote Buddy 2.2 update

2022-07-08T03:00:00+01:00

Remote Buddy 2.2 is here, bringing along new features as well as improvements and bug fixes. Here's a quick overview of what's new:

Siri Remote improvements

You can now turn off the Mousespot highlight for the Siri Remote. To do that, go to Remote Buddy Prefs > Devices, select your Siri Remote and drag the Show Mousespot slider all the way to the right to never.

This release also fixes a rare issue where - after some time of usage - pressing the volume and play buttons could trigger the standard macOS actions and Remote Buddy actions simultaneously.

Support for the Amazon Prime Mac app

Remote Buddy 2.2 adds support for controlling the Mac version of the Amazon Prime Video app, including play/pause, skip +/- 10 seconds, volume, mute, subtitles, audio tracks and more.

If you want even more control - including f.ex. playback speed - consider watching Prime Video via Safari or Chrome, where Remote Buddy can offers more playback actions.

And if you're missing additional controls while watching Prime Video in picture-in-picture on your Mac, you should definitely check out Vidimote for Safari.

Support for the Roku Infrared remote RC-16F

Version 2.2 adds support for the Roku IR Remote (model RC-16F).

We added support for this remote for those who want an inexpensive IR remote with more buttons than an Apple Remote.

The Roku IR Remote is included in the Roku Express HD and Roku Express 4K packages at the time of writing. It requires a compatible IR receiver such as the Flirc USB IR receiver. Non-IR models - which often have a search / magnifying glass or microphone button - are not supported at this time.

Privacy & Security improvements

In recent macOS releases, it could happen that system permission dialogs opened behind Remote Buddy's Privacy & Security settings, so you couldn't see it.

This has been addressed now - and the Privacy & Security settings will move out of view as needed, making space for system permission dialogs.

Spacious 2.3 available!

2022-03-05T03:00:00+01:00

Spacious 2.3 is now available - updated for macOS Monterey and Apple silicon!

What's new

Spacious 2.3 adds Security & Privacy settings. That new assistant helps you setting up macOS permissions and privacy options in a single place.

The Spacious Navigator comes in a new look, adopting macOS vibrancy effects.

All other changes are under the hood and mostly technical in nature:

runs natively on Macs with Intel and Apple silicon processors
uses our latest desktop actions code (shared with Remote Buddy 2)
comes with a new updater
uses hardened runtime
notarized by Apple
now requires macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later, compatible with macOS Monterey

Availability & pricing

Spacious 2.3 is a free update for existing users and available for download on our website.

New licenses are available for just 9.99 € / 9.99 USD. Where applicable, prices include VAT.

Vidimote for Mac brings extended PiP & playback controls to web videos in Safari

2021-11-30T03:00:00+01:00

I'm thrilled to announce that Vidimote is now also available for macOS! 🎉

What is Vidimote?

Vidimote is a Safari extension for macOS and iOS that lets you control web videos with advanced controls for playback and speed. On Mac, Vidimote also extends picture-in-picture with controls for position and speed.

Let's take a closer look at the macOS version released today:

Popup with video controls

A click on Vidimote's icon in Safari's toolbar opens its popup. There, you can then:

adjust speed and volume, in increments or with a slider
jump forward/backward
enter or leave picture-in-picture (PiP) mode
choose an AirPlay target for the video
see the actual, speed-adjusted time remaining to the end of the video
see the approximate clock time for the current position in a live stream

Extended Picture-in-Picture

For web videos, Vidimote extends Picture-in-Picture with additional position and speed controls as well as time information.

Where previously you had to go back to the Safari tab hosting the source video and use the controls of the page's video player, you can now adjust speed or jump a few seconds forward or backward right from the PiP overlay.

Default speed & other settings

If you prefer to watch all web videos at a speed other than 1 ×, Vidimote lets you set a different Default Speed, which will then be applied to all subsequent web videos automatically.

In the Vidimote app, you can also pick your own skip intervals (from 1 to 90 seconds) and upper and lower speed limits (0.1× up to 10×).

Highly compatible

Vidimote uses advanced, event-driven mesh technology to efficiently keep track of video elements on a page - even those in its farthest corners.

This makes Vidimote work with virtually any web video, including those on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ (tv.apple.com), Disney+, Netflix, Vimeo, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Khan Academy, Coursera, Skillshare, Udemy, Amazon Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, ownCloud, Nextcloud and many more.

Native user interface

For best performance and user experience, the macOS version is built as a Safari App Extension and comes with a native macOS user interface that fits right in.

Respect for your privacy

Vidimote respects your privacy. It does not collect any data about or from you.

Availability

Vidimote is available on the App Store as a Universal Purchase for 4.99 US$, which includes versions for iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

On Mac, Vidimote requires macOS 10.13 or later running Safari 13.1.2 or later.
On iPhone and iPad, Vidimote requires iOS/iPadOS 15 or later.

Vidimote is currently only available for Safari.

Press Kit

A press kit with images and screenshots is available. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you have.

Remote Buddy 2.1 update

2021-10-26T03:00:00+01:00

Remote Buddy 2.1 is an update to make the app compatible with macOS 12 Monterey.

Device compatibility

During compatibility testing, we found the following remotes to be currently not supported by macOS 12 Monterey:

Nintendo Wii Remote and Nintendo Wii Remote Plus
SMK Blu-Link
Sony PS3 BD Remote

We filed feedback with Apple on this (FB9723774) and hope that Apple will bring back support for these devices in a future macOS update. For now, we have added warnings to the respective devices' hardware pages.

Netflix updates

Web video control has been adapted to the latest Netflix changes, so that jumping +/- 10 seconds now works again. Also, the Play/Pause action has been improved to integrate with Netflix's own playback state tracking.

App compatibility

We have performed limited tests controlling apps as time permitted and will continue testing in the coming weeks, as app updates for macOS Monterey are released by their respective vendors. Please let us know if you run into any issue.

Introducing Vidimote: smart playback controls for web videos in Safari!

2021-09-20T03:00:00+01:00

Today, I'm proud to announce the release of Vidimote, a brand new Safari extension that allows you to control speed, playback and many other aspects of web videos.

As a Safari extension, you can bring up Vidimote at any time by tapping its icon in Safari - and adjust speed, jump ± 10 seconds, enter picture-in-picture mode, fullscreen or choose an AirPlay target to send the video to.

Vidimote also adds useful time information: remaining time is adjusted for playback speed, so the time shown in Vidimote is the actual time that's remaining until the end of the video.

For live streams, Vidimote also shows the approximate clock time for the current position in the stream. That makes finding the beginning of a show in time shifted live streams a piece of cake.

Vidimote has been successfully tested with the websites of Amazon Prime Video, Dailymotion, MagentaTV, Netflix, Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, Skillshare, TED.com, Udemy, Amazon Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Nextcloud, ownCloud, Arte.tv, BBC.com, CNBC.com, DasErste.de, NBCNews.com, NYTimes.com, Sueddeutsche.de, ZDF.de and many others.

Vidimote for Safari is available on the App Store for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 for just $4.99.

~~A macOS version of Vidimote is in the works. If you'd like to be notified as soon as it is available, please subscribe to the newsletter below.~~
A macOS version of Vidimote is now also available.

Remote Buddy 2.0 is here, packed with new features!

2021-05-31T03:00:00+01:00

Remote Buddy 2, the versatile remote control app for the Mac, is out. And so are the companion apps: Remote Buddy Mobile 2 for iOS and Remote Buddy Display 2 for tvOS.

What's new

These releases are packed with new features and improvements. So many, in fact, that they needed their own page this time.

The Highlights

There is a lot of good stuff in the full list, but these clearly are the highlights:

Siri Remote support

Remote Buddy 2 adds support for the 1st and 2nd generation Siri Remote, making it usable as/for:

trackpad - incl. scrolling and Mousespot spotlight effect
remote - to control 100+ supported apps
keyboard - using Remote Buddy's virtual keyboard
menu access - and through Remote Buddy's menu, control and access many aspects of the Mac

The 2nd generation Siri Remote is a great fit for Remote Buddy - and absolutely awesome for home theater and presenter usage.

If you are currently in the market for a presenter remote, do the math: the combination of Remote Buddy and Siri Remote not only beats dedicated presenter remotes on possibilities, but - often - also on price!

Check out the video above to see it in action and, for more information, the dedicated pages on available gestures and capabilities & system requirements.

Remote Buddy Mobile 2

Remote Buddy Mobile 2 is a major update of the companion app for iOS and iPadOS, most notably with:

new Smart Remote mode: fusing remote, trackpad & actions into app-specific remotes
new Shortcut Bar: packs up to 25 actions for quick access in Remote, Smart Remote and Trackpad mode.
Mousespot support: turn Mousespot on and off directly from the app
visual refresh: refreshed look & iOS dark mode support
Secure Connection: strong TLS encryption & certificate-based security

This major release also drops all in-app purchases, so everyone with a Remote Buddy 2 license can now use the full Mobile companion app at no additional cost.

Get it here!

Remote Buddy Display 2

Remote Buddy Display 2, the companion app that lets you control your Mac through an Apple TV, also brings major improvements:

new Shortcut Bar: packs up to 25 actions for quick access in Remote, Smart Remote and Trackpad mode.
Screen Sharing – 2nd generation: higher image quality, Retina support and higher power efficiency are the highlights of the 2nd generation of our high performance screen sharing implementation
theme & dark mode support: the app now provides light and dark themes - and can integrate with tvOS dark mode
Secure Connection: strong TLS encryption & certificate-based security

Get it here!

Web Video Control

A major feature for anyone watching web videos in Safari or Chrome! It gives you one set of actions for almost all videos on the web:

Play / Pause
Jump 10 seconds forward or backward (long press to fast-forward/rewind)
Playback speed +/-: adjustable in 0.1x steps
Volume +/-: adjustable in 5% steps
Mute

This new feature does not target specific sites, but is designed to work universally with almost all videos on the web! That means nothing less than that you can now control f.ex. playback speed on many sites that don't offer that option themselves (like f.ex. Netflix, Prime Video or tv.apple.com)!

If a page contains more than one video, a sophisticated algorithm is used to determine which video you are most likely to want to control at a time.

You can map these actions to buttons on a remote, or use them from the Mobile app, whose new Smart Remote mode layouts a nice user interface for you, combining a trackpad with video control actions when using Safari or Chrome.

Flirc support

We joined forces with the Flirc team to achieve firmware-level integration in Remote Buddy 2, delivering some awesome new features together:

support for Apple Remote pairing (and wakeup!)
recording & sending IR commands through Flirc USB
faster responses than Apple's IR receiver thanks to integration of firmware and driver

Flirc USB is a great option if you want to use an Apple Remote with your new Mac - or if you want to send IR commands to other devices.

Don't miss the $9.95 special offer for users with valid Remote Buddy 2 license.

Send Infrared (IR) commands

Remote Buddy 2 can also send IR commands – to f.ex. turn the TV on & off. It works by:

recording the IR command (from the original remote) into a new action
sending the IR command when that action is run

A supported transceiver like Flirc USB is required. Step by step tutorial here.

Extended app support

We've added support for over 30 new apps to Remote Buddy 2, including Adobe Bridge, Audio Hijack 3, Audirvana, Capture One 21, DaVinci Resolve, Deckset, djay Pro AI, Roon and Plex HTPC.

A list of most of the supported apps is available.

Support for many Logitech Harmony, Amazon, Satechi and other remotes

Remote Buddy 2 ships with completely new drivers, now based on our new RCKit technology stack. A kernel extension is no longer included or required.

Most Logitech Harmony remotes (both IR and Harmony Hub based) are now supported by Remote Buddy 2. Remotes from Amazon, Satechi, Microsoft are supported now, too. Check out the completely redesigned hardware page to find out which ones.

Pricing & Upgrades

A new license for Remote Buddy 2.0 costs 24.99 € / US$, including one year of free updates. The license does not expire and customers can continue to use the last included update. An additional year of updates can then be purchased for 14.99 € / US$.

Remote Buddy 2.0 is a free upgrade for anyone with a license purchased in 2018 or later. Discounted upgrades are available for older licenses. Please see the upgrade page for all details.

Press Kit

A Press Kit for Remote Buddy 2 is available here.

Help us get the word out

One of the toughest and costliest tasks for indies like us these days is getting our products in front of its audience. If you can help with that - by telling your friends and communities about Remote Buddy - we really appreciate that.

Thanks, it really helps! ❤️

* Where applicable, prices include VAT.

History

May 27, 2021: originally posted.
May 31, 2021: added Highlights section, reposting article.

Remote Buddy 2.0 supports new Siri Remote, lets you control your Mac with it

2021-05-27T03:00:00+01:00

Apple really nailed it with the new Siri Remote. It is an incredible combination of technology and design. What's not to love?

Well… pair it to the Mac - and all it can do is control volume, play and pause. Duh!

Making it work

Luckily, we have "a little expertise" (habit?) in unlocking the full potential of Apple remotes.

And so we're proud to announce support for the new Siri Remote in Remote Buddy 2.0, turning this remote from a boring volume control into - hands-down - the best remote control you can get for the Mac today.

In Keynote, for example, sliding over the middle of the touch area now moves the mouse and highlights it with a neat spotlight effect - for as long as the touch lasts.

But pressing the ring on the left or right switches to the previous or next slide accordingly - and the mouse pointer effect is not invoked.

It's all just really natural and intuitive.

Using the Siri Remote with the Mac

Full of enthusiasm for the new remote, we made a video that shows the new Siri Remote in use with Remote Buddy:

A new page dedicated to the Siri Remote support shows and explains the supported gestures. Information on system requirements and a press kit are also available.

macOS Big Sur required for new Siri Remote

The new Siri Remote requires macOS Big Sur 11.3.1 or later. It is not supported by earlier macOS versions (we tried - so you don't have to).

What about the 1st gen Siri Remote?

Remote Buddy 2 also supports the 1st gen Siri Remote now. Sorry it took this long!

But truth be told: if we hadn't been working on support for the 1st gen Siri Remote for a while, we couldn't have achieved support for the 2nd gen Siri Remote so fast.

Differences, difficulties - and multitouch

The hardware, form factor and resulting capabilities of the 1st gen Siri Remote are quite different from the 2nd generation - and so supported gestures and features differ between the two generations.

Take scrolling for example: both generations are multitouch capable. But scrolling with two finger gestures only really makes sense on the 1st generation, because only its touch area is large enough for that. The touch area on the 2nd generation - while technically capable of it - proved to be just too small.

The ring gesture on the 2nd generation works well for scrolling - and with just one finger. But for usage with the Mac, a new challenge arises: how do you support vertical and horizontal scrolling with that?

As seen in the video, the solution we found was to make the scroll direction dependant on the spot the ring gesture is initiated from. If it starts on the left or right, scrolling is horizontally. If it starts at the top or bottom, scrolling is vertically.

Should you only want to scroll vertically - or using the buttons: you can choose these alternatives as modes in Remote Buddy's preferences under Hardware > Siri Remote.

Feedback welcome

If you have thoughts, ideas - or want to share your experience using a Siri Remote with Remote Buddy: your feedback is welcome!

Remote Buddy 2.0 Release Candidate 2

2021-02-27T03:00:00+01:00

Thanks for the great feedback for Remote Buddy 2.0 RC1 and throughout the public beta! That has been a great help and motivation to add and refine features, fix issues and deliver a more polished experience throughout.

I'm making Release Candidate 2 available today, which is likely the last before the final 2.0 release.

Please again let me know about your experience with this Release Candidate - especially if you're running into any issues.

Download

Remote Buddy 2.0 Release Candidate 1

2021-01-31T03:00:00+01:00

The development of Remote Buddy 2.0 and its accompanying iOS and tvOS apps is nearing completion - and at this point, the largest part remaining is the new Remote Buddy website and PR material for the launch.

The Release Candidate released today is an important milestone for this project and contains many improvements and new features compared to the last public beta.

Please let us know about your experience with this Release Candidate - especially if you're running into any issues.

Download

The Big Sur and Apple Silicon update

2020-11-11T03:00:00+01:00

With the imminent release of macOS Big Sur and the first Apple silicon Macs only days away, I'm happy to announce the availability of a new public beta:

Remote Buddy 2.0 Public Beta 8b runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs and contains additional optimizations for macOS Big Sur.

Enjoy!

Status Update

2020-11-10T03:00:00+01:00

Five very busy months after the last blog post, I'd like to follow up with an update of where things stand and where they're heading.

Remote Buddy 2.0

Just a few days ago, Public Beta 8 shipped. With many new features, support for additional apps, improvements to existing features, bugfixes and support for even more remotes, it marks another important milestone. At this point so little is missing to the completion of version 2.0 that Public Beta 8 will likely be the last.

I hope to get the final version 2.0 of Remote Buddy and its iOS and tvOS companion apps into your hands soon - hopefully still in 2020.

That said, should you experience any issues with Public Beta 8, please let me know so I have a chance to fix them in time.

macOS Big Sur

Remote Buddy 2.0 Public Beta 8 already contains many changes to achieve compatibility with macOS Big Sur. And in my testing so far, it is already working really well. If you, however, run into any issues with macOS Big Sur, please let me know.

Apple silicon

Apple is set to announce the first Apple silicon Macs later today, but developers - including me - have had access to a Transition Kit with A12Z processor for a couple of months now.

If Apple hadn't put a strict NDA in place, I'd have a lot more to say and share here. But since they did, I believe that all I can safely share with you at this point is that I've used the Developer Transition Kit to develop and test Remote Buddy 2.0 on the new architecture, and that I'm excited for the new Macs.

Stay up-to-date

If you'd like to receive an email when the release version ships, please consider subscribing to the newsletter - just below this blog post.

News from the Remote Buddy 2.0 Public Beta

2020-06-10T03:00:00+01:00

The Remote Buddy 2.0 Public Beta has continued to make steady progress - and I released Public Beta 6 just a few days ago.

However, I didn't post a progress update since December. Time to change that!

So here what's new since:

Extended Harmony IR support

Remote Buddy 2.0 now also supports Harmony 350, Harmony 650/665 and Harmony 950 IR remotes.

Support for Satechi Aluminum Remote

By popular request, I've added support for the Satechi Aluminum Remote - with all three colors available to choose from in Remote Buddy's preferences:

Attention to detail!

Introducing Diagnostic Tools

Diagnostics in Remote Buddy 2.0 are now accessible even if there's no issue. And within Diagnostics, there is now a new section for Diagnostic Tools.

The first tool to become available there is Diagnostic Export. That tool makes it trivially easy to export logs and other diagnostic information as a zip file that you can then send off to support. This simplifies a task that could previously involve the Terminal and consist of many individual steps.

Already Diagnostic Export has helped to identify and fix several bugs reported by users in record time.

Backup & Restore

In the past, backing up and restoring your Remote Buddy settings has been a rather involved process, requiring you to drop down to the command line and entering several commands.

Remote Buddy 2.0 addresses this with a brand new Backup & Restore feature. It makes it trivially easy to take backups of your settings and Behaviours and restore them later.

Currently, a backup is made automatically the first time you launch Remote Buddy 2.0. Also - as a safeguard - right before you restore a backup.

Future plans for this feature include making and rotating backups on different timeframes (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) as well as the import and export of individual backups.

You can find this feature under Prefs > General > Backups.

Migration from Remote Buddy Express

If you're upgrading from Remote Buddy Express, Remote Buddy will now offer to migrate your settings and Behaviours.

Before performing migration, Remote Buddy uses the new Backup & Restore feature to make a backup of your existing settings. Likewise, if you skip migration, your Remote Buddy Express settings will still be archived as a backup, so they remain available to you.

Remote Buddy Mobile 2.0

I've invested a lot of time to move Remote Buddy Mobile forward - and version 2.0 of the app is now nearing completion. A few of the highlights:

in-app purchases are gone: I've completely removed them, making all premium features free for Remote Buddy 2.0 users at no additional cost.
TLS encryption: version 2.0 switches from unencrypted HTTP to TLS-encrypted HTTPS - including proper certificate validation.
dark mode: the user interface has been updated to support iOS 13 dark mode

Since Remote Buddy Mobile 2.0 will only work with Remote Buddy 2.0, it will be released as a new app.

Upgrades now available 🎉

You can now upgrade from Remote Buddy 1.x and Remote Buddy Express to Remote Buddy 2.0. Please see the upgrade page for instructions and prices.

If you'd like to learn about Remote Buddy 2.0's new licensing model: this blog post has the details.

Benefits / Flirc USB special offer now available

IOSPIRIT Benefits silently launched alongside Remote Buddy 2.0 Public Beta 6. The Benefits web page provides access to special offers - such as discounted updates and exclusive partner deals - based on your license.

If you have a valid license for Remote Buddy 2.0, you can access your Benefits page from Remote Buddy's About window by clicking on Benefits.

The first exclusive partner deal comes from our hardware partner Flirc. A great value and a truly fantastic product: get your Flirc USB receiver for just $9.95 (+ shipping) – down from $22.95!

Photo © Flirc

That's it for today!

Stay tuned as version 2.0 is nearing completion.

If you'd like to receive an email when the release version ships, please consider subscribing to the newsletter - just below this blog post.

Until the next update, I'll keep posting new public betas and also drop a tweet from time to time.

Remote Buddy 2.0 Pricing & Upgrades

2020-06-10T01:00:00+01:00

Remote Buddy 2.0 adopts a new licensing model that aims to be simple, fair and predictable. Here's what's new:

Remote Buddy Mobile 2.0

The next version of the Remote Buddy Mobile companion app for iOS and iPadOS no longer has any in-app purchases. Premium Features like high-speed screen sharing will be available to Remote Buddy 2.0 users at no additional cost.

Free Updates

All updates appearing within one year of your purchase of a Remote Buddy license are now included for free - including major version updates!

This way, everyone gets free updates for the same period of time - no matter the time of their purchase.

One year after your purchase, you can decide:

renew at a discount: if you'd like to continue to receive updates, you can purchase a new license at a discount.
keep using your license: if you don't want to renew your license, that's ok: you can continue to use the version you have with your existing license.

Benefits Program

A new page gives you access to benefits related to your license - including discounted update offers, special introductory prices for new products - and deals from partners.

The first exclusive partner deal comes from our partner Flirc, who make available their excellent Flirc USB IR receiver for just $9.95 (+ shipping) - down from $22.95.

Please check the announcement for details and instructions.

Pricing

If you purchased Remote Buddy 1.x ~~or Remote Buddy Express~~ in 2018 or later, Remote Buddy 2.0 is a free update.

If you've purchased your copy before 2018 or you purchased Remote Buddy Express, you can get a new Remote Buddy 2.0 license at a significant discount (40% off!).

Upgrade from Remote Buddy 1.x
License purchased in 2018 or later	Free	Upgrade
License purchased before 2018	14,99 €	Upgrade
Upgrade from Remote Buddy Express (Mac App Store version)
Any purchase date	14,99 €	Upgrade
Upgrade from Remote Buddy Premium (retail CD version)
Any purchase date	Free	Upgrade
New version 2.0 licenses
New license (including one year of free updates)	24,99 €	Buy now
Renewal of license after one year	14,99 €
Prices in this table can be specified in USD ($), Euro (€) and other local currencies. VAT may apply and, where applicable, is included in the specified prices.

For licenses purchased during the public beta phase, the included year of free updates doesn't start until the public beta phase has ended. Instead it starts on the day version 2.0 is released.

Remote Buddy 2.0 Progress Update

2019-12-23T00:00:00Z

Before leaving for the holidays for a few days, I'd like to give you a quick update.

Thanks for your feedback

Thanks everyone for your feedback! It has helped me greatly to identify and fix bugs and prioritize new features. You're awesome!

Please keep the feedback coming. I may not always be able to answer quickly to every mail (and I'm genuinely sorry if that's the case), but I read, appreciate and consider all the feedback I get.

Public Beta 2 is coming soon

The second Public Beta of Remote Buddy 2.0 will be released before the end of the year. It'll contain support for additional remotes, detail improvements and bug fixes.

Update on pricing

I'm close to finish pricing for Remote Buddy 2.0 and optimistic that I can announce details in January 2020. Meanwhile, I'm working on the necessary infrastructure to provide easy access to special upgrade pricing and exclusive offers from partners.

As stated previously, Remote Buddy 2.0 will be a free upgrade if you purchased your version 1.x license in 2018 or later.

Trials while in public beta

While Remote Buddy 2.0 is in public beta, new trials can be started right after the previous trial time has ended.

Updates by email

If you'd like to be notified when new betas and the final release becomes available, please sign up for the IOSPIRIT newsletter:

Receive news, updates and offers regarding our products. Unsubscribe at any time. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

Last, but certainly not least…

Happy Holidays!

Remote Buddy 2.0: Public Beta time!

2019-11-21T00:00:00Z

Today's the day: the first Remote Buddy 2.0 public beta is here! 🎉

The journey to this milestone has been a very long one for me - and I couldn't be happier to finally share with the world what I've been working on:

RCKit: All New Drivers

One of the biggest areas of change in version 2.0 is in drivers.

All drivers have been rewritten from scratch (and many new ones been added) as part of a multi-year effort to create a new technology stack: RCKit.

RCKit is highly modular and dynamic by design and contains everything needed to build modern remote control apps.

Remote Buddy 2.0 is the first product to adopt and ship with parts of RCKit. Besides improved drivers and support for new devices, that also means that Remote Buddy is no longer dependent on kernel extensions - and in fact no longer includes any.

Exclusive Flirc Features

Also new in version 2.0 is support for the Flirc USB stick that packs an ARM processor and IR transceiver into a beautiful stainless steel enclosure.

Flirc and IOSPIRIT have teamed up to deliver an integrated software and hardware experience and deliver new features that weren't possible before.

Apple Remote wake-up support

The first new feature to ship is Apple Remote wake-up support.

For a long time, Remote Buddy has allowed using an Apple Remote with newer Macs (that come without IR Receiver) via USB IR receivers. Yet, none of them had dedicated Apple Remote wake-up support like Apple's, requiring users to find other ways to wake up their Mac.

No longer. Starting with version 4.8.2, the Flirc firmware allows Remote Buddy to enable wake-up by any, a single - or multiple Apple Remotes. Which is not just matching, but surpassing the capabilities of Apple's IR Receiver.

If you'd like to try the new wake-up feature, a beta of the new Flirc firmware is available in the Flirc forums.

Support for Logitech Harmony remotes

Harmony IR remotes (300, 525, 800, One)

A special Remote Buddy Universal profile is now available in Logitech's device database.

It has been specifically designed by IOSPIRIT to allow the usage with all IR receivers supported by Remote Buddy - including Apple IR receivers.

Setup instructions can be found here.

Harmony Hub remotes (Smart Control, Companion, Ultimate, Elite)

Remote Buddy 2.0 extends support for Harmony Hub based remotes, offering a wider range of remote controls to pick from.

Version 2.0 also no longer needs your Mac to be paired as PS3. Instead, you can now pair your Mac as … Mac. New setup instructions can be found here.

Existing pairings from version 1.x (as PS3) are migrated automatically and can continue to be used.

Support for new remotes

Remote Buddy 2.0 also supports additional IR and Bluetooth remotes:

Amazon Fire TV remotes

These Amazon Fire TV remotes are supported:

the original Amazon Fire TV Remote (Bluetooth, included with 1st gen Fire TV Stick)
the original Amazon Fire TV Voice Remote (Bluetooth, included with 1st gen Fire TV)
the new Alexa Voice Remote (Bluetooth LE, included with the 2019 / 2nd generation Fire TV stick)

The microphone included in the Voice models is not supported.

Windows MCE remotes

If you bought an eHome / Windows MCE USB IR receiver for use with Remote Buddy, you'll often also have gotten an IR remote alongside it.

Previously, these IR remotes could not be used with Remote Buddy. But with version 2.0, many of them can now be used with external USB IR receivers - with three frequently bundled models from Microsoft, Philips and Trust receiving direct support.

More Bluetooth remotes

Remote Buddy 2.0 also adds support for these Bluetooth remotes:

Is your remote missing?

If you're using a remote that's not currently supported by Remote Buddy, and you'd like to see support for it in the future, please get in touch.

Diagnostics

Remote Buddy's new RCKit foundation has Diagnostics deeply baked in. This feature can automatically detect many issues, notify users and - where possible - offers one-click solutions.

Privacy & Security settings

For several years now, Apple has kept improving macOS security and privacy protections by casting an ever-expanding net with permissions. This has led to a fast-growing (sometimes excessive) number of permission prompts for users.

Dealing with these permission prompts can be painful and surprisingly complex for both users and developers.

Due to its rich feature set and its ability to control and use so many different parts of macOS, Remote Buddy is increasingly affected by this. So I did a lot of research and experimentation to find ways to improve the user experience around granting permissions.

Here's the result:

Introducing… Privacy & Security settings! New in Remote Buddy 2.0, they offer:

a consistent overview of all relevant permissions in a single place
explanations detailing how each permission is used
complete guidance through all necessary steps to grant a permission, simplifying the process as much as possible (by f.ex. opening the right section of System Preferences, or relaunching the app if necessary)
access to other privacy-related options like Analytics and Check for updates

These settings are powered by a new, modular permissions framework (currently still under development). If you develop Mac software and have interest in bringing Privacy & Security settings like these to your own app, please get in touch.

macOS Catalina, 64-bit, old version support

Remote Buddy 2.0 is now a 64-bit app and compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina. The minimum supported macOS version is now macOS 10.12 Sierra.

Remote Buddy 1.x will remain available for download for users of older macOS releases. A final update to Remote Buddy 1.x will ensure that it can be used with Remote Buddy 2.0 license codes.

No further updates to version 1.x are planned beyond that.

Pricing

Remote Buddy 2.0 will be a free update for all Remote Buddy 1.x licenses purchased in 2018 and 2019.

For licenses purchased before 2018, the new version will be a paid upgrade.

Pricing has not yet been determined and will be announced at a later date.

An upgrade path from Remote Buddy Express (the Mac App Store version) to Remote Buddy 2.0 is planned and currently evaluated.

Availability

If you'd like to be notified when new betas and the final release becomes available, please sign up for the IOSPIRIT newsletter:

Receive news, updates and offers regarding our products. Unsubscribe at any time. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

Download Remote Buddy 2.0 Public Beta

Remote Buddy 2.0 is coming

2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 2.0 is coming - and a public beta will be available soon! This is a significant update, building on a new foundation that has been in the works for several years.

64-bit, compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina

Remote Buddy 2.0 is now a 64-bit app and compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina.

New driver architecture, support for new devices

Device drivers in Remote Buddy 2.0 are built on top of a new, highly modular driver architecture that no longer needs a kernel extension. It's entirely app-based now.

This new foundation made it possible to add support for a lot of new remotes and receivers that Remote Buddy users have been asking for.

Devices that have already been supported in Remote Buddy 1.x benefit of completely rewritten drivers - in many cases adding significant improvements and new features.

Support for Harmony remotes

Supported IR receivers can now be used in a new Universal Remote mode. That mode provides support for IR-based Harmony remotes such as the Harmony 300, Harmony 525, Harmony 880 and Harmony One.

To simplify the Harmony remote setup, we've contributed a special Remote Buddy device profile to Logitech's device database that can be selected in the Harmony configuration software.

Remote Buddy 2.0 also provides support for a wider array of Harmony Hub based remotes - now including Harmony Smart Control, Harmony Companion, Harmony Elite and Harmony Ultimate.

Flirc partnership

IOSPIRIT and Flirc have teamed up for a unique collaboration and partnership to bring you exciting new features between our two companies.

Flirc is an USB IR transceiver like no other: it packs an ARM processor and IR hardware into a beautiful laser-engraved stainless steel enclosure the size of a miniature USB thumb drive.

With Flirc in full control of hardware design and firmware and IOSPIRIT in full control of drivers and software, this collaboration allows the implemention of features that were simply not possible before.

As of version 2.0, Remote Buddy will support the 2nd generation Flirc, making it the first choice for anyone looking for a compatible IR USB receiver: it's beautifully designed, integrated with Remote Buddy, affordable and widely available.

Built-in diagnostics

Remote Buddy's new driver architecture comes with live diagnostics built-in, making it a lot easier to identify and resolve issues - often with a single click.

Remote Buddy Mobile 2.0

Remote Buddy Mobile will be updated to support new features in iOS 13 and Remote Buddy 2.0. Premium Features such as Screen Sharing and Night Mode that were previously only available through in-app purchases will be free for Remote Buddy 2.0 users.

Pricing

Remote Buddy 2.0 will be a free update for all Remote Buddy 1.x licenses purchased in 2018 and 2019.

For licenses purchased before 2018, the new version will be a paid upgrade.

Pricing has not yet been determined and will be announced at a later date.

Requirements

Remote Buddy 2.0 requires at least macOS Sierra (10.12). If you'd like to use Remote Buddy 2.0 on an earlier macOS release, please let me know.

Availability

A public beta of Remote Buddy 2.0 will be available shortly - likely in a matter of ~~days~~ weeks. If you rely on Remote Buddy, please wait for at least the public beta before updating to macOS Catalina.

If you'd like to be notified when the public beta and final release become available, please sign up for the IOSPIRIT newsletter:

Receive news, updates and offers regarding our products. Unsubscribe at any time. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

Remote Buddy updates

2018-09-27T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.32 is out today - and there's a lot to talk about:

macOS Mojave

Remote Buddy 1.32 has been updated for macOS Mojave. Now, there wouldn't be a lot to add to that sentence - if it wasn't for macOS Mojave's security architecture changes. Here's how these affect Remote Buddy users:

Accessibility access

In order to control apps via synthetic keyboard and mouse events, Remote Buddy now needs Accessibility access. Unless you already granted that to Remote Buddy in the past for other purposes, it will now prompt you during launch and wait until it has been granted.

In case the checkbox for Remote Buddy is shown greyed out in System Preferences, click on the closed lock in the lower-left to unlock the settings.

If Remote Buddy isn't granted Accessibility access even though you tick the checkbox in front of Remote Buddy's entry, please remove Remote Buddy's entry from System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility using the "-" button, and then re-add it using the "+" button. That should fix the issue.

Privacy prompts

As you try to control other apps through Remote Buddy, you'll see security prompts like this one:

These prompts come up whenever an app wants to control another app using AppleEvents. Unfortunately, these prompts also come up for completely harmless actions. Like f.ex. when Remote Buddy wants to tell iTunes to start playback.

When they come up, these prompts pause Remote Buddy. Therefore you can't respond to them with Remote Buddy's own Virtual Mouse or iOS app.

To ensure you can control your Mac through Remote Buddy as usual, please perform your most common actions in every app you want to control with Remote Buddy after installing macOS Mojave.

That should only take a few minutes, but get most (hopefully all) prompts triggered and out of the way while you still have access to a mouse or trackpad and can respond to them without hassle.

Also, whenever such a prompt comes up for Remote Buddy, please make sure to press "OK". Otherwise, Remote Buddy can't control the app.

Unfortunately macOS will only present every prompt once. So if you accidentally press "Don't Allow", the only way to grant the permission afterwards is to open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Automation and tick the app's box under "Remote Buddy".

I'd have loved to provide a Setup Assistant that guides you through all of this. However, at the time of writing Apple doesn't provide sufficient API support for that.

If you also believe Apple can do a lot better here - and would like to support my efforts, please let Apple know and mention my bug report and/or my blog post in your message to them.

Full disk access

macOS Mojave limits access to sensitive locations in the file system more strictly. That's a good thing, but can also mean that if you use Remote Buddy's built-in Files browser, you may not be able to navigate to all folders on your Mac.

If you run into this problem, you can solve it by adding Remote Buddy to the list of apps with full disk access at System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Full Disk Access.

You may need to relaunch Remote Buddy afterwards for the change to take effect.

DVD Player

Mojave comes with a rewritten DVD Player app - hidden in macOS' CoreServices directory. Unfortunately, AppleScript support is among the few features of its predecessor that didn't make the cut.

Remote Buddy now uses a new mechanism to control the new DVD Player. Please let me know if you run into any issues.

Dynamic Wallpapers

Remote Budy Mobile uses your Mac's Wallpaper to represent your Mac in its server list. This still works in Mojave in general, but fails if you've selected a "Dynamic Wallpaper" in System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver. The image format used by these is not supported. Your Mac's entry in the Mobile app's server list will just show as white then.

Please select a "static" wallpaper if you'd like to see a picture there.

Leaving the Mac App Store

After maintaining a special Express version of Remote Buddy for the Mac App Store for many years, I decided to remove it from sale a few days ago.

Seeing how Apple has historically managed the Mac App Store, I've considered such a step for years. But in the end I always decided to continue to serve my customers with continued updates.

This time, however, Apple won't let me. As of June 2018, Apple no longer accepts updates to 32-Bit apps. And right now, Remote Buddy is still a 32-Bit app. In order to submit even a minor update or bugfix, I would first have to port the whole app to 64-Bit.

Porting Remote Buddy to 64-Bit, however, is a major effort that simply wasn't doable in time for Mojave's release.

And rather than keep selling an app I'm not allowed to maintain, I decided to remove it from sale. Rest assured I sure would have preferred a different outcome.

Customers who have purchased Remote Buddy Express from the Mac App Store in the past can continue to use the app or reinstall it from the "Purchased" section of the Mac App Store. The only change is that it can no longer be purchased and I can no longer provide updates for it.

UPDATE An upgrade path from Mac App Store version to full version is now available.

watchOS 5

watchOS 5 dropped support for watchOS 1 apps. It is therefore no longer possible to use Remote Buddy Mobile's Watch app after updating your Apple Watch to watchOS 5.

To achieve compatibility with watchOS 5 and later, the Watch app would need to be rewritten from scratch to run fully on the Apple Watch.

Unfortunately, with metrics indicating that there are - on average - less than five users using the Watch app per day, I can't justify such a major effort.

I have therefore removed most mentions of the Watch app from the Remote Buddy website. Furthermore, since Apple no longer accepts updates to watchOS 1 apps into its App Store, I will also be forced to remove the Watch app from the Remote Buddy Mobile app with the next update.

If you have an Apple Watch running watchOS 1-4 and would like to keep using Remote Buddy Mobile's Watch app, please make sure not to install the next Remote Buddy Mobile update and not to upgrade your Watch to watchOS 5.

Remote Buddy Mobile now handles device rotation in a smarter way

2018-04-17T00:00:00Z

I'm happy to announce that Remote Buddy Mobile 1.3 made it to the App Store, now including:

Smart Rotation Lock 💡

The last release added support for using Remote Buddy Mobile in both portrait and landscape mode. However, as it turned out, putting down your device on a couch can easily make iOS believe you'd like to change orientation, when in fact you don't want to.

Version 1.3 improves upon this by adding Smart Rotation Lock: if turned on, it will only allow changes from portrait to landscape orientation when using the screen sharing module.

"We made a video - and I'd like to show it to you now."

It was about time to make an App Preview video for the App Store - and so I used this update as an opportunity to add one. Here it is, in its full 30 seconds glory:

Bugfixes 🐞

This release also includes bugfixes. Thanks everyone for your feedback and sending in bug reports! You rock! ❤️

Remote Buddy Mobile: iPhone X support and keyboard improvements

2017-12-21T00:00:00Z

I'm happy to announce that Remote Buddy Mobile 1.2 is now available on the App Store. Here are the most notable changes:

iPhone X support

This release adds full support for Apple's next-generation iPhone.

Keyboard improvements

In the past, Remote Buddy Mobile added two rows of buttons to provide access to additional keys - like modifier, cursor and escape keys. If enough space is available - for example in landscape orientation - Remote Buddy Mobile will now put all keys in one row, leaving more space for f.ex. screen sharing or the trackpad.

This release also addresses an issue where iOS could show a portrait keyboard while using screen sharing in landscape. It also fixes an issue where using Force Touch on the iOS keyboard could crash the app.

Happy Holidays!

Enjoy - and please don't hesitate to get in touch if you run into any issues.

Remote Buddy is ready for macOS High Sierra

2017-09-20T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.31 is available starting today and focuses on compatibility with macOS 10.13 "High Sierra", which Apple will release next week.

Update Remote Buddy before upgrading

High Sierra breaks the built-in updater of older Remote Buddy releases. Therefore, please update Remote Buddy before upgrading to High Sierra.

But no worries: if you upgraded to High Sierra before updating Remote Buddy, you can update manually by following the instructions on the download page.

User-Approved Kernel Extension Loading

While most changes in High Sierra are under the hood, there are also a few user-facing changes. One area of change happens to be Kernel Extensions. Remote Buddy currently uses a kernel extension for most of its drivers as well as the best Apple IR emulation available today.

Starting with High Sierra, macOS no longer allows apps to install and load kernel extensions - even if you authorized the app to do so just a moment ago.

Instead, High Sierra informs you that the loading of a kernel extension has been blocked and that you need to click "Allow" in the "Security & Privacy" pane of System Preferences.

Certainly, Apple could have done better than this. But Apple decided not to.

To make setup as easy as possible for you, Remote Buddy's Setup Wizard is now accompanied by a helper that guides you through the approval. Here's what it looks like:

Availability

Version 1.31 of Remote Buddy is available as a free update here. Enjoy - and please don't hesitate to get in touch if you run into any issues.

Update (September 27th, 2017):

A few new issues were identified when testing against the release version of High Sierra. These are addressed in Remote Buddy 1.31.1.

Remote Buddy is ready for macOS Sierra

2016-09-16T00:00:00Z

I'm very happy to announce the release of version 1.30 of Remote Buddy. With just a few days to spare until Apple releases macOS Sierra, this release focuses on compatibility with Apple's upcoming major OS update.

Apple's new USB stack

Did you know that Apple shipped a completely new USB stack with El Capitan last year? They did – complete with a compatibility layer to ensure old drivers continue to work.

That layer worked great for macOS' own as well as Remote Buddy's drivers in El Capitan. However in Sierra - where Apple has now transitioned all of macOS' drivers to the new USB stack - I noticed a few issues during testing with Developer Previews that could only stem from the compatibility layer. So, time to get rid of it!

Starting with this release, Candelair is now using Apple's new USB stack directly to provide the best experience and avoid issues originating from the compatibility layer.

Despite the complete lack of sample source code and proper documentation (outside of comments spread across several header files) for the new USB stack, porting Candelair turned out to be surprisingly straightforward and - with not a single crash during development and extensive testing - the result to be rock solid.

The only issue that I found is that waking up a Mac with a Keyspan IR receiver doesn't currently work. This feature of the Keyspan hardware needs to be enabled by the driver, but - unlike the old USB stack - the new USB stack doesn't have direct API support for this.

It is unclear at this point whether this feature can again be supported going forward, but I'm mildly optimistic and am trying to find a solution together with Apple's Developer Technical Support. If you're now in need for another way to wake up your Mac, look no further than Remote Buddy Mobile - which can use Wake-Over-LAN to wake up your Mac from sleep.

AirPlay and Remote Buddy Display audio support

In Sierra, Apple has removed what was previously a nice, standard way for apps to get a list of available AirPlay devices and use them as audio output.

This is a problem as Remote Buddy Display used this exact feature to bring your Mac's audio onto Apple TV while you use it.

Fortunately, I found an alternative way. By using Accessibility APIs, Remote Buddy can simulate user input to click on the volume menu bar item and select the AirPlay device as target for audio output.

In order for this to work, please make sure you have the option System Preferences > Sound > Show volume in menu bar enabled and granted Remote Buddy permission to use Accessibility by checking the checkbox in front of Remote Buddy at System Preferences > Privacy & Security > Privacy > Accessibility.

Availability

Version 1.30 of Remote Buddy is available as a free update here. Enjoy - and please don't hesitate to get in touch if you run into any issues.

Spacious 2.1 is here

2016-09-16T00:00:00Z

Today I'm happy to release a free update to Spacious - the tool that makes macOS Spaces fun to use with a mouse!

Here's what's new:

macOS Sierra

In my testing, I found that Apple has made changes to how it reports scroll wheel events to apps in macOS Sierra, so that the input that apps like Spacious receive differs from what it used to be. With version 2.1, Spacious is now fit to properly process this data as well.

The vibrant, flat chameleon

Spacious 2.1 ships with a new look that follows Apple's new vibrant and flat design language. Launch it on macOS 10.10 and later to see it. Or launch it on macOS 10.9 - where vibrancy and flat design wasn't yet a thing - to get the old look.

How to update

If you're updating from Spacious 2, the built-in updater might hang during the installation of the udpate, depending on which version of macOS you're running. The reason for this is that between the release of version 2.0 and now, Apple updated the code signing requirements for apps, which - unfortunately - leads to an internal code signature check not passing during the installation. If you're affected by this issue, please download the update manually.

10 years of Remote Buddy

2016-06-15T00:00:00Z

Yes, Remote Buddy just turned 10! Ten! That's literally a decade! Time to celebrate? Sure! But also a good time to look back at how Remote Buddy started - and how it got where it is today.

Inspiration

In February 2006, I invited a few close friends over to my place and at some point, we wanted to watch a DVD. Apple had just released the first Intel iMacs (which were also the first Intel Macs ever) and with it came the white Apple Remote and Front Row. So I carried the iMac over to the living room, turned it on and inserted the DVD. DVD Player opened and started playing the DVD in a window.

What I actually wanted, though, is play this DVD in Front Row. But with just the remote, there was no way to get there: I couldn't eject the DVD with the remote, I couldn't quit DVD Player (to then initiate playback in Front Row) and I couldn't even make DVD Player full screen. Instead, my only option to get what I wanted was to also bring over and connect keyboard and mouse.

Clearly, this wasn't what I had expected, so I started thinking about what it'd take to make the Apple Remote more useful and overcome the limits I had just experienced. Months later, I'd end up with what was essentially a blue print for Remote Buddy.

Let's do this!

In May 2006, I eventually decided to pull the trigger. I gave myself two weeks to complete a first version. Which was both the maximum amount of time I could spend on it and - as I'd soon realize - very optimistic.

So I put every waking hour into furthering the project - and eventually skipped sleep altogether the night before my self-imposed deadline hit in order to have a website up and running in time for Remote Buddy's first release.

Two weeks after I had started, I was completely exhausted, but had actually finished a first preview release and put it out there.

This is what the menu looked like in early Remote Buddy releases (2006).

The preview was very well received and covered by most of the major Mac news sites at the time. So much so that my web server collapsed multiple times that day.

Support for other remotes (June-October 2006)

Within weeks of the first release, I started to add support for additional remote control hardware upon popular request. Over time, the list of supported hardware grew significantly and allowed Remote Buddy to reach a much bigger audience.

Wii Remote support (December 2006)

Shortly after Nintendo started selling the Wii in Europe, I bought a Wii Remote and added support for it to Remote Buddy. For several years, the low latency and high reliability of the Bluetooth connection combined with the Wii Remote's mouse mode (driven by its integrated IR camera and accelerometer) made it my favorite remote to control the Mac. Outside the living room, it also found its uses in education and interactive art installations.

2007 demo video showing Remote Buddy's Wii Remote support in action. Since Wireless Sensor Bars (which are just a set of constantly lit IR LEDs, really) were still hard to come by at the time, I used a tea light as a reference IR light source for the Wii Remote instead (the black device on the right side oft he MacBook Pro is just a harddrive housing my iTunes library).

Replacing Apple's IR Receiver driver and creating the first Apple Remote emulation (April 2007)

As time progressed, more and more apps were adding direct support for the Apple Remote. Which created two big problems for a solution like Remote Buddy.

First, since only one app can get access to the Apple Remote's button press events at a time, Remote Buddy would often not be able to get access to the Apple Remote at launch time - or at all.

Second, many of the apps would offer certain functionality only in response to Apple Remote button presses.

Going forward, I had to find a way to ensure Remote Buddy would always get access to the Apple Remote and keep specialized Apple Remote functionality in apps reachable, preferably in a configurable way and also via other remote controls.

Achieving these goals eventually involved writing a complete, alternative driver for Apple IR Receivers and an Apple Remote emulation.

Thanks to the driver, Remote Buddy can since get guaranteed access to all input events. Even better, it can get the raw button press and button release events. That enables a much more responsive experience than what was previously possible using Apple's driver (which filters and delays certain button presses).

And thanks to the emulation, Remote Buddy can since pass through button press events to other applications and simulate Apple Remote button press events in response to any button press - including those happening on a different remote.

AJAX Remote - the first remote app for iPhone (July 2007)

In 2007, the iPhone launched - without an App Store. Instead, Apple proposed a "sweet solution": build web apps!

AJAX Remote then, was the first (web) app, served by a built-in HTTP server (developed specifically for Remote Buddy) that provided control over a big number of Mac apps and system functionality via the iPhone.

Released within a few weeks after the iPhone's debut, it already included remote control, trackpad, keyboard, Remote Buddy menu, EyeTV, Movie Library and iTunes modules. A Camera module would follow shortly after.

The iTunes module and its ability to control AirPlay speakers (called AirTunes back then) in particular quickly became highly popular as it brought together several key Apple products (Mac, iTunes, iPhone, AirPort Express) and provided a single interface to control them.

Seeing how well these products could play together, I fully expected Apple to sherlock the idea and eventually offer an iTunes Remote app of their own. What I did not expect, though, was that it'd be in the App Store the day it opened.

And maybe it's just me, but Apple putting such an emphasis on their remote app being "the free app" still strikes me both as an unnecessary burn and unique in Apple's history.

Going retail (February 2008)

In February 2008, a special Remote Buddy Premium Edition went on sale in Gravis retail stores across Germany.

The Premium Edition shipped in a shrink-wrapped DVD box containing a professionally produced CD and a printed license card. The CD also contained a set of video tutorials exclusive to the Premium Edition.

Support for Plex (August 2008)

On the Mac, if you're serious about controlling Plex with a remote, you do it via Remote Buddy. And it all started back in August 2008.

Plex had just been released two months ago - and Remote Buddy was already adding support for it. Since then, Plex users have a lot of choice regarding the remote control they want to use, as well as an easy way to configure their remote's button mapping.

Always striving for the best possible and most robust integration with other apps, Remote Buddy has since learnt to talk Plex' UDP protocol and been expanded to support new generations of the Plex app that have come since - including Plex/HT, OpenPHT and Plex Media Player.

Remote Buddy drives a huge telescope (August 2008)

As a software developer, emails from people who've found impressive uses for my software far outside what I myself considered possible really make me happy. Over the past decade, I've been blessed with many such emails - and they've really helped in keeping the motivation up.

One of those mails came from John Kuehne, who shared that he was able to control the 2.1m (82") Otto Struve Telescope at McDonald Observatory using an Apple Remote and Remote Buddy. His setup used Remote Buddy to translate the remote's button presses into actions that controlled the Track82 software used to control the observatory.

Remote Buddy and the Apple Remote allowed John to replace a big box on a long wire whose buttons can't be changed with an ergonomic, small IR remote that could be used from the control room and be configured to what was currently needed.

All images © John Kuehne.

Remote Buddy's driver becomes Candelair, fixes Snow Leopard (October 2009)

When OS X 10.6 shipped in August 2009, it included an Apple Remote HID device that no longer supported the exclusive access needed by third-party apps. Unlike before, any button press on the Apple Remote would now trigger both the default OS X and the app's action at the same time.

Remote Buddy, shipping with its own driver since 2007, had not been affected by the change, and at the time was the only option to reliably use the Apple Remote with 3rd party apps under OS X 10.6.

When OS X 10.6.1 came and went without addressing the issue, there seemed - given the extent of the public outcry - little hope that Apple would address it in the future. Having the means to offer a fix to the issue, I decided to help out by releasing a stand-alone version of Remote Buddy's driver - since known simply as Candelair.

Early version of Candelair running under OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)

Alongside Candelair, I also decided to open source Remote Buddy's code for accessing the Apple Remote HID device.

The BSD-licensed HIDRemote class has since been adopted by popular apps like XBMC (now Kodi), Plex and EyeTV. It makes proper use of the OS X HID system, avoids any dependencies on driver internals - and even added a much-needed mechanism for apps to lend and return access to the Apple Remote among each other.

Previously, if a developer didn't want to do research and write their own code for Apple Remote support, pretty much their only choice was other open-source code that broke every couple of OS releases (as the driver internals it relied on changed), dropped button presses and - in the worst case - could give users the impression that the Apple Remote or Apple IR Receiver hardware were defective.

Apple eventually re-added support for exclusive access to its driver with OS X 10.6.2. Apps not using the HIDRemote class, however, remained broken and - once again - in need of an update to adapt to the changed internals of Apple's driver.

End of PowerPC support (May 2011)

While Remote Buddy had started its life in the age of Intel Macs, it had also been offering support for PowerPC processors.

But time and technology moves on and so, in 2011 – five years after Apple's switch from PowerPC to Intel – I eventually had to retire support for PowerPC Macs as I no longer had access to a test machine.

Hitting the Mac App Store (September 2011)

Announced in October 2010, the Mac App Store was soon seen as the future of distributing apps on the Mac by many.

I eventually decided to create a special "lite" version of Remote Buddy that fitted within the boundaries of Apple's Review Guidelines and call it "Remote Buddy Express". In May 2011, I uploaded Remote Buddy Express to iTunes Connect and hit "Submit".

After spending 102 days of soul-wrenching discomfort and uncertainty, it finally passed review and became "Ready for sale" in the Mac App Store in September 2011.

The AJAX Remote app (October 2011)

Disheartened by my experience with the Mac App Store review process as well as technical difficulties, I stopped development of a native iOS app and instead released an AJAX Remote app that made discovering, connecting to and using the existing web app easier.

Logitech Harmony Smart Control support (June 2014)

In June 2014, Remote Buddy gained support for the Logitech Harmony Smart Control, providing a new, compelling option to integrate a Mac HTPC with the rest of the devices in the living room.

Remote Buddy Mobile for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch (November 2015)

In early 2015, the idea of being able to control Remote Buddy from the then upcoming new Apple Watch inspires me to take a new shot at creating a native iOS companion app for Remote Buddy.

Many months later, I'm putting the finishing touches on Remote Buddy Mobile, which turns an iOS device into a remote, trackpad and keyboard, implements one of the fastest (if not the fastest) screen sharing engines available on the platform, can manage apps and trigger app-specific actions. It also pioneers a privacy-respecting, location-based night mode - based solely on the user's timezone.

Remote Buddy Display for Apple TV (November 2015)

As rumors about a new Apple TV with a touch remote intensified, I began to think about what it would take to make a remote app for the new platform. What became very clear to me early on is that, in order for this to make sense, a Remote Buddy app for the Apple TV would have to be capable of streaming the Mac's screen content at high frame rates.

When Apple announced the 4th generation Apple TV with Siri Remote and an App Store in September 2015, I immediately went to work on Remote Buddy Display and initially made quick progress thanks to the groundwork laid by the development of Remote Buddy Mobile.

But when I ran the app on an Apple TV Developer Kit for the first time, it barely delivered two frames per second.

It took a lot of time and optimizations to turn this into the high frame rates of up to 60 frames per second that Remote Buddy Display is known and loved for today. At 1080p resolution, up to 500 MB of graphics data need to be compressed on the Mac, sent over the wire, uncompressed and displayed on the Apple TV - every second.

Submitted days before the Apple TV became publicly available, I had high hopes for Remote Buddy Display to be around for the launch of the new tvOS App Store and show what the new platform was capable of. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as it spent 14 days in review.

Remote Buddy's look over time

As Remote Buddy evolved from an Apple Remote-only app to a general remote control solution for the Mac with much richer hardware support, its icon needed to adapt to better represent its new capabilities.

Not satisfied with what I had put together in Photoshop myself for the early preview releases, I got in touch with Rory Prior (of ThinkMac), who then created Remote Buddy's first proper icon. Since then, the icon has been updated two more times following the introduction of major new features in Remote Buddy.

Just like the icon, Remote Buddy's menu looked a lot different ten years ago. While initially, the menu had a fixed size, it soon would dynamically adapt its width to display additional, contextual content. User interface elements like sliders and rating controls followed. And, over the years, as the look of OS X evolved, so did the look of Remote Buddy's menu.

A decade of free updates

It's crazy, but it's true: despite putting significant effort into the development of Remote Buddy for over ten years now, I've never charged for an update.

Thank You

Thanks to everyone who has used and supported Remote Buddy over the past decade and thereby enabled me to work on this project for so long already. ❤️

Remote Buddy Display 1.1 adds audio & Bluetooth keyboard support

2016-04-06T00:00:00Z

Since it's release, Remote Buddy Display has made a considerable splash in the media and in living rooms around the world. It has been widely received as one of the most innovative Apple TV apps available and highlighted the potential of this little new box as a platform for apps beyond just games and on-demand video.

To an indie like me, who often works months in a vacuum between releases, recognition on that scale really means a lot. Thanks everyone!

Today I'm following up with Remote Buddy Display 1.1. Here's what's new:

Audio support

Virtually every article on Remote Buddy Display mentioned it - and a lot of people also asked about it directly: the lack of audio support in version 1.0.

No more: version 1.1 ships with audio support! You can now see, hear and control your Mac with your Apple TV and Siri Remote.

The way this works is that Remote Buddy Display automatically selects your Apple TV as your Mac's System Audio Output when you connect - and restores the previous selection when you disconnect or leave the app.

After considering the alternatives, building on this existing OS X feature stood out as the best option: the technology is proven, mature and available now - whereas a new kernel audio driver would have required significant resources for development and testing - without any immediate benefit.

Bluetooth keyboard support

tvOS 9.2 added the ability to connect Bluetooth keyboards to the Apple TV - and Remote Buddy Display 1.1 is taking full advantage of that: any text you type on a connected keyboard during a session is now sent directly to your Mac - including most key combinations!

OS limitations still apply, though: since tvOS only provides a filtered subset of keyboard events to apps, and provides no means of determining exactly when a keypress started and ended, time-sensitive key combinations like Cmd+Tab (for switching apps) may not be fully usable. Also, tvOS generates no events at all for stand-alone Shift, Alt, Command and Control key presses, so these only work when combined with an other, alpha-numeric key.

Hiding the mouse cursor

While the "Trackpad" and "Keyboard" modes of Remote Buddy Display rely on the mouse cursor as primary interaction model, the "Remote" mode is built on actions that directly control applications. Since a mouse cursor is not needed (and often unwanted) in that mode, Remote Buddy Display now hides it automatically when the mouse hasn't been moved for a few seconds.

App Preview Video

For this update, I also created an App Preview video for Remote Buddy Display that shows most new features in action:

Being just 30 seconds, this was an entirely new format for me. If you're interested, you can read more about my process and what I thought about and learnt in the creation of this video in my first Medium post: 7 things I learnt creating an App Preview video for Apple TV.

More in the pipeline

Remote Buddy Display is not the only Apple TV-related project that I've been working on for a while. If you want to be among the first to know when I take the veils off the second project, please consider signing up for the newsletter and following @remotebuddy on Twitter.

Remote Buddy 1.28 adds support for Plex Media Player and OpenPHT

2016-02-29T00:00:00Z

The first update in Remote Buddy's 10th year (yes, Remote Buddy was first released in 2006!) is available now - and it brings a lot of improvements and new features under and above the hood.

Support for Plex Media Player and OpenPHT

A lot of you have been asking for support for OpenPHT and the Plex Media Player, so I'm happy to announce that this release adds support for both.

Since OpenPHT is based on Plex HT, support for OpenPHT has been added to the existing Plex Behaviour. As with previous generation switches in the Plex client software, the Plex Behaviour searches for the latest installed generation during launch and then targets that version. That means that if you have OpenPHT and Plex HT installed, it will target OpenPHT and continue to use your existing settings.

For the new Plex Media Player, things are a bit different. Unlike f.ex. OpenPHT and Plex HT, the new Plex Media Player is no longer based on XBMC and currently only supports a subset of the remote control commands that its predecessors supported. It therefore seemed like a good idea to build an entirely new Behaviour to support the new Plex Media Player. One big benefit of this is that it allows you to use OpenPHT/Plex HT and Plex Media Player side by side.

Major Candelair update

This release also comes with the biggest update to Candelair in years. Installation is faster and more robust - and the Apple IR Receiver emulation now delivers the full feature set on OS X 10.9, 10.10 and 10.11 as well. Legacy apps that weren't updated to use the modern HIDRemote class and still make assumptions about driver names and driver internals in 2016 can now be controlled through the emulation again.

Some more things

Besides the usual small improvements and fixes, this release also lays the foundation to some exciting new things that I've been working on for a while and hope to share more about with you soon. If you want to be among the first to know what this is about, please consider signing up for the newsletter and following @remotebuddy on Twitter.

Remote Buddy apps for Apple TV, iOS, watchOS now available

2015-11-13T00:00:00Z

Today Remote Buddy expands its reach to all Apple platforms, receives completely new capabilities, a modernized look and a new website. That's not all that is changing, but let's start there.

Introducing Remote Buddy Display for tvOS

Remote Buddy Display is the brand-new Remote Buddy companion app for tvOS that brings your Mac apps onto the new Apple TV's screen through high-speed screen sharing while turning the Siri Remote into a trackpad, keyboard and remote to control them.

This combination makes Remote Buddy Display both the first screen sharing app and the first remote app available on tvOS.

Developed from scratch specifically for Remote Buddy Display, the screen sharing engine at the core of this app was designed to deliver high frame rates at a low latency even when content is played back full screen. Building on the latest GPU and CPU technologies, it delivers up to 60 frames per second with a latency of around 0.1 seconds. See it in action in the embedded demo video, where Remote Buddy Display shows a Mac mini's (Late 2012) screen at full 1080p resolution during fullscreen playback of a YouTube video.

Remote Buddy Display allows using the Siri Remote as a trackpad, remote and keyboard to interact with the apps on the Mac whose screen is shared through it.

Integrated into the trackpad mode is a feature called Mousespot. This powerful and easy-to-use presentation tool gently highlights the area around the mouse cursor when a finger rests on the touch surface for more than two seconds - and disappears again if two seconds pass without a touch.

In remote control mode, the Lazy Gestures feature can detect multiple gestures in a row without requiring the finger to be lifted inbetween. If f.ex. you are fast forwarding in QuickTime Player by swiping right and holding and you fast forward too far, you can simply swipe left and continue holding. Remote Buddy Display will then detect this as a new gesture and tell Remote Buddy to start rewinding.

But that's not all. Remote Buddy Display also supports multiple displays, accessing and running app-specific actions, launching, switching and quitting apps, putting the Mac to sleep and more.

For more information and a technology comparison with AirPlay and VNC, please visit the Remote Buddy Display page.

Remote Buddy Display is FREE and now available on the Apple TV App Store.

Introducing Remote Buddy Mobile for iOS and watchOS

Remote Buddy Mobile turns your iOS device into a remote, trackpad and keyboard for the Mac and is the first remote app to also offer and fully embrace screen sharing.

The inclusion of screen sharing is a game changer as it means that you can now control the Mac from another room or when its screen is turned off. Want to keep watching EyeTV while fetching something in the kitchen? Or initiate a download on your HTPC Mac without waiting for the TV to come on? Remote Buddy Mobile has you covered!

If you're using Remote Buddy as part of a home theater setup, you'll love the Night Mode - an eye-friendly, dark color scheme optimized for use in dark environments. It can be activated automatically between sunset and sunrise, calculated based on location and date.

Remote Buddy Mobile also includes a Watch app so that the Apple Watch can be used as a remote, dictation keyboard and presenter aid for Remote Buddy on the Mac.

Both iOS and Watch apps provide access to app-specific actions and can be used to launch, switch and quit apps.

For more information, please visit the Remote Buddy Mobile page.

Remote Buddy Mobile supports iPhone, iPad and iPod touch running iOS 8 or later and Apple Watch running watchOS 1.0 or later. It is FREE with in-app purchases for premium features. Version 1.0 is now available on the App Store.

Version 1.1 - already submitted for review - will bring significant performance gains for screen sharing, as it adopts the same screen sharing code already found in Remote Buddy Display.

Remote Buddy 1.27

The new Remote Buddy release adds Mobile Access, which is needed by the new iOS, watchOS and tvOS apps and includes the new screen sharing capabilities. It also adds support for OS X Photos.

Many more changes have taken place under the hood, including stability fixes for OS X El Capitan and an improved virtual input layer. Starting with this release, AJAX Remote is no longer supported. It will continue to be included for the time being, though.

Apart from a new logo, Remote Buddy - after many, many years of price stability - also gets a new price. At 24.99 €, it's still a steal and continues to be priced at the low end of the price range for a product this powerful.

Remote Buddy Express

Remote Buddy Express is currently not available on the Mac App Store as version 1.27.2 with full support for the tvOS app is awaiting approval by App Review. The latest approved version - 1.27 - works with the tvOS app, but only offers about 10% of the framerate version 1.27.2 is capable of delivering.

New website

IOSPIRIT is getting a new, mobile-friendly website that lays the groundwork for more frequent content updates in the future. Not everything has made the jump over to the new content engine yet, but this is being worked on. If you notice anything that does not work as expected, please drop a mail.

One more thing

Watch this space for one more, exciting product release in the coming weeks. If you want to be among the first to know, subscribe to the low-traffic newsletter below - or follow @iospirit on Twitter.

Remote Buddy Mobile - the next generation remote app, is coming soon to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch

2015-07-22T00:00:00Z

In 2007, before Apple launched the iPhone SDK and the App Store, Remote Buddy was the first complete solution that turned your iPhone into a remote control for your Mac. Driven by its own embedded web server and web 2.0 technologies, Remote Buddy delivered AJAX Remote to the iPhone's Safari browser to implement a web app that looked and behaved like a native app.

And while, in the following years, AJAX Remote continued to receive updates that increased performance, responsiveness and introduced new features, the long-term goal has always been to eventually replace it with a completely new, native app.

The next chapter on mobile

That new, native app is called Remote Buddy Mobile and I'm incredibly proud to give you a sneak peek at it today.

With Remote Buddy Mobile you can use your iOS device as a remote, trackpad and keyboard for your Mac. Beam your Mac's screen right onto your device with the integrated screen sharing module. Turn your Apple Watch into a remote control for your Mac with the included Watch App. Or manage apps and run actions.

Use Remote Buddy Mobile as a powerful remote for your Mac-based home theater (HTPC), to control your presentations, to keep an eye on or even access the screen from another room (via built-in screen sharing) and much, much more.

Remote Buddy Mobile was built using the latest iOS 8 technologies to support iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple Watch.

There's more

Remote Buddy Mobile is just a small part of the complete picture that still has to be completed and unveiled. Join us on our journey and sign up for email updates to learn about the other exciting things that are in store this and next year.

Also check out @remotebuddy on Twitter for exclusive, additional sneak peeks.

Kodi

2014-11-04T00:00:00Z

XBMC will be rebranded as Kodi with the next major release - and the first beta has just become available.

Because of the name change, Remote Buddy 1.25 (released before Kodi beta1) doesn't currently recognize Kodi. A few changes were needed to add Kodi support to the XBMC Behaviour.

Please use Remote Buddy's Online Updater ("Check for udpates..") to download and install the updated XBMC Behaviour with Kodi support. You'll need to relaunch Remote Buddy for the update to take effect. The Behaviour will only show up in the Online Updater if you already have Kodi installed.

XBMC and Kodi

Remote Buddy uses a single Behaviour to support both XBMC and Kodi. This has the benefit that your existing XBMC Behaviour settings will automatically target Kodi when you install it.

Remote Buddy will look for Kodi and XBMC during launch and exclusively target the latest version it found at the time. If you have both Kodi and XBMC installed, Remote Buddy will only show and control Kodi. To go back to XBMC in such a scenario, you'd need to remove all copies of Kodi.app and relaunch Remote Buddy.

Remote Buddy Express

Since Apple prohibits built-in updaters in the Mac App Store, Remote Buddy Express users interested in the new Behaviour will need to download and install the Behaviour manually:

Download XBMC.rbbehaviour.zip
Extract XBMC.rbbehaviour by double clicking the downloaded XBMC.rbbehaviour.zip
Install XBMC.rbbehaviour by double clicking it
Follow the instructions provided by Remote Buddy Express

Feedback

Please join the discussion in the forums or send me an email with any questions, suggestions or feedback regarding Kodi support.

Hello Yosemite!

2014-10-20T00:00:00Z

We were busy updating Remote Buddy for Yosemite since getting our hands on a Developer Preview in June.

After completing a final set of tests on the actual release version of Yosemite, Remote Buddy 1.26 is now available for download.

This release also includes fixes for users controlling Plex, Photo Booth and Safari through Remote Buddy.

A version 1.26 update to Remote Buddy Express will be available on the Mac App Store once it has passed Apple's review.

Road to Yosemite: updates for Remote Buddy, Candelair and Remote Control Diagnostics

2014-07-27T00:00:00Z

We've just released updates for Remote Buddy, Candelair and Remote Control Diagnostics that improve compatibility with OS X Yosemite betas and fix an issue with Mavericks as well.

OS X Yosemite is still in beta and a final public release (GM) is probably still months away. So for now, it's not yet technically possible to claim official support for Yosemite. We hope to have fully compatible versions available at the time of OS X Yosemite's public release, though.

If you're among those testing OS X Yosemite as a developer or beta tester and you experience any issues using Remote Buddy with that OS X release, please let us know by email or Twitter.

Remote Buddy 1.25 adds support for Harmony Smart Control, providing control over 100+ Mac apps - and what else is new

2014-06-20T00:00:00Z

For more than eight years now, Remote Buddy users have received free updates. And today's release - which brings many new features and improvements - is no different.

Support for Harmony Smart Control

The Harmony Smart Control can now be paired with Remote Buddy on the Mac. Once the Bluetooth pairing has been established, Remote Buddy is available as a device to the Harmony.

More than 100 Mac apps supported by Remote Buddy (including Plex, EyeTV, iTunes, Rdio, Spotify, DVD Player, Mac Blu-Ray Player, iPhoto, Lightroom, XBMC, Movist and VLC) can then be controlled with the same remote that can already control other devices like TV sets, beamers, game consoles, the Apple TV and even Philips Hue lights.

Together, Remote Buddy and the Harmony Smart Control form an elegant, powerful solution for the deep integration of a Mac into a home entertainment setup.

The duo also gets the basics right: thanks to the use of Bluetooth, the connection between the Mac and the Harmony Smart Control is rock solid, button presses are received almost instantly and no line of sight is needed. Since almost all Macs have a Bluetooth adapter these days, no USB adapters are needed in most cases, either. The lightweight RF remote included in the Smart Control package feels good in the hand and, according to Logitech, the exchangeable coin cell battery lasts at least a year.

Want to get started? This How-To lists all needed parts and system requirements. It also shows how to set them up. Additional info is also available in a dedicated FAQ section and on the hardware page.

Launches up to three times faster

Remote Buddy has to do a lot of heavy lifting during launch. Over 100 plugins are scanned, evaluated and loaded. A multi-threaded driver environment is spun up. Drivers are loaded into it, hardware is initialized and prepared for use. User preferences and graphical assets get loaded. And finally, all the seperate parts are brought together.

In this release, new caching and indexing techniques help to greatly reduce the number of files that need to be loaded from disk, reducing load on the I/O system and resulting in an up to three times faster launch.

Sort and Album Artists in iTunes

The iTunes Behaviour now sorts artists by what iTunes calls "Sort Artist", so that you now find "The Beatles" in the neighbourhood of "Bauhaus", not next to "Trentemøller".

The iTunes Behaviour also adds a new "Album Artists" category in its "Music Library" menu. When tracks on a single album are by "X" as well as "X feat. Y" and "X feat. Z", you see three different entries in "Artists", each of which only refers to parts of one and the same album. In contrast, if you use "Album Artists", you'll only see an entry for "X" - and all tracks of the album will be shown.

New minimum requirements

Apple no longer allows submissions to the Mac App Store that make use of QuickTime or QTKit. Instead, developers should use AV Foundation, a framework that made its debut in OS X 10.7.

For Remote Buddy Express, this means that the minimum required OS X version is now 10.7 (10.6.6 previously). The alternative would have been to drop the "Camera" feature from AJAX Remote. At the time of writing, Remote Buddy Express 1.25 is "waiting for review".

Remote Buddy can still use QuickTime and QTKit (and in fact does if you run it on OS X versions before 10.7), but requires at least OS X 10.6 now. Almost all Intel Macs can be upgraded to at least this version.

Fixes and improvements

A few users reported that they could no longer control PowerPoint 2011 with Remote Buddy after upgrading to OS X 10.9. Fixed with this release.

The Behaviour Construction Kit now automatically generates a truly unique identifier for every new Behaviour you create, eliminating a frequent source of errors and confusion when more than one Behaviour was created and all created Behaviours shared the same identifier.

This release is again compatible with the latest version of Aurora. It also addresses timing issues when using some EyeTV receivers as IR receivers for Remote Buddy.

OS X Yosemite

We haven't been this excited about a new OS X release for some time. And of course one of the first things we do with Developer Previews is to test our software on them.

In early (but incomplete) tests Remote Buddy works well. Except for one thing: starting with Yosemite, OS X will only load kernel extensions that have been signed with an extended version of Apple's Developer ID. Since Remote Buddy's driver is signed with only a standard Developer ID, it won't get loaded - and Remote Buddy can't access most of the hardware supported through it.

We've already applied for the extended version of Apple's Developer ID and hope to soon provide a version of Remote Buddy's driver that will be accepted by Yosemite.

Until then, you can work around this by turning on Yosemite's kext developer mode. You do this by entering this line into Terminal.app:

sudo nvram boot-args="kext-dev-mode=1"

A reboot later your installation of Yosemite will again load Remote Buddy's driver.

IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that OS X Yosemite right now is only available as a Developer Preview. It's not the final thing and bugs and unexpected behaviour have to be expected. So whatever you do with Yosemite at this point: be sure you have backups of all data you care about at all times.

Since we are still months away from Yosemite becoming available to everyone, Remote Buddy does not yet officially support Yosemite. Yet we'd still like to hear from you if you run into any issues.

Help spread the word

The Mac market has seen massive growth in recent years, making it a lot harder for indie developers to get the word out on their apps. This is true even for niche software like Remote Buddy. If you like Remote Buddy and want to support us beyond purchasing a copy, please consider telling your friends about it. It really helps. Thanks!

How-To: Set up the Logitech® Harmony® Hub with Remote Buddy and control 100+ Mac apps with the Harmony® Smart Control / Companion / Ultimate / Elite

2014-06-20T00:00:00Z

⚠️ These instructions are for version 1.x of Remote Buddy. The steps for version 2 are different and described here

Although originally written for the Harmony® Smart Control, the configuration steps for the Harmony® Companion, Harmony® Ultimate or Harmony® Elite are almost identical. The title and parts of the text have been updated to reflect this.

In this How-To, I'm walking you through the steps needed to set up the Logitech® Harmony® Companion with Remote Buddy. At the end, you will be able to use your Companion to control over 100+ apps on your Mac.

Prerequisites

Here's what you'll need for this How-To:

Mac: a Mac with built-in Bluetooth, running OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" or later.
Earlier versions of OS X may work, too, but are officially not supported.
An iOS device with Bluetooth and WiFi, running the latest version of the free "Harmony Control" app by Logitech (App Store).
At the time of writing, pairing the Hub is only supported through the smartphone apps - desktop apps like the MyHarmony app for the Mac® can't be used.
Remote Buddy 1.25 or later (download trial version)
IMPORTANT: the Express version from the Mac App Store does NOT support the Harmony® Companion or other Bluetooth remotes.
The Harmony® Companion package. If you purchase it through these links, we receive a kickback (thanks!): Amazon.com, Amazon.de

Step 1: Setting up a new device in the Harmony® software

If you've just unwrapped your Harmony® Companion package, follow this guide:

Setting up Harmony® Companion from scratchShow

If you already have an existing Harmony® setup and just want to add Remote Buddy to it, start here:

Adding Remote Buddy to your existing Harmony® Companion setupShow

Step 2: Optimizing the Harmony® configuration

At this point, you can already use your Smart Remote to control Remote Buddy. But there is still room for improvement: the default settings supplied by Logitech leave some buttons unused - and remove timing information for long presses from others (Rewind, Stop).

Fortunately, these shortcomings are easy to address in the Harmony Control software. Here's how:

Unlocking all buttons of the Harmony® CompanionShow

Since we registered Remote Buddy as a Sony® PS3 with the Harmony® Hub, it is also handled as such by the Hub when it comes to managing power. So when you switch away from the Remote Buddy activity, the Hub will send the button presses that would be needed to enter a menu on a PS3 and power it off. To avoid the unwanted effects of unwanted button presses when switching to another device/activity, you'll need to tweak the Harmony® Hub's power settings. Here's how:

Tweaking power settingsShow

Congratulations! You've just set up your Harmony® Companion, added it to Remote Buddy and tweaked your Harmony's settings to enjoy using all of the buttons it offers.

Troubleshooting

While in general, you should contact Logitech for support on their Harmony® products, I added a couple of entries to the FAQ specifically on the combination of Harmony® Companion and Remote Buddy. You can view them in the Harmony® Hub section of the Remote Buddy FAQ.

[Updated on November 27th, 2014 with new screenshots and modified instructions for the latest version of the Harmony Control software]

[Updated on September 2nd, 2015 with new screenshots and modified instructions for the latest version of the Harmony Control software]

[Updated on November 27th, 2018 to also mention Harmony® Companion, Harmony® Ultimate and Harmony® Elite, updated title.]

Remote Buddy turns 8: some little-known tidbits

2014-06-06T00:00:00Z

Today, it has been 8 years since the first public release of Remote Buddy. Thanks everyone who has made (and is still making) this journey possible!

Anniversaries are always a good opportunity to reflect upon past events and the future - and this anniversary is no exception. In this post, I'm sharing some little known tidbits from the past 8 years.

1. The little Apple Remote that could

In 2008, John Kuehne shared in the forums that he was able to control the 2.1m (82") Otto Struve Telescope at McDonald Observatory using an Apple Remote and Remote Buddy. His setup used Remote Buddy to translate the remote's button presses into actions that controlled the Track82 software used to control the observatory.

All images © John Kuehne.

2. The first full-featured remote control solution for the iPhone

Long before Apple officially opened up the iPhone for 3rd party apps by releasing an SDK, Remote Buddy users could already use their iPhone to control their Macs. Remote Buddy achieved this by implementing a remote control entirely as a web application that it then served through a built-in web server.

Remote Buddy also was the first app that provided remote control over iTunes and remote speakers (Mac-only and called "AirTunes" back then - renamed to "AirPlay" when it came to iOS) via an iPhone. It turned iTunes, Mac, AirPort Express and iPhone into a neat, integrated solution for multi-room audio for the first time.

Since the idea brought together so many Apple products, I wasn't really surprised when Apple launched their "Remote" app on day one of the App Store. There simply was too much synergy in this idea for them not to do this themselves.

3. Remote Buddy currently supports 6 major OS X releases

When Remote Buddy launched, OS X 10.4 was the latest OS release. 8 years later, Remote Buddy also runs on OS X 10.9, but still supports OS X 10.4 and everything in-between. A lot of work has gone into keeping it compatible while also using newer technologies where available.

Since the majority of Remote Buddy users now use much more recent versions of OS X, though, the required minimum version of OS X will eventually have to move up.

Insight IOSPIRIT: route to the new Online Store

2014-06-01T00:00:00Z

This is issue one of Insight IOSPIRIT, a series in which I want to give you a peek behind the scenes. Provide more context and color to changes I'm making and present things from a different angle than I'd normally do.

Today, I want to take you on a journey that stretches back over 12 years and that did just culminate in a completely new Online Store for iospirit.com. Also included: an anecdote about running a homebrew credit card processing gateway using a fax modem.

The old Online Store

The old store's cart, originally introduced in 2007.

I experimented with a lot of ideas and different designs when I developed the last IOSPIRIT Online Store in 2007. Back then, however, I was not able to implement the store the way I wanted simply because I found no offerings from the payment industry that would let me process payments the way I wanted to. So I had to adjust the checkout flow to what was available.

Subsequent years brought many changes. E-commerce and tax laws in the EU and Germany required the integration of live VAT ID checks and additional UI. The credit card acquiring bank pushed hard for the integration of Visa's and Mastercard's 3D Secure. And fraudsters tried anything from manipulating the payment amounts in PayPal payment forms to using stolen credit cards.

Big changes to EU VAT laws coming in January 2015

When I learnt about the biggest reform in EU VAT law (PWC, EU) in late February, I was shocked. It will - in a nutshell - require EU-based companies to bill EU customers based on their country of residence and therefore handle 28 different VAT rates, apply the local VAT law of 28 countries and report VAT separately for 28 countries.

I finally had enough.

Looking for alternatives

I started researching alternatives to running everything myself. Full service providers advertise that they will manage stores, purchases, payments and VAT for 8.9% of the revenues. A lot of details weren't clear from their advertising material, though, so I asked them a ton of questions. In the end, thanks to additional chargeback and refund fees not included in the 8.9% as well as the effect of currency conversions for EU-based companies, the full service provider's fees got closer to 11.7% in my model calculation.

11.7% of revenue for a shopping cart that works. Much better than the old store for sure. But I'd have to raise prices, lose almost all control over how the store would look and work - and would maybe never get another shot to make my original plans for a new Online Store a reality.

And then I found out about relatively new payment services and products - established only in the last 12 to 24 months. No monthly fees, low transactions costs and an API that would enable me to finally build that new Online Store.

My 12 year oddysey in the world of credit card acceptance

When I started accepting credit cards in 2002, the idea of e-commerce - let alone shops selling downloads - was still relatively new. Especially to people in finance. In order to gain the ability to accept credit cards at all - let alone for this purpose - you had to go through a humiliating signup process, fill out tons of forms, submit business plans, make estimates and demonstrate a lot of willpower. My negotiation counter part at the bank later told me that it was my persistence, not numbers, that landed me the contract.

If you want to start accepting credit cards through Stripe today, all you have to do is sign up there, fill out a few, simple forms and submit them. And within minutes, you are ready to accept credit cards. What a difference a decade makes!

Gateways that would allow charging credit cards fully electronically were prohibitively expensive for small companies like mine back then. The only thing that was included "free" with a credit card acceptance contract back then was handing in transactions by fax. So I built my own gateway using a fax modem, my own 2D bar code system using my own image creation, analysis and recognition code.

Example of a fax received by my homebrew credit card gateway in 2002

My store's backend would automatically generate faxes with 2D barcodes on them. Credit card charges were listed in a table with four columns: credit card details and the amount to be charged, barcode, field for authorization number, field for decline reason. When the fax was returned - often slightly rotated and with vertical lines all across the page - my homebrew gateway would try to locate the 2D bar codes, decode them and then - based on the 2D bar code's position - determine whether something had been written in the authorization or decline field. Based on which field had something written in it, it determined the outcome of the transaction - and fed the result back into the system.

Eventually prices for gateway usage came down and I replaced my homegrown solution with one of them to speed up processing times and eliminate human error. A few years later, the PCI DSS standard was introduced and essentially prohibited credit card data to pass through the systems of companies that couldn't afford a costly certification. To avoid these costs, I switched to another gateway offering that would allow me to handle credit card payments via a separate payment page and not get in touch at all with credit card data. The main usability problem with that is that customers can only enter their credit card data after they've already submitted their purchase. If the payment fails for any reason, their only option is to enter all data again. Which sucks - big time!

New services like Paymill, Stripe, Braintree and Adyen are now changing the game once again. They are acquirer and gateway operator in one. And by tokenizing credit card data and saving it in a secure, PCI DSS compliant vault for later use, they again enable me to design the checkout flow the way I want while at the same time not getting in touch with credit card data at all.

Coming full circle

The 2015 EU VAT law changes were a huge annoyance when I first learnt about them. And they still are. But they also brought some real issues with the old Online Store back to my immediate attention and made them a top priority. They had me re-assess every part of my business, evaluate full service providers and learn about new, game-changing payment services.

What I decided to do is to transition to Braintree for credit card payments and rewrite the store, taking full advantage of the technological advance since developing the last Online Store. In order to cater for EU VAT law changes, I'll still have to make major changes in many other places, but at least the new Online Store is (mostly) ready for it now. If I can't finish work on the other parts until January 2015, I can use a full service provider as a temporary backup.

The new Online Store

So what's new? Without further ado, here's an overview over some of the improvements the new Online Store brings along.

Minimalistic, flat design

Following the trend towards a more minimalistic, flat design, I got rid of as many pronounced gradients, boxes, lines and form fields as possible. The result looks and feels much cleaner and clearer.

One page checkout

Instead of spreading out the checkout process over multiple pages, customers can now enter their address, choose their method of payment, review and submit their purchase on a single page. The transition between the steps is fully animated and only the form fields for the currently active step are displayed.

Embedded error reporting

If an error occurs, the new store runs a 3D animation on the respective section, mimicing a head shaking in disagreement. It also adds a red glow around the field(s) with errors. When a field gets keyboard focus, a bubble showing the error message for that field is displayed. Once a change was made, the red glow effect disappears.

Modal dialogs

If an error occurs that would otherwise have gotten its own page with buttons to click on, it is now displayed in a modal dialog, so you can stay on the checkout page. This really improves user experience by several degrees. It also gave me a nice opportunity to (hopefully) impress you with a fancy blurred background "glass" effect (on browsers that support CSS filters).

PayPal Express integration

Finally. I kind of underestimated the degree to which it would simplify the purchase process.

Better fraud management

The store doesn't have access to any more metadata by using PayPal Express and Braintree compared to what was used before. What's new with these is that this data is available before the actual payment has been made. This should really help the fraud score system that's built right into the store to be more precise and produce less false positives. It allows the store to better discern simple mistakes in entering data (and provide help in fixing them) from fraudulent and malicious behaviour.

Currency conversion

Automatic estimate showing US Dollar.

Previously the cart contained a dropdown to see what the cart's total value is in another currency. In the new store, the drop down is gone. Instead, an estimate is now shown by default - in the currency of the country the customer has selected. If the exchange rate of the respective currency is not in the store's database, US Dollars are used as a fallback.

API based

While the previous store was based around simple HTML forms, the new checkout page uses a web API and follows the MVC (Model View Controller) development pattern.

Résumé

I still have a lot of ideas for the store. Adding more payment options and the ability to buy gift certificates for example. But before I touch these, I'll let the dust settle a bit and see how the new store performs. If you notice any glitches, run into problems or have an idea on how to improve it further, I'll be all ears.

What I really like about this project is that it gave me an opportunity to play with the latest web technologies (especially regarding animation) and explore how I could put it to use in a manner that adds value to the user experience and makes the store more fun to use.

Got feedback? I'd love to hear from you via mail (felix [dot] schwarz (at) iospirit [dot] com) or Twitter (@felix_schwarz).

Spacious 2: Control OS X Spaces with every mouse - using gestures, 2D mouse wheels & screen borders

2014-02-06T00:00:00Z

Effortlessly navigate OS X spaces and apps using mouse gestures, screen borders or a 2D mouse wheel.

Tired of having to use your keyboard to switch to another OS X space? Looking for ways to use your mouse for this instead? Then Spacious is for you!

Spacious adds fun, innovative OS X spaces and app navigation capabilities to every mouse.

The middle button becomes your starting point for gestures to quickly switch spaces or bring up Mission Control. 2D mouse wheels can be turned into super-fast space switchers. And the Navigator - which provides shortcuts to neighbouring spaces and the most recently used apps - pops up once the mouse pointer hits the screen borders.

Spacious (9.99 Euro*) requires OS X® 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later and is available for sale now at the IOSPIRIT Online Store. You can see Spacious in action in this one minute video (YouTube). Detailed information is available at the Spacious website. A feature-unlimited 30 day trial version is available as a free download.

* Worlwide price. Contains no VAT for customers outside the EU. Already includes 19% VAT for customers in EU countries.

Remote Buddy 1.24 now available

2013-10-30T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.24 is now available from the IOSPIRIT website as a free update.

Support for OS X Mavericks and Apple's latest iWork and iLife updates

This release is now compatible with OS X Mavericks as well as Apple's latest updates to Keynote, iPhoto and GarageBand from last week.

Control iBooks, Lightroom 5, Movist and Mac Blu-Ray Player with your remote

New Behaviours have been added in this release, so that you can now control the new iBooks app in OS X Mavericks, Lightroom 5, Movist and Mac Blu-Ray Player with your remote control. While Remote Buddy still offers actions to navigate running slide shows in Lightroom 5, it appears that Adobe has dropped that feature in the latest release of its photo management and editing software. So these actions - unless Adobe adds the feature back - will do nothing. [Update 2013-11-11] To control your slideshows in Lightroom 5 slide by slide, please turn on "Manual Mode" under "Slideshow > Playback > Manual slideshow". Thanks to Leonard Meerkerk for this tip!

Improved iTunes 11 support

Remote Buddy now takes advantage of new iTunes 11 APIs for controlling remote speakers (aka "AirPlay"). Since even with the latest iTunes 11 release, the APIs for controlling repeat and shuffle remain defect, Remote Buddy now works around this by using UI automation.

Metrics

Remote Buddy 1.0 was released in June 2006 - more than seven years ago. What started as an experiment focusing on the Apple Remote has become a complex, yet still easy-to-use solution for using a great number of remote controls to control a great number of applications. Whenever possible, I've tried to maintain compatibility with old OS X and application releases. It currently supports six major OS X releases (10.4-10.9) as well as a still growing number of old and new versions of popular applications.

As time moves on, the inevitable result is that an increasing amount of development time needs to be spent on supporting software that a decreasing number of people are actually using. Less time remains for innovating and adding new features.

To improve this situation, I need to get a better idea of what's important for Remote Buddy's users. That's where Metrics comes into play. Not satisfied with what I found in the market, I've been building my own system over the past couple of months.

Metrics is designed from ground up to respect your privacy. The collected statistical data does not contain any information that makes you personally identifiable. It is also submitted and processed in a way that guarantees anonymity and makes it impossible to build profiles of particular users. For more information on how it works and how you can turn it off, please see section 7.3 of the updated license agreement and the release notes for Remote Buddy 1.24 respectively.

By allowing Remote Buddy to submit anonymous statistical information, you now have a vote regarding its future direction and you help me a great deal in identifying the key areas to focus on. My thanks to all who participate!

Remote Buddy Express update underway / App Nap under OS X Mavericks

Remote Buddy Express 1.24 will shortly be submitted to Apple® for review. The time that updates spent in review has varied greatly in the past, so that no forecast is possible as to when it will be available.

Until the update is available, please make sure you disable App Nap when using Remote Buddy Express 1.23 or older. To disable App Nap, right-click "Remote Buddy Express.app" in the Finder and select "Get Info" in the context menu that opens. In the window that opens now, make sure the checkbox disabling App Nap is checked. You may need to re-launch Remote Buddy Express for this change to take effect.

Mavericks

2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

Since Apple released OS X Mavericks today, you might wonder about Remote Buddy and Remote Buddy Express updates for the new OS X release.

Updates to both have been in the works for some time, are almost finished and will be released/submitted for review as soon as possible.

Please subscribe to this blog's RSS feed or follow @iospirit or @RemoteBuddy on Twitter to get notified when the updates are available.

iTunes 11

2012-12-01T00:00:00Z

I've started to test iTunes 11 with Remote Buddy right after Apple released the update last Thursday. While most basic commands continue to work fine, more complex tasks unfortunately don't. So far, I've identified these issues in iTunes 11:

Scripting support for shuffle and song repeat is broken (via Doug Adams)
The play command behaves differently. In previous versions, you could simply tell iTunes to start playback of a track in a playlist and iTunes would play this track - and then the rest of the playlist. In iTunes 11, it will only play a single track.
The reveal command behaves differently based on whether or not the user opts to show the sidebar. Also, iTunes 11 will loose a selection made this way when you show and hide the sidebar.
The Remote Speakers are now managed in a popup. This popup is not locatable via UI scripting: the popup provides the iTunes window as its parent, the iTunes window, however, doesn't provide the popup as its child.
Since the sidebar is now optional, using its shared library entries to build a connection to a remote iTunes library requires the sidebar to be visible. At the same time, iTunes doesn't provide any status information as to whether the sidebar is currently visible or not.

The impact, especially of point 2, on using Remote Buddy's built-in music library browser to access and play your content has been pretty deep.

Luckily, I found ways to work around most issues. An updated iTunes Behaviour for Remote Buddy 1.22.1 is now available via the built-in Online Updater. What remains broken due to bugs in iTunes is shuffle, repeat and controlling remote speakers. I hope to implement work arounds for these in a future release.

[Update 2012-12-18] A new compatibility update for iTunes 11.0.1 is now available via the Online Updater.

Getting ready for Gatekeeper - and other news

2012-05-02T00:00:00Z

The sun is shining here in Germany. It's not too hot, not too cold - really just right. Time to go outside and enjoy the weather? Nah! I've been too busy working on updates for you :-). Namely Remote Buddy 1.21, Candelair 1.10 and Remote Control Diagnostics 1.2.1.

Now ready for Mountain Lion's Gatekeeper

Remote Buddy, Candelair and Remote Control Diagnostics now are all codesigned with IOSPIRIT's Developer ID. This makes them all ready for the Gatekeeper security feature of OS X® Mountain Lion, which is expected to be released this summer.

Remote Buddy 1.21: control Lightroom 4, MPlayerX and Roxio Video Player with your remote

Remote Buddy can now also control Lightroom 4, MPlayerX and Roxio Video Player. Also, support was added for additional eHome/MCE receivers. Find the complete release notes here.

Remote Buddy Express 1.21: still pending approval

Version 1.21 updates for both Remote Buddy versions are essentially finished since April 20th. The original plan was to release both versions the same day. Unfortunately, the review and approval process for Remote Buddy Express 1.21 seems to take longer than usual. While I expect Apple to approve the update in the next couple of days, I really didn't want to hold back the regular Remote Buddy update any longer.

[Update May 18th, 2012] Remote Buddy Express 1.21 has now been approved by Apple and is now available via the Mac App Store.

Update frenzy at IOSPIRIT

2012-01-18T00:00:00Z

Today, you can download brand new versions of almost all IOSPIRIT products: Remote Buddy 1.20, Remote Buddy Express 1.20, Candelair 1.9 and Remote Control Diagnostics 1.2.

Remote Buddy 1.20: control Rdio, Soundcloud, Chrome, QVIVO Player with your remote

The latest release adds support for controlling the aforementioned applications. It also includes Candelair 1.9 (read on for details) and a long list of other minor and major improvements and bugfixes in almost all areas. The Express version also receives an update.

Candelair 1.9: iMac® 2011 compatibility, new Apple® IR emulation, end-of-life for the legacy compatibility mode

A few users of iMac® 2011 models reported issues when putting their Mac® through a sleep/wake cycle under OS X® Lion: the Apple® Remote sometimes no longer was available after that. This issue was particularly hard to address because I couldn't reproduce it. Thanks to the help of affected users, though, I could identify and address the issue. Candelair 1.9 addressed the issue on the systems of all users involved.

The Apple® IR emulation (also known as "Virtual Remote" in Remote Buddy) also received a major update and now exactly mimics the original Apple® IR Receiver on systems running a 64 Bit kernel as well. This re-establishes full compatibility with applications whose Apple® Remote code still depends on undocumented driver internals.

Of course, depending on undocumented driver internals is never a good idea. Which maybe was best illustrated with the release of OS X® 10.4.9, again with 10.5 - and again with 10.6.2. All of these releases changed driver internals. All applications depending on them broke. Each time with consequences ranging from Apple® Remote support not working in just the applications in question to rendering the Apple® Remote unusable systemwide. Previous versions of Candelair provided a Legacy Compatibility mode that allowed applications depending on OS X® 10.5 driver internals to continue to work under OS X® 10.6.2 and beyond. It was meant to give application developers additional time to switch to driver and OS version independent code like the HIDRemote class. A change that should require a developer less than half an hour of work - including testing. Many developers used this opportunity. Others didn't - and probably never will.

To further simplify and streamline Candelair, version 1.9 therefore removes the Legacy Compatibility mode. If this is a problem for one of the apps you're using, please get in touch with their respective developer. Adopting the HIDRemote class is easy.

Remote Control Diagnostics 1.2

Recognition and correct handling of the new Apple IR driver as well as minor visual tweaks best describe the changes in this new version of Remote Control Diagnostics.

Spacious 1.0: fast switching between OS X Lion spaces, fullscreen apps with every mouse

2011-11-15T00:00:00Z

IOSPIRIT is proud to announce the immediate availability of its latest creation: Spacious 1.0.

What is Spacious?

Spacious allows switching between OS X Lion spaces and fullscreen apps with every mouse. Via the Spacious Navigator that's shown when the mouse cursor is moved to the display borders. Or directly with many mice wheel.

Watch the demo video at the Spacious website to see it in action.

Why Spacious?

Imagine you're using an ordinary mouse with OS X Lion and you want to switch between spaces. You'll need to move your hand over to the keyboard, locate and press the right key combination - and move back to your mouse. If you need to switch often, chances are you'll soon find this highly annoying and a constant source of interruption in your workflow.

Spacious offers smart solutions to this and other space-related challenges.

Key Features

Switch to neighbouring spaces
The Spacious Navigator appears when you move your mouse to your displays borders and keep moving. Click on the Navigator to switch to the next or previous space.
Quick app switching and quitting
Right-click on the Spacious Navigator to access recently used applications and Mission Control. Hover over an app's icon and a close button appears, allowing you to quit that app.
Mouse wheel switching
If your mouse wheel can scroll left and right (often possible by tilting it), you can turn on an option in Spacious and henceforth use it to switch to the next and previous space instead.

See Spacious in Action

See Spacious and its most important features in action in the "Introducing Spacious" video at the Spacious Website (http://www.iospirit.com/spacious/).

Pricing, Availability and System Requirements

Spacious 1.0 is available at the Mac App Store at an introductory price of 5.99 US$ *. Spacious requires a Mac running Mac OS X Lion 10.7 or later.

About IOSPIRIT

IOSPIRIT was founded by Felix Schwarz in 2004 and is based in Roth (Bavaria, Germany). It focuses on the development of innovative software for Mac OS X and iOS.

IOSPIRIT is best known for Remote Buddy, the most powerful remote control solution for the Mac. An Express version of Remote Buddy is also available at the Mac App Store.

* Price quoted in US$ excludes sales tax or VAT as applies. Check the Mac App Store for quotes in local currencies. We reserve the right to set a different price (both higher and lower) at any time without advance notice.

Address: IOSPIRIT GmbH, Am Feldacker 4, 91154 Roth, Germany. Phone: +49 9171 827831. Fax: +49 9171 827832. Email: info@iospirit.com. Website: http://www.iospirit.com/. Trade register number and place of registration: HRB 21960, Amtsgericht Nürnberg. CEO: Felix Schwarz.

IOSPIRIT GmbH and Spacious are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple or any other, previously named company. Apple, OS X, Mac, Mac OS, Spaces are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Mission Control and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. All information is subject to change without notice. Please also visit http://www.iospirit.com/legal/ for information.

Introducing the AJAX Remote App for iPhone™ and iPod® Touch

2011-10-21T00:00:00Z

IOSPIRIT is proud to announce the immediate availability of the AJAX Remote App on the App Store.

The AJAX Remote App makes it easy to search and log in to available AJAX Remotes on the same Wi-Fi network. AJAX Remote is a web app served by the Remote Buddy and Remote Buddy Express Mac® applications (need to purchased separately).

Key Features

simplified AJAX Remote setup
browse and log in to AJAX Remotes
automatic launch of modules after log-in
automatic login to last used AJAX Remote at startup
saves your AJAX Remote password as part of your keychain

Requirements

A Mac® running Remote Buddy or Remote Buddy Express version 1.19 or later, with AJAX Remote enabled
Mac® and iPhone™/iPod® Touch need to be connected to the same, reliable Wi-Fi network allowing direct connections between its clients
iOS 4.2 or later

Updates to Remote Buddy and Remote Buddy Express

Also available today are updates to Remote Buddy 1.19 and Remote Buddy Express 1.19, adding support for the new app.

Screenshots

On the new AJAX Remote App

2011-10-21T00:00:00Z

In July 2008, Apple® released their "Remote" app for iTunes®. It was the first app in the App Store and covered most of the functionality that AJAX Remote's very popular music module had offered. The day after Remote's debut and after receiving lots of emails asking about AJAX Remote's future, I determined that the best way to address the situation was by blogging about the current state of development and what my plans for it were.

Unfortunately, sometimes things don't work out as originally planned. Unpredictable events occur. Outer circumstances change. Or you run into roadblocks that you didn't see coming - without prior warning, at full throttle.

After having spent several years of my life working on this project, I'm incredibly sorry to announce that the fully native AJAX Remote client has met this fate.

As it turned out late in the client's development, Remote Buddy's current internal menu system structure isn't fit for being wrapped into a native iOS user interface. I've spent a lot of time and effort trying to work around that issue, but in the end had to come to the realization that there is no satisfactory way to work around it.

Since I did never stop working on improving AJAX Remote, today's version is already way better than its 2008 counterpart. Just to name a few: responsiveness has greatly improved across the board, there's a new gesture based remote - and the interface has seen several refreshes.

Compared to a native app, there are, however, a few things that the AJAX Remote web app can't achieve for technical reasons: simplified setup that leverages Bonjour, waking a sleeping Mac via WOL (wake on LAN) - and storing the password in the keychain.

The AJAX Remote App that's now available fills these gaps. And, for good measure, it also let's you choose a module (like f.ex. the Remote or Music module) that's opened for you automatically, right after login. This, by far, has been the most frequently requested feature addition to AJAX Remote. I would also like to mention that the AJAX Remote App is capable of not just waking your Mac via WOL (which, under Lion, leaves the display turned off), but also wakes up your display when logging in to Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote.

Although the AJAX Remote App is not the fully native AJAX Remote client I had originally planned and that many of you may have hoped for, it's a vast improvement over the previous status quo.

Enjoy!

Introducing Remote Buddy Express: now available on the Mac App Store

2011-09-08T00:00:00Z

We're proud to announce the immediate availability of Remote Buddy Express on the Mac App Store.

Remote Buddy Express is the Express version of the most powerful remote control solution for the Mac®. It gives its users full control over their Mac® via their Apple® Remote, iPhone® or iPod™ Touch. With more than 100 directly supported applications and system functions, real virtual mouse and keyboard, built-in presentation tools and extensive configuration abilities, Remote Buddy Express is the perfect match for presenters, home theater PC (HTPC) power users and everybody else looking to control their applications and their Mac® via the aforementioned devices.

Remote Buddy Express Key Features

control 100+ applications on your Mac®
Virtual Mouse and Keyboard
Mousespot: highlight important parts of your presentation
one central menu (incl. for switching between apps)
File Browser: browse your filesystem and recently used files, open documents
integrated media library access (incl. EyeTV, iTunes®, VIDEO_TS folders, ..)
easily configurable button mapping and on-screen menu structure
sleep, shutdown, reboot your computer
control many important system settings
button mapping charts: integrated in the menu, so you don't have to memorize them
best support for popular media players software

AJAX Remote Key Features

Remote Buddy Express includes AJAX Remote, a dynamic web 2.0 application for controlling your Mac® with your iPhone™, iPod® Touch. Its key features:

gesture remote control
presenter trackpad
keyboard
live webcam view
iTunes® control and library streaming
EyeTV control

For more information, please see the AJAX Remote section of the Remote Buddy Express product page.

Supported Applications

Out of the box, Remote Buddy Express can control the following applications:

Adobe® Acrobat, Adobe® Bridge, Adobe® Media Player, Adobe® Reader, Adobe® Lightroom™, AirFoil, Aperture™, AOL® Radio, Audio Hijack, Awaken, Boxee, Capture One®, DivX Player, DVD Player, Expression Media, EyeTV, Front Row, GarageBand™, Google™ Earth, Hulu Desktop, iPhoto™, iTunes®, Keynote®, MPlayer OSX Extended, NeoOffice® Impress, OpenOffice.org Impress, PhotoBooth, Plex, PowerPoint®, Preview, QuickTime® Player 7, QuickTime® Player X, Spotify, VLC media player, XBMC.

Support for additional applications can be added using the included Behaviour Construction Kit.

Please note: Above list is just an excerpt. Please see the Remote Buddy Express website for the full list and details (including version numbers).

Supported Hardware

Remote Buddy Express supports the use of the following hardware to remote control your Mac®:

built-in Apple® IR Receiver with Apple® Remote control
iPhone™ or iPod® Touch, connected via WiFi (on the same subnet, without packet drops, clients must be able to make connections to other clients)

System Requirements

A Mac® running Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later. Remote Buddy is compatible with OS X® Snow Leopard and OS X® Lion.

What's the difference between Remote Buddy and Remote Buddy Express?

In an nutshell, Remote Buddy Express is a version of Remote Buddy with stripped down hardware support, offered at a lower price point. While the Express version supports only the Apple® Remote (via built-in Apple® IR Receivers), iPhone® and iPod™ touch (please see "Supported Hardware" for technical requirements), the regular Remote Buddy version supports a much, much wider range of remote controls and receivers. For all differences between the two, please see the comparison table we've put together for you.

More information

For more information, please see the Remote Buddy Express product page.

Media

Right-click and select "Download" to download an image. Left-click to view it in full size.

All trademarks and registered tradements belong to their respective owners.

Waking the sleeping Lion: Remote Buddy 1.18.1

2011-07-28T00:00:00Z

The sleep and wake behavior of Lion in many respects differs substantially from that of Snow Leopard. Most notably, a sleeping display can no longer be woken up by moving the mouse, an emulated key stroke (via f.ex. VNC) or the Apple® Remote. You now need to press a key on your keyboard or a button on your mouse or trackpad.

These changes make a lot of sense in environments where no remote controls are used: in these, it's now a lot harder to power the display back up by accident. You also usually won't need or want to power up a distant display that you most likely can't see when you access your Mac® via screen sharing software.

For users of remote controls, however, these changes can really be a show stopper. Especially for HTPC users, who may want to save power, but don't want to connect a mouse or keyboard to their Mac® just to wake up their displays.

Naturally, we got a lot of emails on this topic (btw: thanks to everybody for their great feedback!). But with the traditional ways of waking up a sleeping display (generating "system activity", posting mouse and keyboard events, ..) no longer working under Lion, we couldn't offer a solution right away.

So we studied Lion's source code to get the complete picture. What we learned pretty fast is that the change in behavior (as described in the first paragraph) is not a bug. In fact, several comments in Lion's source code strongly suggest this is a feature. This also makes sense to some extent (as described in the second paragraph).

By now, we've found three ways to wake sleeping displays from an application: one using private API and requiring root privileges, one using public API and requiring a kernel extension - and, after reading through a lot of kernel source code - one using only public API and requiring neither root privileges nor a kernel extension.

Naturally, we picked the third one for inclusion in Remote Buddy. The new version 1.18.1 now wakes sleeping displays whenever you press a button on your remote. It also addresses other Lion-specific issues that you've reported to us.

Enjoy!

P.S.: The 5 year celebration promo is still running, but will end in only 3 days. Don't miss this opportunity to save 20% - and don't forget to tell your Mac®-owning friends! Thanks!

The roaring 5 year celebration promo!

2011-07-21T00:00:00Z

Roughly six weeks after Remote Buddy turned five - which also means five years of free updates for all Remote Buddy users - we've released version 1.18, adding support for the forth major OS X® update: Lion.

Remote Buddy's logos in the past five years - showing off new features that were added over time.

About time for a party

While circumstances beyond our control (which I may write about in a future post, depending on outcome) have hindered us from celebrating Remote Buddy's 5th birthday as we intended and prepared to do, the arrival of the latest and greatest big cat presents another welcome reason to throw a virtual party!

Save 20%!

And so, in celebration of Remote Buddy's fifth anniversary and the release of Lion, you can now purchase Remote Buddy at a 20% discount for a limited time.

The discount only applies to single user licenses, has already been applied to our Online Store's price (so there's no need to enter any promo code) and will end on August, 1st 2011.

Missing Front Row in Lion? Time for a new buddy!

In Lion, Apple® has removed Front Row, leaving the system without a central application for accessing your media and controlling its playback. Like I've detailed in a previous blog post on Lion support, Remote Buddy is more than capable filling this gap. And this roaring promo presents a particularly good opportunity to get your hands on a copy!

Enjoy the software and the promo - and don't forget to tell your friends!

Remote Buddy 1.18: a roartastic update

2011-07-20T00:00:00Z

The new big cat is now in the wild - and so is Remote Buddy 1.18, giving you access to some of Lion's greatest new features via your remote on the day of Lion's release. So, what's new? What has changed?

Support for Photo Booth's fullscreen mode

PhotoBooth has always been fun to play with. Lion adds new effects and a gorgeous fullscreen mode. With Remote Buddy, you can now switch in and out of this new mode - and even select the effect of your choice via your remote. For the latter, Remote Buddy implements its own selection interface that it displays on top of PhotoBooth (pictured below).

Use Remote Buddy instead of Front Row

Starting with Lion, Front Row is no longer part of OS X. With its enormous, deeply integrated feature set, Remote Buddy can easily be used as a replacement, though: browsing local and remote iTunes® music libraries, controlling DVD Player (including launching VIDEO_TS folders) and QuickTime® Player X (incl. filesystem navigation), browsing albums or starting slideshows in iPhoto™, switching between all these apps - Remote Buddy already does it all for years.

Accessibility, Spaces and Exposé

Lion has replaced Spaces and Exposé with Mission Control. So these Behaviours are no longer available under Lion. If you want to switch to the existing fullscreen space of a particular application, all you need to do is to activate the respective Behaviour.

The Accessibility Behaviour is no longer available under Lion.

iTunes® 10.4 and fullscreen CoverFlow mode

iTunes® 10.4 was released the same day as Lion - and Remote Buddy 1.18 already supports its major new feature: the fullscreen mode. As it turns out, however, Apple® at the same time removed the previously available keyboard shortcut for switching to a dedicated fullscreen CoverFlow mode, so that it can no longer be made available through Remote Buddy when using iTunes® 10.4.

iCal, Safari, Preview - new fullscreen modes everywhere

Lion brings a lot of nice detail improvements to its bundled applications. iCal features a new year view. And like Safari and Preview, it now also supports a fullscreen mode. With this update, Remote Buddy gives you access to these.

Safari and the Virtual Mouse

The default mapping of the Safari Behaviour (on all OS releases) was updated to switch to the Virtual Mouse when holding the Menu button. To switch back to the Safari Behaviour, hold the Menu button again.

Lion's 64-Bit kernel and an update to Candelair

Remote Buddy 1.18 comes bundled with Lion-ready Candelair 1.6. Since Lion now boots a 64 Bit kernel by default, a few changes were necessary.

When transitioning OS X® to a 64 Bit kernel, Apple® also removed functionality from its IOKit driver stack. In consequence, Candelair can no longer implement a compatibility hook needed by some software. Such software uses outdated, error-prone code to implement support for the Apple® Remote on its own. Software using said code will not be able to access the Apple® Remote when Candelair is installed - and in turn can also not be controlled with Remote Buddy's Virtual Remote any more. Since almost all popular and actively developed software - including EyeTV, Plex, XBMC, Boxee, iAlertU and of course Remote Buddy - is now using our modern, user-friendly HIDRemote class, this hardly presents a problem in real world, everyday use, though. If you, however, depend on software with a 64 bit incompatibility, you can boot your Mac® with a 32 bit kernel by pressing and holding the keys 3 and 2 during boot.

Remote Buddy 1.17.1 and Candelair 1.5.1 released

2011-06-10T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.17.1 and Candelair 1.5.1 are now available for download.

Candelair 1.5.1 addresses a rarely occurring IOKit driver matching issue (introduced with driver version 1.9.0) that led to parts of Candelair being matched to regular, unrelated HID devices (like keyboards, mice, joysticks).

Remote Buddy 1.17.1 includes the new version of Candelair.

Follow-up regarding PowerPC™ support

I had to omit PPC support in the Remote Buddy 1.17 and Candelair 1.5 releases because I no longer have access to a PowerPC™ machine for testing purposes and nobody came back to me in time in response to my public search for PPC beta testers via the Remote Buddy forum and Twitter.

In the last two weeks since the release of the update, I have received only four emails regarding the lack of PPC support - of which two offered their help (thanks!). While I appreciate these very much, it also shows that interest in continued PPC support is very low - even much lower than I would have expected.

Therefore - and I really didn't make this decision lightheartedly - the discontinuation of PPC support is now permanent. As a service to those few who still use Remote Buddy on a PPC machine, the last release with PPC support remains available for download from the Remote Buddy FAQ.

Farewell PowerPC™! I really enjoyed writing tons of code for you during the (at least) twelve past years that I did - on various platforms.

Candelair 1.5 now available

2011-05-27T00:00:00Z

Candelair 1.5 is now available for download.

What's new since version 1.2

NEW: Integrated Remote Control Diagnostics into the Candelair Preference Pane - helps you track down, understand and fix common Apple® Remote problems.
Enhancement: Improved support for 64 Bit kernels.
Enhancement: User interface refreshed.
Enhancement: Revised driver architecture (for the additional drivers for Remote Buddy).
Enhancement: Updated internal, database of Mac® models.

Regarding PowerPC™ support

Starting with version 1.5, we drop support for PowerPC™ Macs (please see the release notes for Remote Buddy 1.17 for the reasons). Owners of PowerPC™ Macs are advised to keep using the previous version.

Remote Buddy 1.17 now available

2011-05-27T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.17 is now available for download.

What's new since version 1.16.6

NEW: Now based on Candelair 1.5 (Driver 1.9.0), which introduces a new, more flexible concept for its included drivers and provides improved support for 64 Bit kernels.
NEW: New dual mode driver for the Apple® IR Receiver allows you to use it with and without installing the Candelair driver. This feature is only available on OS X® 10.5 and later for technical reasons.
Enhancement: Support for iTunes® 10.2 remote speaker selection.
Enhancement: Further improved Apple IR decoder for eHome/MCE receivers.
Enhancement: Reduced launch time thanks to enhanced plugin loading routines.
Enhancement: Improved handling of sudden disconnects of remotes and receivers.
Enhancement: Lots of cosmetic changes.

Regarding PowerPC™ support

Our last PowerPC™ machine quit service, so we are no longer able to test new releases for compatibility with PowerPC™ machines ourselves. Since we got zero feedback when searching for beta testers via the Remote Buddy forum and Twitter, we estimate interest in PowerPC™ support to be very low, maybe even completely absent by now. So, starting with this release, we're dropping support for PowerPC™ Macs. The - as of now - last release of Remote Buddy with support for PowerPC™ CPUs can be downloaded from the Remote Buddy FAQ.

If you happen to still use a PowerPC™-based Mac® and you'd like to help out with beta testing, please get in touch. If there's enough interest and we can gather a critical mass of beta testers, PowerPC™ support may return in the next release.

Remote Buddy 1.16.5 now available

2010-10-06T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.16.5 is now available for download.

What's new since version 1.16.4

Enhancement: Improved support for Manta™ TR-1 receivers
Enhancement: Support for iTunes® 10
Fix: Fixed a problem with controlling Plex when in the background.

Enjoy!

Remote Buddy 1.16.4 now available

2010-08-09T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.16.4 is now available for download.

What's new since version 1.16.3

NEW: Behaviour for Bridge CS5
NEW: Behaviour for Capture One® (Pro) 5
NEW: Behaviour for Lightroom® 3
NEW: Behaviour for QuickTime® Player 7
Enhancement: The file browser now also supports the launch of .command files.
Fix: Added a workaround for the iOS 4 issue where auto login cookies aren't stored by iOS 4 when using AJAX Remote in full screen mode. AJAX Remote now works around the issue by storing a copy of the auto login cookie via HTML5 SQL Storage.
Fix: Fixed a concurrency problem when using an EyeTV receiver and Apple® IR Receiver with an Apple® Remote at the same time.

Follow us on Twitter!

2010-05-10T00:00:00Z

I recently reorganized IOSPIRIT's presence on Twitter to make more information available to different audiences. You can now follow:

@iospirit - main focus on news from IOSPIRIT (low traffic)
@remotebuddy - main focus on Remote Buddy news (low traffic)
@candelair - main focus on Candelair news (low traffic)

@felix_schwarz - yours truly on Twitter tweeting on IOSPIRIT, its products, dev talk, interesting links, insight and more.

Fresh from the labs: Remote Control Diagnostics helps diagnose Apple® Remote problems

2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

Over the past few months, IOSPIRIT has released two major components to further remote control support and interoperability in OS X applications: first, the Candelair driver package to cleanly work around widespread issues third-party applications are having with the Apple® Remote support in OS X 10.6. Second, the HIDRemote class, which makes it easy for developers to integrate robust, driver-independant and clean remote control support into their applications.

Both have helped a large number of users and an increasing number of high profile projects to make the use of the Apple® Remote a much more pleasant experience.

Today, Candelair and HIDRemote are joined by Remote Control Diagnostics (RCD). It helps you identify the source of issues where, when you press a button on your Apple® Remote, nothing happens. In the past, finding the true reason for such an issue could be pretty demanding with regards to time and required know-how. In contrast, RCD provides a one click system check that scans for almost all known error sources. If it finds an issue or potential issue, it provides you with information on how you can resolve it. RCD takes full advantage of additional diagnostic information provided by OS X 10.6 and the broadcasted metadata of HIDRemote-enabled applications.

Freely configure all buttons of the new Apple® Remote - with Remote Buddy 1.16

2009-12-18T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.16 - our remote control powerhouse for the Mac® - is available now.

What's New In Version 1.16

Freely map all buttons of the new Apple® Remote - The new Remote Buddy versions adds support for the new, aluminum Apple® Remote and allows the free mapping of all of its buttons under Mac OS® X 10.4 and later. A supported, compatible IR Receiver is required (*).
Add a new Apple® Remote to a Mac® Pro, the new MacBook® and old PowerPC™ Mac® - Apart from built-in Apple® IR receivers, Remote Buddy also supports the new Apple® Remote in combination with many external USB infrared receivers (*).

(*) Please see http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/hardware/ for a complete list.

A complete, detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/releasenotes/.

Press Kit

A press kit with high resolution screenshots and logos is available at http://www.iospirit.com/company/presskit/ . Please contact us at http://www.iospirit.com/contact/ with any questions you are having.

About Remote Buddy

Remote Buddy gives its users full control over their Mac® via their remote control. With more than 100 directly supported applications and system functions, real virtual mouse and keyboard, built-in presentation tools, extensive configuration abilities as well as broad hardware support (incl. Apple® Remote, iPhone™, iPod® Touch, Wii™ Remote and many remotes bundled with EyeTV receivers), Remote Buddy is targeting a broad and diverse audience.

Remote Buddy 1.16 requires a Mac® with Mac OS® X 10.4.6 or later. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A 30 day, fully featured demo version can be downloaded from the Remote Buddy homepage. The full version of Remote Buddy 1.16 is available worldwide for 19.99 Euro. For customers within the EU, the price includes 19% VAT.

More information on Remote Buddy can be found at http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/ .

About IOSPIRIT GmbH

IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded by Felix Schwarz in 2004 and focuses on the development of innovative software for Mac OS® X and iPhone™. IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Roth, Germany.

Legal notice

IOSPIRIT GmbH and Remote Buddy are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple®, Logitech®, Sony® or any other, previously named company. Apple, Mac, MacBook, Mac OS, Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Logitech and Harmony are either a registered trademark or trademark of Logitech in the United States and/or other countries. Sony and PlayStation are a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation. PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Review: Inside the new Aluminum Apple® Remote

2009-12-16T00:00:00Z

A little less than two months ago, Apple® unveiled the second generation Apple® Remote. The most visible change is that its enclosure is now made of aluminum. But there's a lot more. I've spent the past six weeks with the new remote and it's packed with beautiful technical and design details. I'll cover most of them in the following review - from unboxing all the way down to the IR codes.

Unboxing

Compared to the original, plastic remote, Apple® has massively reduced the size of the packaging. The new aluminum Apple® Remote's packaging consists of two plastic shells and is just big enough to enwrap the remote and its documentation.

Inside the packaging: the remote, documentation and warranty information.

Larger and thinner

The new aluminum Apple® Remote is bigger than its predecessor, which makes holding it much more comfortable - especially if you have big hands.

Made from one block of aluminum, it's much thinner in both width and depth and also feels a lot more durable.

Exchanging the battery

The white Apple® Remote's battery compartment has an ejection mechanism at its lower end that can be triggered with the tip of a pen. It's however "hidden" so well that some users thought that they couldn't exchange the battery themselves - or at all.

In contrast, the new remote's battery compartment is quite visible. It's located on the back of the remote and can be opened with a coin. When it's open (as pictured below), another great design detail becomes very visible: the compartment's cover is curved like the rest of the remote.

Also worth noting: most of the fine print found on the back of the first generation model - including serial and model number, CE and FCC logos - has moved inside the battery compartment. And: unlike the first generation - which has a recessed Apple® logo on the flip side - the new aluminum model doesn't have any Apple® logo on it at all. The only Apple® branding on this product is the tiny "Designed by Apple in California. Made in China." text engraved on the flip side.

Both the old and new Apple® Remote use the same battery type: a CR2032, 3 volts coin battery.

A new button layout - and one additional button

When I first looked at official product photos of the new Apple® Remote, I ended up with the impression that Apple® had removed the button at the center of the navigation ring and moved it down into one row with the menu button.

I'm very happy that my first impression was wrong. The new Apple® Remote still has the center button and - this is the real news - an additional Play/Pause button. This increases the number of buttons from six (for the white first generation model) to seven. More on that later.

Another concern of mine was that, since the Menu and Play/Pause button are in one line, they could be easily confused. Turns out, the Apple® engineers have recognized and solved this design issue, too: while the Play/Pause button is aligned with the rest of the surface, the Menu button is recessed. With this haptic feedback in place, the two buttons are distinguishable in an intuitive way.

Driver support in OS X

Apple® updated the driver for built-in Apple® IR Receivers in OS 10.6.2 to include specific support for the additional button. This means that applications that use the OS X driver can distinguish between the "Center" and "Play/Pause" buttons only under OS 10.6.2 and later. Under all previous OS releases, the two buttons act like the "Play/Pause" button of the old, white remote and can't be distinguished by applications.

Our software Remote Buddy uses its own driver and therefore is not subject to such limitations. At the time of writing, it's the only software that allows full customization and distinct usage of all buttons of the new aluminum Apple® Remote under all releases of OS X 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6 with either a built-in Apple® IR Receiver or one of the supported eHome/MCE and Keyspan IR receivers.

How Apple® achieved backward compatibility

The introduction of an additional button raises an interesting question: how does Apple® retain backward compatibility with older hardware (like f.ex. the Universal Dock) and drivers (like f.ex. in OS 10.4 and 10.5) and - at the same time - keep the ability to distinguish between the "Center" and "Play/Pause" buttons in OS 10.6.2 and later?

To answer this question, we need to take a look at the raw infrared signals transmitted by the remote.

What I found is this: like its predecessor, the new Apple® Remote sends the same, old "Play/Pause" code for both the "Center" and "Play/Pause" buttons. But, right before transmitting these button codes, it transmits an additional "prefix" button code - as seen in the table below.

Legacy hardware and old driver software receive the additional prefix code and ignore it. Right after, they receive and handle the "old" button code that follows and react to the "Center" and "Play/Pause" button presses like they previously did when receiving a "Play/Pause" button press from a plastic Apple® Remote.

Apple® found a smart solution to achieve backward compatibility. But it comes at a price: hardly any current Universal Remote will be able to correctly learn and emulate the new codes. I fully expect that, instead, they'll just record and replay the raw IR signal of the new buttons. The effect of this will be that one button press on the Universal Remote will be translated into several raw replays of the new Apple® Remote codes. Or, in other words: one button press on the Universal Remote will act like multiple button presses, because that's what'll be sent.

Developers

Developers can add support for the new aluminum Apple® Remote to their Cocoa® applications by adopting my HIDRemote Objective-C® class. The latest version includes support for the new aluminum Apple® Remote button codes and can also auto-detect the model in use.

Summary

The new Apple® Remote is a worthy upgrade to its predecessor all around. Its increased size and solid unibody enclosure make for a much better grip. And once your hands got used to a remote that thin, it really feels great. In a somewhat unexpected move, Apple® also added a button, which provides users of Remote Buddy with even more possibilities to control their Mac®. Finally, Apple®'s smart use of IR codes keeps the new remote compatible with old accessories like the Universal Dock. The only downside to Apple®'s IR code magic: most universal remotes will need a firmware update before they can correctly emulate the new codes.

IOSPIRIT releases Candelair and HIDRemote

2009-10-26T00:00:00Z

We're happy to announce the release of version 1.0 of Candelair and HIDRemote today:

Candelair is an alternative driver for the built-in IR receiver as found in many Mac®s today. It provides a clean, global fix for Apple® Remote issues many users are experiencing with third party applications under Snow Leopard® releases 10.6 and 10.6.1. It's based on Remote Buddy's (http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/) driver and comes packaged in a preference pane that presents all remote control options at a glance. Candelair is a free download, available at http://www.iospirit.com/labs/candelair/ .

HIDRemote is an Objective-C® class for Cocoa® developers. It provides applications with access to the Apple® Remote under OS X 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6. The primary goals of HIDRemote are to maximize compatibility, interoperability, future-proofness and user-friendlyness for developers and users. For more information on the HIDRemote class, please see http://www.iospirit.com/developers/hidremote/ .

For background information, please see our blog at http://www.iospirit.com/blog/.

Press Kit

About IOSPIRIT GmbH

IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded by Felix Schwarz in 2004 and focuses on the development of innovative software for Mac OS® X and iPhone™. IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Roth, Germany.

Legal notice

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Remote Buddy, Candelair and HIDRemote are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple® or any other, previously named company.

Apple, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Cocoa, Objective-C, Snow Leopard, Leopard, Tiger are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Fixing the Apple® Remote under Snow Leopard

2009-10-23T00:00:00Z

As mentioned previously, Snow Leopard broke the built-in Apple® Remote support of most applications, whereas Remote Buddy, using its own driver architecture, was completely unaffected by this issue.

In the past few weeks, I've been receiving emails from many developers who were searching for a solution. Much to my regret, there was no simple solution to the issue. So I went to create one and - while I was at it - decided to also offer a solution to other open issues in the remote control support of many Mac® applications.

Today, I'm proud and happy to share the result of the past few weeks of work with you. It comes in the form of three releases:

Candelair

Remote Buddy's driver architecture let's it do wonderful things. One of these is the ability to emulate an internal Apple® Remote IR Receiver. In a nutshell, it allows Remote Buddy users (who know this emulation as "Virtual Remote") to use any hardware supported by Remote Buddy (f.ex. an iPhone™ or Wii™ Remote) and make it look like a real Apple® Remote to the system.

Using this emulation as a foundation, I built a clean, global fix for the Apple® Remote issues of OS 10.6 and 10.6.1 right into the latest version of Remote Buddy's driver. Once the driver is installed, applications can reliably access the Apple® Remote again like they used to - without any code changes (that doesn't mean, however, that developers shouldn't make changes - but more on that later).

Accommodating the relevance of this global fix for everyone with an Apple® Remote, I decided to make the driver available separately. Packaged in a preference pane for changing options and installing, updating and uninstalling the driver, it is now available as Candelair and can be downloaded for free.

I'd like to point out that Candelair's only purpose is to fix Apple® Remote issues in Snow Leopard. It works only with built-in Apple® IR Receivers and doesn't add support for additional hardware to your system. Candelair is not a free or lite version of Remote Buddy in any way.

For more information on Candelair, please see the new Candelair website.

HIDRemote (Objective-C class)

Most applications supporting the Apple® Remote today use code with a rather complex dependency: they rely on the particular internal layout of the HID descriptor of the Apple® IR Receiver driver of particular OS releases. This usage pattern has a number of disadvantages for developers and users, with the most significant one probably being that Apple® Remote support in these applications easily breaks with new OS releases.

Since this dependency and its effects are avoidable and there were more issues that I wanted to see addressed, I created the new HIDRemote Objective-C class for accessing the Apple® Remote under OS 10.4/10.5/10.6. The main goal during the development of this class was to maximize compatibility with past, current and future OS releases, emulators, remote control solutions, etc.

You can find the sourcecode, sample code, a list of features, a guide and developer documentation on the HIDRemote pages.

Remote Buddy 1.15

Last but not least, Remote Buddy 1.15 has also been released today. It includes the new version of the Remote Buddy driver and utilizes HIDRemote metadata to control applications for which a Behaviour doesn't exist, yet. For more info on the changes in this release, please see the release notes.

New Macs and new, aluminium Apple® Remote

2009-10-20T00:00:00Z

It's become a habit for me to check the tech specs of new Mac® models to see whether there have been any changes with regards to the Apple® Remote.

While, for the past few years, no changes have been made by Apple® in this area, they made two with the most recent updates:

The new MacBook®

The new, white MacBook® is no longer equipped with a built-in IR Receiver. It's not listed on the tech specs page (not even as optional accessory) and also not listed as an option in the Online Store.

The new iMac®

The new iMac® still has a built-in IR Receiver, but no longer comes with an Apple® Remote.

The new Apple® Remote

The new Apple® Remote has an entirely new design. Its enclosure is made of aluminium and - from what I can see on the pictures - it's thinner than its plastic predecessor. Another change is the button layout. The Play/Pause button moved from the middle of the navigation cross down into one line with the Menu button.

My first assessment (from just looking at the pictures) is that this button layout change will make using the Apple® Remote less intuitive and will produce more user errors because the Play/Pause and Menu buttons can now be easily confused. And not having the Play/Pause button in the middle of the navigation cross just doesn't feel right.

I'll buy one of the new Apple® Remotes as soon as they're available for separate purchase in Germany and may have to share some more thoughts on its design then.

Remote Buddy 1.14.1: Support for QuickTime® Player X recording and Snow Leopard, Apple® Remote compatibility, Special Offer

2009-09-11T00:00:00Z

We're happy to inform you about version 1.14.1 of Remote Buddy - the remote control powerhouse for the Mac® - today.

What's New In Version 1.14.1

Support for recording with QuickTime® Player X - Remote Buddy users running Snow Leopard can now create and control audio, video and screen recordings in QuickTime® Player X using their remote control.
Support for the new 64 Bit Snow Leopard kernel - All drivers included in Remote Buddy now come in versions for 32 Bit and 64 Bit systems.
Compatible with Snow Leopard (incl. Apple® Remote) - Thanks to its own driver architecture, Remote Buddy is fully compatible with Snow Leopard. Remote Buddy is not affected by the problems that currently many of the applications that implement Apple® Remote support on their own are seeing under Snow Leopard. We invite all Mac® users who are affected by this issue and looking for a solution to give Remote Buddy a try. A 30 day, fully-featured trial version is available as a free download at the Remote Buddy website ( http://www.iospirit.com/ ).

A complete, detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/releasenotes/.

Special offer in celebration of Remote Buddy turning 3 years, 3 months and 3 days

Remote Buddy has turned 3 years, 3 months and 3 days on the 9th of September, 2009. A promotion in celebration of this event is still running until (and including) the 12th of September 2009. For more information on how to get Remote Buddy at a special price, please visit the IOSPIRIT Blog at http://www.iospirit.com/blog/.

Press Kit

About Remote Buddy

Remote Buddy 1.14.1 requires a Mac® with Mac OS® X 10.4.6 or later. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A 30 day, fully featured demo version can be downloaded from the Remote Buddy homepage. The full version of Remote Buddy 1.14.1 is available worldwide for 19.99 Euro. For customers within the EU, the price includes 19% VAT.

More information on Remote Buddy can be found at http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/ .

About IOSPIRIT GmbH

IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded by Felix Schwarz in 2004 and focuses on the development of innovative software for Mac OS® X and iPhone™. IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Roth, Germany.

Legal notice

IOSPIRIT GmbH and Remote Buddy are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple®, Nintendo® or any other, previously named company. Apple, iPod, iTunes, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Keynote, AirPort are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPhoto, iPhone, Safari, Cover Flow and Tiger are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Wii™ is a trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Nintendo® is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Snow Leopard compatibility, support for QuickTime Player X and a promotion

2009-09-09T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.14.1 is out for roughly a week now and adds support for the new QuickTime Player X, the new 64 Bit Snow Leopard kernel and other, more subtle novelties.

Support for QuickTime® Player X

The new Remote Buddy version adds support for Snow Leopard's new QuickTime® Player. Apart from the playback control that you know from older versions, we've also added support for creating and controlling audio, video and screen recordings. To create a new recording while QuickTime® Player X is running, press "Menu" on your remote and select the kind of recording you want to create from Remote Buddy's menu. Then, press play to start recording. Press play again to stop recording.

Remote Buddy not affected by Apple® Remote issue in Snow Leopard

With Snow Leopard, the built-in Apple® Remote support of most non-Apple® software was broken. Users of affected software will notice that Front Row, iTunes®, etc. is reacting to button presses in parallel to the third-party application that's implementing Apple® Remote support on its own.

Remote Buddy is not affected by this issue. It continues to work reliably and in peaceful co-existance with the Apple® Remote functionality that is built into OS X. Remote Buddy has a clean driver architecture of its own and is implemented with best performance, compatibility and user experience in mind: no system files are modified, no system functionality is disabled and no hacks or patches are used. Not a single line of driver code needed to be changed to achieve Snow Leopard compatibility.

So, if you're affected by the Apple® Remote issue in Snow Leopard and you're looking for a solution, look no further and give Remote Buddy a try. We've got a 30 day trial version available and you can download it for free!

If you're an application developer in search for a solution for your own application, please get in touch.

Remote Buddy turns 3 years, 3 months and 3 days today

Today, on September 9th, '09, three years, three months and three days have passed since Remote Buddy was first released on June 6th, '06.

A huge thank you goes to all who've supported the development of Remote Buddy with their purchase, feedback, contributions and enthusiasm. Remote Buddy wouldn't be where it is today without you!

In celebration of today's anniversary, there's a promotion in the IOSPIRIT Online Store: enter the promotion code HAPPYBIRTHDAY into the shopping cart to save 5.55 Euro (that's 27%) on the purchase of one Remote Buddy single user license. The promotion runs until September 12th, 2009.

Remote Buddy 1.14: iPhone™/iPod® Touch Gesture Control for over 100 Mac® applications

2009-08-07T00:00:00Z

We're proud to announce the immediate availability of version 1.14 of Remote Buddy - the remote control powerhouse for the Mac®.

What's New In Version 1.14:

iPhone™ / iPod® Touch Gesture Control of over 100 Mac® applications - Version 1.14 includes a major update to Remote Buddy's built-in AJAX Remote - a web 2.0 application enabling iPhone™ and iPod® Touch users to control their Mac® over their local Wi-Fi® network.
The addition of gesture control to Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote allows gesture control of everything that can be controlled by Remote Buddy. Among many others, this includes Front Row, DVD Player, iTunes®, EyeTV, VLC, iPhoto®, Preview, Acrobat®, PowerPoint®, Keynote®, Photobooth, Plex, Boxee, XBMC and Hulu Desktop. For a full list of controllable applications and system functions, please see the Remote Buddy website.

Watch the screencast at http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/#ajaxremotedemo to see Remote Buddy and AJAX Remote's Gesture Control in action.
Support for Hulu Desktop and Spotify - The new version now includes Behaviours for these applications.
Fast Application Quitting - New actions provide shortcuts to quitting the currently controlled application.

A complete, detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/releasenotes/.

Enjoy!

Press Kit

About Remote Buddy

Remote Buddy 1.14 requires a Mac® with Mac OS® X 10.4.6 or later. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A 30 day, unrestrained demo version can be downloaded at the Remote Buddy Homepage. The full version of Remote Buddy 1.14 is available worldwide for 19.99 Euro. For customers within the EU, the price includes 19% VAT.

More information on Remote Buddy can be found at http://www.iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy/ .

About IOSPIRIT GmbH

IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded by Felix Schwarz in 2004 and focuses on the development of innovative software for Mac OS® X and iPhone™. The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.

Legal notice

Code signing in OS X 10.5 and Remote Buddy

2009-04-07T00:00:00Z

Apple® introduced code signing with OS X 10.5 Leopard, which works with the usual model of certificate, signature and trust. Said simply, by signing their applications, developers are able to uniquely identify themselves as the maker of a piece of software towards the operating systems. The identity that becomes attached to the code of a software through code signing is always unique and cryptographically secured. It can't be faked. Code signing also guarantees that the code of the software has not been altered or corrupted.

How OS X uses code signing

OS X uses these attributes of code signing to make itself both more secure and easier to use. To common users, this is most visible in two places:

The OS X Keychain

A user's passwords, keys and other sensitive information can be safely stored in and retrieved from the OS X keychain by applications. An application that wants to retrieve an entry (= piece of secret information) from the OS X keychain requires the permission to access that entry. It otherwhise can't access that entry. While user's can manage these permissions themselves using Keychain Access.app, they usually don't have to: an application that creates a new entry also automatically is granted access permission to that entry. In OS X versions prior to 10.5, the system had no way to tell whether a new version of Software A comes from the same source as the previous version or whether it was in fact a completely different (and possibly malicious) Software B that only poses as Software A to gain access to secret information previously stored by software A. Users were therefore asked to confirm that new versions of a software get the same access rights to the keychain as previous versions of the software to avoid unauthorized access to secret information.

Users are still asked to confirm the transfer of permissions in OS X 10.5 for software that hasn't been code signed. Existing permissions from an old version of a software are automatically transfered to new versions of code signed software now, though, as the code signature attaches a unique identity to the code that can now be tracked by the OS.
The OS X Firewall

With Leopard also came a new firewall with essentially three modes of operation:
1. allow all incoming connections
2. allow incoming connections only for essential services
3. allow incoming connections only to a selection of applications
In mode 2 and 3, OS X will now ask you for permission when an application want to accept an incoming connection. Users will also be asked for permission for applications that are code signed with a so called self-signed certificate (or even have to add it manually to the OS X firewall list).

If, however, the application is code signed with a code signing certificate (CSC) issued by a trusted certificate authority (TCA), who have previously verified the identity of the owner of that certificate. If an application is signed with such a certificate (that costs its owner around 300 US$ a year), OS X grants access without asking the user for permission. CSCs issued by a TCA can usually also be revoked by the TCA, so that, when a certificate is abused, it can be invalidated remotely.

So, in essence, it's easier for a code signed OS X application to combine strong security and ease of use. What, however, happens, when an application's code signature is damaged?

Four levels of trust

From what I've learnt thus far dealing with code signing in OS X, it has four levels of trust depending on the code signing status of an application:

Code signing status	Keychain access	Firewall / Incoming connections
Unsigned applications	Users are asked for confirmation on each version change	Users are asked for confirmation on each version change
Signed applications (self-signed certificate)	Permissions are automatically transfered	User are asked for confirmation on first usage of the application
Signed applications (certificate signed by a trusted Certificate Authority)	Permissions are automatically transfered	Permission is automatically granted
Applications with defective code signature	All access to the keychain is blocked	Users are asked for confirmation on every start of the application

How code signing is used in Remote Buddy

To make the life of Remote Buddy users as easy as possible, Remote Buddy is code signed with a certificate signed by a trusted certificate authority. Thanks to this, Remote Buddy's use of the keychain (to securely store the password a user sets for the AJAX Remote) and incoming connections (to serve HTTP requests when enabling and using the AJAX Remote) does not lead to the appearance of OS X confirmation dialogs.

What to do if Remote Buddy informs you that its code signature is damaged

When Remote Buddy's code signature is damaged, Remote Buddy falls in the category "applications with defective code signature" above. It is then no longer able to store or retrieve the password set for the AJAX Remote, nor can Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote start up without user interaction any longer. Starting with version 1.12, Remote Buddy does therefore inform you if its code signature is damaged and - if you click on "More information" - send you to this blog post for more information. Because a damaged code signature means that parts of Remote Buddy can no longer work correctly, users who have such a copy installed are highly recommended to replace their current copy with a freshly downloaded copy. To do this:

Quit your current copy of Remote Buddy.app and move Remote Buddy.app to your trash.
Download a fresh copy of Remote Buddy.app with intact code signature (Download).
Double click the downloaded file RemoteBuddy.dmg.
In Finder, drag the contained Remote Buddy.app to your Applications folder and start it from there.

What could have damaged Remote Buddy's code signature?

The migration of a copy of Remote Buddy that was previously used under OS X 10.4 to OS X 10.5. Why? Under OS X 10.4 Remote Buddy has to modify its own Info.plist in order to allow users to choose whether it should appear in the dock, in the menu or both. Since the Info.plist is included in the code signing as well, any modification of it will break the code signature.

The use of tools that promise to slim down applications ("MacKeeper", "Clean My Mac" and others). These modify the application bundle, sometimes even the binary itself, which can - or in the latter case - will break the code signature.

Other modifications made to Remote Buddy.

Remote Buddy and Boxee, Plex and XBMC

2009-02-07T00:00:00Z

Since yesterday, a new Behaviour for Plex (v0.7.6 or later required) is available via the Online Updater. It joins the new Behaviours for Boxee and XBMC, both of which have already been included with Remote Buddy 1.11.5.

A new generation of Behaviours for Boxee, Plex and XBMC

In the past, the Behaviours used keystrokes to control the three media center applications. While usually this is a robust way to control this type of application, it turned out to not be suitable here for a number of reasons. For example Boxee's onscreen keyboard can't be controlled at all via cursor (or any other) key presses. Likewise at least some of the functionality that is part of the three media center apps isn't available via keystrokes. That of course is perfectly reasonable. Yet, users that need that functionality - or who have a different idea of what the key bindings (keymap.xml) should look like - heavily customize them. That often moves functionality from the default keys to other keys and renders pre-defined keystroke actions in the Behaviours defunct. The amount of different keyboard layouts in the world doesn't exactly help, either.

To avoid all of these problems, the new Behaviours no longer use keystrokes to control Boxee, Plex and XBMC. Instead, the new Behaviours formulate and send button and action events directly to the media centers' built-in UDP event server. Essentially this means that media center actions can now be triggered directly by Remote Buddy. And the new Behaviours make plenty of use of these new possibilities. They all ship with a big set of actions and sensible default button mappings for the Apple Remote as well as for remotes with more buttons (like the PS3 BD Remote).

Q & A

I'd like to use this opportunity to provide answers to common questions regarding the use of Boxee/Plex/XBMC with Remote Buddy.

Q: I was told that I can't use Remote Buddy and Boxee/Plex/XBMC together or that when Remote Buddy is installed, these apps can't get access to the Apple® IR receiver.

This isn't and never has been the case. Remote Buddy's unique Apple® IR Receiver driver is implemented in a way that makes it fully transparent to all applications supporting the Apple® Remote on their own. They can get an exclusive lock on the IR receiver even while Remote Buddy is running. And while Remote Buddy of course will be the first recipient of Apple® Remote button events while it is running, these button events can be easily passed through to any application listening for Apple® Remote events using Remote Buddy's Virtual Remote. The next question gives an example on how this can be used.

Q: I'd like to use the Harmony remote mode of Plex.

The Harmony Remote mode of Plex relies on its own, built-in support for the Apple® IR Receiver. It needs to receive native Apple® Remote events to function. Using Remote Buddy's Virtual Remote, events coming from the Apple® IR Receiver can easily be passed through to Plex. You do neither have to enable support for multiple remotes nor do you have to set up logical remotes for this to work. In fact, a few simple clicks in Remote Buddy's preferences is all it takes - all of which are explained in the commented gallery below.

Remote Buddy Plex Harmony Remote SetupShow

Q: I read that I need to do a lot of configuration with Remote Buddy.

Remote Buddy ships with sensible default settings and has great support for Boxee, Plex and XBMC out of the box. No configuration is needed. But if you want to, it's of course possible and easy to do.

Q: Where can I find documentation on Remote Buddy?

Select "Help" from Remote Buddy's pulldown menu to view the documentation.

Q: My Mac® doesn't have an IR receiver, but it has Bluetooth™. Can you recommend a remote with many buttons?

You can find a complete list of supported remote controls on Remote Buddy's website. If you are looking for an inexpensive Bluetooth™ remote control with many buttons that is supported by Remote Buddy, the Sony® PS3 BD Remote (as pictured on the "Supported Hardware" page of the Remote Buddy website) is a good choice. Please note that due to the way that Bluetooth™ works, Bluetooth™ remotes draw more power than traditional remotes that use infrared (IR) or proprietary radio frequency (RF) protocols as means of communication. To save power, be sure to enable Remote Buddy's power saving options for Bluetooth™ remotes. More info on what options are recommended for the BD Remote can be found in the Remote Buddy FAQ.

AJAX Remote after "Remote"

2008-07-11T00:00:00Z

As you've likely read in the news, Apple® just released their own native iPhone™/iPod® Touch application called "Remote" to control iTunes® from afar, which in many ways is very similiar to the music module of Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote (which in its current form first came into existance around October 2007).

In case you're wondering, I don't feel bitter or angry nor do I feel any grief. Knowing about the popularity of Remote Buddy at Apple®, getting a hint or even an offer from Apple® would have been an appreciated move and - I'm sure - would have been to the benefit of everyone involved. But that's certainly not something Apple® can be asked or expected to do. That said, I'm fine with as it is now, too: an interesting new competitor has entered the market.

So what does this mean for the future of Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote?

I have been working on a native client for iPhone™ and iPod® Touch for several months now and I'll continue to work on it and release the client for free on the AppStore as soon as it's ready and Apple® approves it. That has always been the plan and I see no reason to not persue it further now:

In terms of iTunes® remote control, even the current, private beta of the native Remote Buddy client already offers a lot of advantages and features over what "Remote" is offering.
Just like Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote today, it'll be able to do a lot more than to "just" control iTunes®. Among many other things, it can also control mouse and keyboard of your Mac®, act as a remote for over 100 applications and "stream" your iSight®'s camera picture. The native client will build on this strong foundation, take it to the next level and also add a lot of fancy new stuff that I'm sure you'll love.
Last but not least, the performance of the native client application is simply amazing and not at all comparable with the current AJAX Remote web application. The AJAX Remote web application will still be around in future versions, though: I know a lot of you are using it in desktop browsers or as widget on your Dashboard.

I stay fully committed to Remote Buddy and its future development. Stay tuned.

Remote Buddy 1.10 streams to iPhone™ and iPod® Touch, features improved AirTunes™ support and more

2008-04-24T00:00:00Z

APRIL 25, 2008 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is excited to announce the release of version 1.10 of Remote Buddy today.

WHAT'S NEW IN V1.10

Streaming of iTunes® media via WLAN to iPhone™ and iPod® Touch
The AJAX Remote integrated into Remote Buddy now supports the streaming of all files organized in iTunes®, so that they can be played back directly on the iPhone™ or iPod® Touch. Especially useful: complete playlists and albums can be played back automatically. As the media files remain on the Mac® and are only streamed to the iPhone™ or iPod® Touch, users no longer have to choose a 4/8/16/32 GB sized slice of their collection but rather can access their complete collection via their mobile device.

Extended AirTunes™- and output speaker support
While Remote Buddy users could already previously select the AirTunes™ speaker that iTunes® should send audio to, it is now also possible to select more than one AirTunes™ speaker. The computer's audio output to be used can now also be selected via the AJAX Remote and in Remote Buddy's onscreen menu.

Support for controlling additional applications
The new version brings support for also controlling the new Adobe® Media Player, Adobe Bridge (CS2 und CS3), the Toast Video Player and the media center software XBMC.

Improved Bluetooth® support
The administration of Bluetooth® devices used with Remote Buddy has been modernized and Sony® BD Remote users benefit of new possibilities to save precious battery power.

A video showing the AJAX Remote in action as well as an extensive collection of screenshots are immediately available at Remote Buddy's product page at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/.

A complete and detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/ .

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy gives its users full control over their Mac® via their remote control. With more than 100 directly supported applications and system functions, real virtual mouse and keyboard, built-in presentation tools, extensive configuration abilities as well as broad hardware support (incl. Apple® Remote, iPhone™, iPod® Touch and Wii™ Remote), Remote Buddy is targeting a broad and diverse audience.
Find more information on Remote Buddy and a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .

Availability
Remote Buddy 1.10 is immediately available for Mac OS® X 10.4 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary and fully compatible with Leopard. The full version is available for only 19.99 Euro (currently approximately 31 US dollars). The prices are final prices and already include 19% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac® with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 30 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in Dutch, English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/
Legal notice
IOSPIRIT GmbH and Remote Buddy are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple®, Nintendo®, Keyspan, Sony®, Griffin or any other, previously named company.
Apple, Aqua, Carbon, Cocoa, iBook, iMac, iPod, iTunes, iLife, PowerMac, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Velocity Engine, ColorSync, QuickTime, Keynote, Exposé, GarageBand, Xcode, Quartz, Power Mac, PowerBook, MacBook, Keychain, iCal, Cocoa, Carbon, Bonjour, AirPort, AirPort Extreme are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. eMac, Finder, iPhoto, iPhone, Safari, SuperDrive, Aperture, Cover Flow, Spotlight, Objective-C, AirTunes, AirPort Express, Apple TV, Tiger and Panther are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Wii™ is a trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Nintendo® is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. KEYSPAN is a trademark of InnoSys Inc. Joost is a trademark of Baaima N.V. PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation. Adobe, Reader, the Adobe logo, Lightroom and Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Sony is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Streaming, multiple AirTunes® speakers & more

2008-04-24T00:00:00Z

I've been listening closely to what features you wanted to see most in Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote. You asked for it, now you get it:

Remote file access ("streaming"): your entire media library in your pocket

In AJAX Remote > Music > Library. Images from left to right: 1) Tap on the play button next to the playlist, album or track item you want to play back. 2) Tap the now appearing QuickTime button to start playback. 3) The content is played back.

This is HUGE. Using Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote, you can now access all files organized in the iTunes® media library of your Mac® and play them back right inside Safari™ on your iPhone™ or iPod® Touch (given, of course, that the files are in a format supported by these devices). That effectively puts your entire media library in your pocket. Accessing files over the network also means: no syncing, no 4/8/16/32 GB limits. All you need for this to work is the ability to connect to Remote Buddy's AJAX Remote through a sufficiently fast connection such as WiFi.

At this point, it's also interesting to look at what the mobile version of Safari™ is capable of. To my big surprise, I found out that it will not stop playback of audio files when you "close" Safari by pressing the button below the touch screen. That means that you can continue to listen to music while you work in other applications - for example Mobile Mail.

Safari™ also supports playlists of up to 256 entries. But there are still a few rough edges in the mobile version of Safari™: while the skip track buttons are displayed, they only allow you to fast forward and rewind the current track, but don't allow you to jump forward and backward in the currently playing playlist. Also the QuickTime® autoplay feature is not supported, which is why you have to effectively perform two taps before content playback starts.

Selection of multiple AirTunes® speakers and your computer's default audio out

Ever since Remote Buddy has pioneered the remote selection of the AirTunes® speaker that iTunes® should stream to, there was a number one feature request associated with it: support for the selection of more than one speaker.

Starting with Remote Buddy 1.10, you can do just that. Both via your regular remote control as well as through the AJAX Remote.

But there are more changes: in the list of speakers, there's now an (i) on the right side of the "Computer" button. Tap on it and you're presented a list of all audio output devices of your Mac®. Select a device to make it the default audio output device for your system.

The Remote Buddy 1.10 update is available immediately and includes many more new features in other areas.

Enjoy! :-)

On Picture Arena

2007-12-29T00:00:00Z

Due to the lack of demand for Picture Arena and a much different market situation for photo management solutions compared to when Picture Arena had originally entered the market, I've decided to abandon all plans to develop new versions of Picture Arena for the time being. Picture Arena will stay available through the Picture Arena Website, so those in need of a license can get one.

I've not made that decision light-heartedly, but after carefully considering all of the pros and cons, I believe it's the right and only responsible decision.

There's the changed market situation (Adobe®, Apple® and Microsoft® entered the market), the low demand for Picture Arena in general (in 2007, less than 3% of the sales at IOSPIRIT were Picture Arena sales; development costs have never been recovered to date), the fact that no sufficient amount of time is available for intense Picture Arena development (all of my time is currently going into Remote Buddy's development and taking care of my obligations as IOSPIRIT's CEO) and lots of work would have to be done before new features can be added (stabilize the new core framework I've been working on for over a year, rewrite all user interface and database code to use modern Cocoa APIs and the new core framework - Picture Arena is all Carbon-based currently).

A lot of additional time and money would have to be put into the development of future versions, while it has little to no chance to sell any better than before because of the market situation. The problem with saturated markets is this: unless the existing solutions are totally miserable, you'll need to pump a lot of money into promotion efforts to raise awareness for your product. Plus nobody who is relatively satisfied / has arranged with what he has will seek for alternatives by themselves or switch from a solution he's already comfortable with using. In this case, none of the available solutions on the market are really miserable, one of them ships for free with every new Mac® and all competitors have a huge amount of money and manpower available to them that they can pump into promotion and development efforts. That's not exactly a good position to start from.

Some of you may wonder what has happened to Picture Arena since its last public release in November 2005. The answer is: a lot. I've developed a new, Cocoa-based framework that eventually should become the basis of future versions of Picture Arena. By now, it can handle all relevant color spaces (RGB, CMYK, ..), is fully color managed, offers fine grained control for loading, saving and manipulating metadata, completely abstracts the filesystem, is entirely thread-safe, integrates efficient APIs for working on image data from multiple threads at the same time, embeds a thread-safe SQLite-Cocoa wrapper, a highly efficient, transactional, but very simple database engine of its own, runs on both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs, offers memory- and CPU-efficient links to Quartz, Core Image, ColorSync and more. I've also worked a lot on Picture Arena's user interface, localizations and the editing tools available in Picture Arena.

Yet, stabilizing that private build and bringing it in a state where a public upate can be created from it would still require a considerable amount of time. Please don't ask me for a copy of the private build, as I won't hand out software that has known stability issues. I have attached a few screenshots of the private build for public consumption, though. And while I won't exclude the possibility that I'll find the time to finish that last update to Picture Arena at some point in the future, I can't promise it, which is why, for the time being, officially version 1.3.5 of Picture Arena is the last release of Picture Arena.

While the development of Picture Arena has officially ended for the time being, the development of Remote Buddy couldn't be any more active. Remote Buddy has covered its development costs and generated profit since the day of its release and is by now the product at the heart of IOSPIRIT. It has brought IOSPIRIT an amazing second half of 2006 and an even more amazing 2007. Looking at the (secret) roadmap for 2008, I see frequent updates to Remote Buddy and a lot of extraordinary gems being part of them. The next update to Remote Buddy, which - among other things - features a set of completely new drivers and fixes the few remaining glitches when used under Leopard, will of course be a free update and is out soon.

Update: Since support for Picture Arena is no longer available, its sale has been discontinued.

Photos from the Mac Live Expo 2007

2007-11-22T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.8 upgrades EyeTV remotes to full Mac control

2007-11-21T00:00:00Z

Nuremberg/Munich, November 21, 2007 - IOSPIRIT announces the immediate availability of Remote Buddy remote control software, version 1.8, which now supports infrared remote controls supplied with EyeTV-based television solutions. Users of Elgato's EyeTV software can now use their familiar hardware remote and Remote Buddy to control iTunes, iPhoto, DVD Player, and VLC; watch presentations or videos, browse the hard drive, surf the web, or change system settings. Remote Buddy contains built-in support for over 100 applications and system parameters.

The update is free of charge for existing Remote Buddy users. The full version of Remote Buddy is available for 19.99 Euros (incl. VAT) and a fully functional 30-day trial version is available for download at

http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/

Remote Buddy's easy setup provides for fast configuration of the EyeTV remote control. The updated 1.8 version of the software recognizes and integrates the remote control during its communication with EyeTV. Afterwards, the entire system can be controlled with Remote Buddy and the key layout of the remote can be freely modified.

All Elgato television products and their included remote controls are supported (with the exception of models EyeTV 250, 250 Plus, 300/310, 400/410, 500, 610, these are still being worked on) as well as all TV-Sticks that include EyeTV by TerraTec and Pinnacle.

System Requirements: EyeTV 2.5.1, Remote Buddy 1.8, a hardware remote control supported by EyeTV. Both EyeTV and Remote Buddy need to be running at the same time.

About IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it. A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in Mac OS X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths. At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.

About Elgato Systems

Elgato Systems creates award-winning products that enable customers to watch, record, edit and share video and TV within the digital home. The highly acclaimed EyeTV series is the world leader in digital TV recording and High Definition TV for the Mac. EyeConnect is the premier solution for streaming Mac content to networked media players in the home.   Founded in 1992 by Dr. Markus Fest, the inventor of Toast® CD recording software, Elgato is a privately held company with headquarters in Munich, Germany and a US subsidiary in San Francisco, California.

Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

 For further information please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH
Felix Schwarz
~~+49 911 3677423~~
Contact

Elgato Systems
Lars Felber
+49 89 14333915 
publicrelations@elgato.com

Rethinking support - differently!

2007-10-18T00:00:00Z

So, back in 2001 I started writing the suite of custom software that has been powering IOSPIRIT ever since it existed. In 2003, I started a new project called "Callisto", a website engine that is completely object-based and that powers IOSPIRIT's website to date.

Over the years, it has become very, very powerful and extremely flexible allowing IOSPIRIT to be very reactive to new marketing and sales techniques as well as new web technologies.

But then I haven't touched or updated some of its parts for quite some time. The contact form is a nice example for that. It began to look dated and actually became a real efficiency problem as the interest into the products began to grow rapidly: as a dedicated suport desk coexisted with it, many visitors could not decide which one to use. So, what had to happen did happen: the support desk interface was used for general pricing inquiries and support inquiries would be transmitted through the contact form. Many visitors would submit their question or comments to both.

I've then put up a gentle note below the contact form that users should use the support desk for support inquiries, but not everybody would see it. And even if they did, I'd still receive a lot of inquiries that were already dealt with in the FAQs or for which a dedicated web interface exists (i.e. the license code remailer).

The core message I gathered from all this is: customers see the contact form as the primary place of getting into touch with a company - regardless of subject.

So if I wanted higher efficiency and customer satisfaction, it was time to rethink support!

This is what I ended up with:

The contact form now asks customers to pick the topic of their inquiry.
Depending on the topic, either more or less fields are displayed that ask for information that would otherwise have required an additional Q&A mail exchange.
In the case of problems receiving order-related mails, users are now directly informed about the two main causes (bogus spam filters - huhu Hotmail! - and delays in receipt that we're not to blame for, for example if greylisting is used on the receiving server)
The support desk has been integrated into the contact form.
As a special gem for both our customers and us, the integrated support desk interface now uses AJAX techniques to do a live search in the FAQs. While a customer is still typing to describe a problem or ask a question, possibly relevant FAQ entries - if any - will pop up below. So if the user is about to ask a frequently asked question, he'll likely already be presented the answer before he even finishes typing the question!

The key benefits of the AJAX based support desk as I see them:

customers asking FAQs have a high chance to receive an answer - faster than ever before
the number of inquiries containing questions that were already dealt with in the FAQs has dropped significantly
everybody saves precious time without having to accept any kind of tradeoff

Being the object oriented system that Callisto is, it was easy to integrate the context-sensitive FAQ into other services, so I integrated it into the forum as well.

Enjoy! :-)

Remote Buddy 1.7 with completely reworked user interface, iPhone™ and iPod® Touch support

2007-10-09T00:00:00Z

OCTOBER 9, 2007 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is excited to announce the release of version 1.7 of Remote Buddy today. Remote Buddy gives its users full control over their Mac® via their remote control. With over 95 directly supported applications and system functions, real virtual mouse and keyboard, built-in presentation tools, extensive configuration abilities as well as broad hardware support (incl. Apple® Remote, iPhone™, iPod® Touch and Wii™ Remote), Remote Buddy is targeting a broad and diverse audience.

WHAT'S NEW IN V1.7

New in version 1.7 are a completely redesigned configuration interface as well as a strongly extended version of Remote Buddy's integrated AJAX Remote. The AJAX Remote allows the usage of iPhone™ and iPod® Touch as an interactive highend remote control with focus on mediacenters and presentations.

Using AJAX Remote, almost all aspects of iTunes® can now be conveniently controlled via the touchscreen. Albums, artists and particular songs can be tracked down (no pun intended) with the integrated live search or located via the built-in music library browser. From there, they can be played back directly or enqueued in the current playlist. Support for switching between speakers connected through AirPort Express® as well as changing the repeat and shuffle modes, volume and track position has also been added. Playback controls and the ability to change the rating of a song are also provided.

Presenters are supported by the AJAX Remote's Presenter Trackpad. With the touch of their finger, users switch between the live view of their displays, reposition the mousepointer or toggle the Mousespot functionality, that softly highlights the current position of the mouse pointer.

Also new is the the AJAX Remote's camera module, that provides users with a live view of their iSight® and also allows taking snapshots with it.

Another huge area of change in Version 1.7 is the completely redesigned configuration interface. It has experienced further simplification, grouping by tasks and a new Leopard-style look - the forthcoming Mac OS® X release that this version is now also compatible to.

A video showing the AJAX Remote in action as well as an extensive collection of screenshots are immediately available at Remote Buddy's product page at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/.

A complete and detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/ .

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy is a software, that takes the usability of remote controls beyond a handful of applications to a level where the entire system can be controled. Applications and system functions are directly supported by so called Behaviours. They are automatically selected depending on the current status of the system and map their functions to the buttons of the remote accordingly.
A press on the menu button opens the Remote Buddy menu. The menu allows the manual selection of another behaviour as well as the virtual mouse and keyboard, browsing the filesystem, opening recently opened documents, adjusting volume and ratings, quitting and starting applications, the display of information on recorded programs, TV channels, cover art and the current mapping of the remote control's buttons. The menu structure is freely configurable and can be varied in an unlimited number of profiles, between which the user can choose depending on the current usage scenario and its special requirements.
The mapping of the buttons is freely configurable on a global and per Behaviour basis. Using the included Behaviour Construction Kit, support for additional applications can usually be added in a couple of minutes and existing Behaviours be extended with self-defined actions. Special care has been taken in the design of the Behaviour Construction Kit, so it is easily usable, including for those without any programming knowledge. Developers, that want to integrate direct support for Remote Buddy into their applications, can download the free Remote Buddy SDK, which contains a number of Xcode example projects.
You can find a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .
Availability
The full version of Remote Buddy 1.7 is immediately available for Mac OS® X 10.4 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary for only 19.99 Euro (approximately 27.50 US dollars). The prices are final prices and already include 19% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac® with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 30 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/
Legal notice
IOSPIRIT GmbH and Remote Buddy are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple®, Nintendo®, Keyspan, Sony®, Griffin or any other, previously named company.
Apple, Aqua, Carbon, Cocoa, iBook, iMac, iPod, iTunes, iLife, PowerMac, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Velocity Engine, ColorSync, QuickTime, Keynote, Exposé, GarageBand, Xcode, Quartz, Power Mac, PowerBook, MacBook, Keychain, iCal, Cocoa, Carbon, Bonjour, AirPort, AirPort Extreme are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. eMac, Finder, iPhoto, iPhone, Safari, SuperDrive, Aperture, Cover Flow, Spotlight, Objective-C, AirPort Express, Apple TV, Tiger and Panther are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Wii™ is a trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Nintendo® is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. KEYSPAN is a trademark of InnoSys Inc. Joost is a trademark of Baaima N.V. PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation. Adobe, Reader, the Adobe logo, Lightroom and Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Sony is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Remote Buddy 1.1 introduces iPhone™ support, turning it into the ultimate remote control

2007-07-11T00:00:00Z

JULY 11, 2007 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is excited to announce the release of version 1.1 of Remote Buddy, its software for completely controlling Macs via remotes. The new version introduces a beta version of its all new AJAX Remote, which turns the iPhone™ into an amazing, interactive remote control that redefines the "remote control" term.

Here's a quick overview over the most important news of this release:

AJAX Remote: based on a brand-new, built-in webserver engine, offering quick and easy access to eight modules allowing remote control of a Mac® system through a web browser. Optimized for the iPhone™ screen size. The modules:
- Remote control (control Remote Buddy just like with a real remote)
- Trackpad (includes presenter tools, a mini remote desktop, multiscreen support, mousespot and navigation in presentations)
- Keyboard
- Menu (browse Remote Buddy's highly dynamic menu - including its embedded UI elements!)
- Music (browse local and shared iTunes® music libraries)
- Now playing (interactive "now playing" display showing cover artwork and track details, allowing you to change ratings, play/pause and skip tracks)
- Movies (VIDEO_TS launcher with cover display)
- EyeTV (view your recordings in EyeTV, zap between channels, adjust volume)
Simplified menu: all supported applications and many frequently used actions are now organized in the top menu level by default, providing faster access to Remote Buddy's functions. The previous, more hierarchic menu structure is still available and can be returned to in Remote Buddy's preferences.

Improved support for the Bluetooth®-based Sony® BD Remote Control

A special focusing on the new AJAX Remote can be found at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ajaxremote/ .

Two demo videos are available on the Remote Buddy website, giving you a first overview of what is possible with this product. A complete and detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/ .

Using Remote Buddy, users can fully control any Mac® using an Apple® Remote, Apple® iPhone™, Safari™, Keyspan™ Express, Keyspan™ DMR, Keyspan™ RF Remote for Front Row, Griffin AirClick USB, Sony® BD Remote Control, Wii™ Remote, SiK™ Rex™, a number of Bluetooth® enabled mobile phones or a keyboard. At Mac® Expo in Paris, Remote Buddy has received the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple® Technologies" for its innovative use of the latest technologies.

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy is a software, that takes the usability of remote controls beyond a handful of applications to a level where the entire system can be controled. Applications and system functions are directly supported by so called Behaviours. They are automatically selected depending on the current status of the system and map their functions to the buttons of the remote accordingly.
A press on the menu button opens the Remote Buddy menu. The menu allows the manual selection of another behaviour as well as the virtual mouse and keyboard, browsing the filesystem, opening recently opened documents, adjusting volume and ratings, quitting and starting applications, the display of information on recorded programs, TV channels, cover art and the current mapping of the remote control's buttons. The menu structure is freely configurable and can be varied in an unlimited number of profiles, between which the user can choose depending on the current usage scenario and its special requirements.
The mapping of the buttons is freely configurable on a global and per Behaviour basis. Using the included Behaviour Construction Kit, support for additional applications can usually be added in a couple of minutes and existing Behaviours be extended with self-defined actions. Special care has been taken in the design of the Behaviour Construction Kit, so it is easily usable, including for those without any programming knowledge. Developers, that want to integrate direct support for Remote Buddy into their applications, can download the free Remote Buddy SDK, which contains a number of Xcode example projects.
You can find a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .

Availability
The full version of Remote Buddy 1.1 is immediately available for Mac OS® X 10.4 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary for only 19.99 Euro (approximately 27.50 US dollars). The prices are final prices and already include 19% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac® with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 30 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here: ;p> http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/
Legal notice
IOSPIRIT GmbH and Remote Buddy are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple®, Nintendo®, Keyspan, Sony®, Griffin or any other, previously named company.
Apple, Aqua, Carbon, Cocoa, iBook, iMac, iPod, iTunes, iLife, PowerMac, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Velocity Engine, ColorSync, QuickTime, Keynote, Exposé, GarageBand, Xcode, Quartz, Power Mac, PowerBook, MacBook, Keychain, iCal, Cocoa, Carbon, Bonjour, AirPort, AirPort Extreme are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. eMac, Finder, iPhoto, iPhone, Safari, SuperDrive, Aperture, Cover Flow, Spotlight, Objective-C, AirPort Express, Apple TV, Tiger and Panther are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Wii™ is a trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Nintendo® is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. KEYSPAN is a trademark of InnoSys Inc. Joost is a trademark of Baaima N.V. PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation. Adobe, Reader, the Adobe logo, Lightroom and Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Sony is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Remote Buddy 1.0 goes final

2007-06-11T00:00:00Z

JUNE 11, 2007 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

After almost exactly a year of development, IOSPIRIT GmbH is excited to announce the release of the final version 1.0 of Remote Buddy, its software for completely controlling Macs via remotes.

Previously released preview versions of Remote Buddy have already won the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple® technologies", have received top grades in numerous tests and uncounted love declarations from its users, who have downloaded more than 200.000 copies of Remote Buddy to date.

The most important news since the last preview release:

English online help
Switch between virtual mouse and controlling presentations with a single button press
Improved movie library (a built-in VIDEO_TS launcher) with support for network volumes
The context menus of Behaviours can now be configured via drag and drop as well
Further improved efficiency in using system resources
Numerous detail improvements and fixes

Using Remote Buddy, users can fully control any Mac® using an Apple® Remote, Keyspan™ Express, Keyspan™ DMR, Keyspan™ RF Remote for Front Row, Griffin AirClick USB, Wii™ Remote, SiK™ Rex™, a number of Bluetooth® enabled mobile phones or a keyboard. At Mac® Expo in Paris, Remote Buddy has received the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple® Technologies" for its innovative use of the latest technologies.

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy is a software, that takes the usability of remote controls beyond a handful of applications to a level where the entire system can be controled. Applications and system functions are directly supported by so called Behaviours. They are automatically selected depending on the current status of the system and map their functions to the buttons of the remote accordingly.
A press on the menu button opens the Remote Buddy menu. The menu allows the manual selection of another behaviour as well as the virtual mouse and keyboard, browsing the filesystem, opening recently opened documents, adjusting volume and ratings, quitting and starting applications, the display of information on recorded programs, TV channels, cover art and the current mapping of the remote control's buttons. The menu structure is freely configurable and can be varied in an unlimited number of profiles, between which the user can choose depending on the current usage scenario and its special requirements.
The mapping of the buttons is freely configurable on a global and per Behaviour basis. Using the included Behaviour Construction Kit, support for additional applications can usually be added in a couple of minutes and existing Behaviours be extended with self-defined actions. Special care has been taken in the design of the Behaviour Construction Kit, so it is easily usable, including for those without any programming knowledge. Developers, that want to integrate direct support for Remote Buddy into their applications, can download the free Remote Buddy SDK, which contains a number of Xcode example projects.
You can find a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .

Availability
The full version of Remote Buddy 1.0 is immediately available for Mac OS® X 10.4 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary for only 19.99 Euro (approximately 26.70 US dollars). The prices are final prices and already include 19% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac® with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 30 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/
Legal notice
IOSPIRIT GmbH and Remote Buddy are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple®, Nintendo®, Keyspan, Griffin or any other, previously named company.
Apple, Aqua, Carbon, Cocoa, iBook, iMac, iPod, iTunes, iLife, PowerMac, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Velocity Engine, ColorSync, QuickTime, Keynote, Exposé, GarageBand, Xcode, Quartz, Power Mac, PowerBook, MacBook, Keychain, iCal, Cocoa, Carbon, Bonjour, AirPort, AirPort Extreme are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. eMac, Finder, iPhoto, Safari, SuperDrive, Aperture, Cover Flow, Spotlight, Objective-C, AirPort Express, Apple TV, Tiger and Panther are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Wii™ is a trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Nintendo® is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. KEYSPAN is a trademark of InnoSys Inc. Joost is a trademark of Baaima N.V. PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation. Adobe, Reader, the Adobe logo, Lightroom and Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

News from Remote Buddy: virtual keyboard, using hidden Apple® Remote features, Apple® Remote Emulation, IR mouse mode of the Wii™ Remote, ..

2007-05-06T00:00:00Z

MAY 6, 2007 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH starts into May by releasing the second release candidate (RC2) of Remote Buddy to the general public with a true firework of new features. The most important news in this release:

Fullblown, virtual onscreen keyboard and Mousespot presentation tool
Owners of a compatible remote control can now enjoy a fullblown, freely scaleable, virtual keyboard. The virtual mouse - existant in Remote Buddy since the first Preview - has also been further improved and can now - using the new Mousespot feature - gently highlight the position of the mousecursor. With Remote Buddy, media center owners can unplug their mouse and keyboard and use their remote control as a replacement instead.
Emulation of a virtual Apple® Remote
This, for the first time, makes it possible to use programs (like, f.ex. iAlertU) that usually require the built-in IR receiver of newer models on older Macintosh® computers. With any supported remote control.
Usage and different configuration of multiple Apple® Remotes with Macs with an internal receiver, usage of otherwise unavailable hardware features of internal receivers and compatibility to OS 10.4.9 thanks to a kernel extension of its own
Remote Buddy's drivers for the internal Apple® Remote IR receivers have been rewritten from scratch. Thanks to an exclusive kernel extension, it is now possible to fully use all hardware features. The usage, authorization and different configuration of multiple Apple® Remotes is now possible just as well as shorter reaction times, full compatibility to OS 10.4.9 and play and menu button presses of arbitrary length (previously limited to 0 seconds). An example for one possibility to use the new support for multiple Apple® Remotes: when using two Apple® Remotes, you can now configure the first to exclusively control iTunes® and the second for usage with everything else.
Support for the IR mousemode of the Wii™ Remote with just one infrared light source (a world premiere), new energy saving options, support for waking the computer with connected Wii™ remotes
Support for now more than 70 applications and system functions
Among the 17 new entries are Democracy Player, Joost™, Lightroom® and SlingPlayer. Of course, users continue to be able to control, among other things, supported webbrowsers, audio & video, presentation and media management apps as well as games and control over parameters like screen brightness, resolution, refresh rate and volume with their remote control.
Reworked iTunes® Behaviour including support for the Cover Flow® display mode
The mapping of buttons is now completely unlimited.
Further speed improvements, allowing the use of Remote Buddy on many G3 models

Two new demo videos are available on the Remote Buddy website, giving you a first overview of what is possible with this product. A complete and detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/ .

Using Release Candidate 2, users can fully control any Mac® using an Apple® Remote, Keyspan™ Express, Keyspan™ DMR, Keyspan™ RF Remote for Front Row, Griffin AirClick USB, Wii™ Remote, SiK™ Rex™, a number of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones or a keyboard. At Mac® Expo in Paris, Remote Buddy has received the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple® Technologies" for its innovative use of the latest technologies.

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy is a software, that takes the usability of remote controls beyond a handful of applications to a level where the entire system can be controled. Applications and system functions are directly supported by so called Behaviours. They are automatically selected depending on the current status of the system and map their functions to the buttons of the remote accordingly.
A press on the menu button opens the Remote Buddy menu. The menu allows the manual selection of another behaviour as well as the virtual mouse and keyboard, browsing the filesystem, opening recently opened documents, adjusting volume and ratings, quitting and starting applications, the display of information on recorded programs, TV channels, cover art and the current mapping of the remote control's buttons. The menu structure is freely configurable and can be varied in an unlimited number of profiles, between which the user can choose depending on the current usage scenario and its special requirements.
The mapping of the buttons is freely configurable on a global and per Behaviour basis. Using the included Behaviour Construction Kit, support for additional applications can usually be added in a couple of minutes and existing Behaviours be extended with self-defined actions. Special care has been taken in the design of the Behaviour Construction Kit, so it is easily usable, including for those without any programming knowledge. Developers, that want to integrate direct support for Remote Buddy into their applications, can download the free Remote Buddy SDK, which contains a number of Xcode example projects.
You can find a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .

Availability
Remote Buddy 1.0 RC2 is immediately available for Mac OS® X 10.4 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 13.60 US dollars). The price will presumably be raised to 19,99 € (approximately 27.20 US dollars) later. The prices are final prices and already include 19% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac® with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 60 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/
Legal notice
IOSPIRIT GmbH and Remote Buddy are neither affiliated with nor endorsed or sponsored by Apple®, Nintendo®, Keyspan, Griffin or any other, previously named company.
Apple, Aqua, Carbon, Cocoa, iBook, iMac, iPod, iTunes, iLife, PowerMac, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Velocity Engine, ColorSync, QuickTime, Keynote, Exposé, GarageBand, Xcode, Quartz, Power Mac, PowerBook, MacBook, Keychain, iCal, Cocoa, Carbon, Bonjour, AirPort, AirPort Extreme are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. eMac, Finder, iPhoto, Safari, SuperDrive, Aperture, Cover Flow, Spotlight, Objective-C, AirPort Express, Apple TV, Tiger and Panther are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Wii™ is a trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Nintendo® is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America Inc. KEYSPAN is a trademark of InnoSys Inc. Joost is a trademark of Baaima N.V. PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation. Adobe, Reader, the Adobe logo, Lightroom and Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Wii have a christmas surprise for you

2006-12-25T00:00:00Z

DECEMBER 25, 2006 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

Just in time for holidays, IOSPIRIT GmbH releases the first release candidate of Remote Buddy, which allows the Wii remote to be used with Bluetooth-enabled Macs.

If you have found a Wii under the christmas tree, you can now remote control your Mac as well! Among the other new features in this release is the ability to browse local and shared iTunes libraries and select and play individual tracks, albums and playlists. And we have something for movie fans, too: they can now select and launch VIDEO_TS folders directly from within Remote Buddy in either DVD Player or VLC. Thanks to Spotlight, Remote Buddy finds the respective folders itself and without any configuration. Another new feature is "Custom actions" - which is the ability to create and manage your own, executable actions directly within mapping tables. With ease! Furthermore, a brand-new, multi-threaded driver architecture does now guarantee exact timing and higher performance under the hood.

A complete and detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/ .

Using Release Candidate 1, users can fully control any Mac using an Apple Remote, Keyspan Express, Keyspan DMR, Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row, Griffin AirClick USB, Wii Remote, a number of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones or a keyboard. At Mac Expo in Paris, Remote Buddy has received the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple Technologies" for its innovative use of the latest technologies. To date, Mac users have downloaded Remote Buddy more than 75000 times.

IOSPIRIT GmbH wishes everybody a merry and relaxed christmas time and a happy new year.

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy is a software, that takes the usability of remote controls beyond a handful of applications to a level where the entire system can be controled. Applications and system functions are directly supported by so called Behaviours. They are automatically selected depending on the current status of the system and map their functions to the buttons of the remote accordingly.
A press on the menu button opens the Remote Buddy menu. The menu allows the manual selection of another behaviour as well as the virtual mouse and keyboard, browsing the filesystem, opening recently opened documents, adjusting volume and ratings, quitting and starting applications, the display of information on recorded programs, TV channels, cover art and the current mapping of the remote control's buttons. The menu structure is freely configurable and can be varied in an unlimited number of profiles, between which the user can choose depending on the current usage scenario and its special requirements.
The mapping of the buttons is freely configurable on a global and per Behaviour basis. Using the included Behaviour Construction Kit, support for additional applications can usually be added in a couple of minutes and existing Behaviours be extended with self-defined actions. Special care has been taken in the design of the Behaviour Construction Kit, so it is easily usable, including for those without any programming knowledge. Developers, that want to integrate direct support for Remote Buddy into their applications, can download the free Remote Buddy SDK, which contains a number of Xcode example projects.
You can find a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .

Availability
Remote Buddy 1.0 RC1 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.4 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 13.10 US dollars). The price will presumably be raised to 19,99 € (approximately 26.20 US dollars) later. The prices are final prices and already include 16% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 60 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/

Wii like it

2006-12-25T00:00:00Z

Remote Buddy 1.0p9b makes popular remote controls shine

2006-10-16T00:00:00Z

OCTOBER 16, 2006 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is proud to announce the immediate availability of the latest version of its award-winning solution for remote controls under Mac OS® X. Using Remote Buddy Preview 9b, users can fully control any Mac using an Apple Remote, Keyspan Express, Keyspan DMR, Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row, Griffin AirClick USB, a number of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones or a keyboard. At Mac Expo in Paris, Remote Buddy has received the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple Technologies" for its innovative use of the latest technologies. To date, Mac users have downloaded Remote Buddy more than 40.000 times.

New features since Preview 8
The latest version of Remote Buddy is what many of the owners of the popular Keyspan remote controls have been waiting for for a long time. Owners of the Keyspan Express and Keyspan DMR (Digial Media Remote) can now benefit of all the advantages of Remote Buddy as well. It now brings its own set of drivers for this hardware, fully replacing Keyspan's software and enabling it to support both Keyspan's own remote control and the Apple Remote with the IR receivers.
Among the other novelties is the ability to control all screen settings directly via a supported remote control, improved support for G3 Macs as well as support for 18 additional applications and multiplayer games (including Awaken, Delicious Library, DVDpedia, FlexTime, Flock, Google Earth, iCab, NeoOffice Impress, NeoOffice Writer, OmniWeb, Opera, Shiira, Virtue, OmniOutliner, Stapler, MacSwear, GLTron, Frozen Bubble).
A complete and detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/ .

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy is a software, that takes the usability of remote controls beyond a handful of applications to a level where the entire system can be controled. Applications and system functions are directly supported by so called Behaviours. They are automatically selected depending on the current status of the system and map their functions to the buttons of the remote accordingly.
A press on the menu button opens the Remote Buddy menu. The menu allows the manual selection of another behaviour as well as the virtual mouse and keyboard, browsing the filesystem, opening recently opened documents, adjusting volume and ratings, quitting and starting applications, the display of information on recorded programs, TV channels, cover art and the current mapping of the remote control's buttons. The menu structure is freely configurable and can be varied in an unlimited number of profiles, between which the user can choose depending on the current usage scenario and its special requirements.
The mapping of the buttons is freely configurable on a global and per Behaviour basis. Using the included Behaviour Construction Kit, support for additional applications can usually be added in a couple of minutes and existing Behaviours be extended with self-defined actions. Special care has been taken in the design of the Behaviour Construction Kit, so it is easily usable, including for those without any programming knowledge. Developers, that want to integrate direct support for Remote Buddy into their applications, can download the free Remote Buddy SDK, which contains a number of Xcode example projects.
You can find a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .

Availability
Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 9b is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.4 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 12.70 US dollars). The price will presumably be raised to 19,99 € (approximately 25.40 US dollars) later. The prices are final prices and already include 16% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 60 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/

LSRefresh - a simple solution to Launch Services related problems

2006-10-10T00:00:00Z

Some users have had problems to get Remote Buddy recognize all of their installed applications. Since my philosophy and thus the philosphy behind Remote Buddy is to achieve elegance through simplicity and deliver a "it just works" out-of-the-box experience, the natural choice is to present a slick menu without any dead and unnecessary entries (i.e. for those applications, that are not installed). To achieve this - and to find all installed apps no matter where they are located - Remote Buddy makes use of Launch Services.

Now what is Launch Services?

Launch Services is responsible for launching applications, URLs and documents. It knows, which application can handle which kind of data and files, provides the choices for the Finder's "Open with" menu and can return all kind of useful information on a file or bundle.

Now, if an application is not added to Launch Services database properly (or the information stored on it is outdated), this can have all kinds of weird side effects:

Documents can not be opened with a double click or are represented with a blank icon in the Finder.
Similiar as above but with newly supported or no longer supported document formats after the installation of a new release of an application.
Applications can not be found.
..

Usually the Finder should add or update new applications in the Launch Services database, but it doesn't always do so. And there's no convenient way I know of to manually update the entry of an application in Launch Services.

So I decided to sit down a couple of minutes and write a tool that achieves exactly this. Once started, all you have to do is select the app(s) whose Launch Services database entry you want to update. It's name is LSRefresh - and it'll help you out with most Launch Services originated problems.

Special note for Remote Buddy users: Be sure to restart Remote Buddy after you have performed updates for applications that were not found previously. That's because Remote Buddy does only look for applications during startup to save CPU time lateron.

Anyway, here's the download. Enjoy!

LSRefresh10.dmg

[Update 07/01/2007]: For the technically interested: you can download the sourcecode complete with Xcode project here:

LSRefresh_Sourcecode.zip

Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 8 brings the Apple Remote to every Mac

2006-09-27T00:00:00Z

SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is proud to announce the immediate availability of the latest version of its award-winning solution for remote controls under Mac OS® X. Using Remote Buddy Preview 8, users can fully control any Mac using an Apple Remote, Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row, Griffin AirClick USB, a number of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones or a keyboard. At Mac Expo in Paris, Remote Buddy has received the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple Technologies" for its innovative use of the latest technologies. To date, Mac users have downloaded Remote Buddy more than 40.000 times.

New features in Preview 8
For the first time, Remote Buddy gives owners of Macs without inbuilt IR receiver (that is, almost all PowerPC Macs and the Mac Pro) the ability to use the Apple Remote with the most powerful and fastest growing solution for remote controls on their Mac. All that is needed on the hardware side for this (apart from the Apple Remote itself), is an external infrared receiver that complies to the eHome 2005 standard. These are usually available for under 30 Euro (or approx. 38 US$, incl. 16% VAT).
Remote Buddy makes adding support for the Apple Remote so simple it can be done by everyone within seconds: plug the IR receiver into your Mac's USB port, launch Remote Buddy and you're ready to go. No configuration or driver installation is required.
"We have been able to expand our repertoire of technologies by an abstraction layer for USB devices and an IR signal recognition engine in a very short time period and are looking into the future very optimisticly." said Felix Schwarz, CEO of IOSPIRIT GmbH. "Preview 8 has never been planned in that way. However, we were so enthused by the combination of the eHome 2005 IR receiver and Remote Buddy, that we immediately wanted to share the results of our development with everybody. Controlling an old iBook via the Apple Remote and turning it into a Media Center with Remote Buddy is just incredibly cool."
Another new feature worth mentioning is the new multiscreen support. It allows users to choose on which screen Remote Buddy should display its menu. Apart from that, a number of bugfixes have been included in this release.
A list of suppliers for the eHome 2005 hardware and compatibility information are available on the Remote Buddy website at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/ .

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy is a software, that takes the usability of remote controls beyond a handful of applications to a level where the entire system can be controled. Applications and system functions are directly supported by so called Behaviours. They are automatically selected depending on the current status of the system and map their functions to the buttons of the remote accordingly.
A press on the menu button opens the Remote Buddy menu. The menu allows the manual selection of another behaviour as well as the virtual mouse and keyboard, browsing the filesystem, opening recently opened documents, adjusting volume and ratings, quitting and starting applications, the display of information on recorded programs, TV channels, cover art and the current mapping of the remote control's buttons. The menu structure is freely configurable and can be varied in an unlimited number of profiles, between which the user can choose depending on the current usage scenario and its special requirements.
The mapping of the buttons is freely configurable on a global and per Behaviour basis. Using the included Behaviour Construction Kit, support for additional applications can usually be added in a couple of minutes and existing Behaviours be extended with self-defined actions. Special care has been taken in the design of the Behaviour Construction Kit, so it is easily usable, including for those without any programming knowledge. Developers, that want to integrate direct support for Remote Buddy into their applications, can download the free Remote Buddy SDK, which contains a number of Xcode example projects.
You can find a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .

Availability
Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 8 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.4 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 12.70 US dollars). The price will presumably be raised to 19,99 € (approximately 25.40 US dollars) later. The prices are final prices and already include 16% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 60 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/

Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 7 with configurable menus and keyboard support

2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

SEPTEMBER 12, 2006 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is proud to announce the immediate availability of the latest version of its solution for remote controls under Mac OS® X. Using Remote Buddy Preview 7, users can fully control their Mac using their Apple Remote, keyboard, a number of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones and other remote controls supported by Remote Buddy.

New features in Preview 7
The menu structure of Remote Buddy is now freely configurable. All actions, Behaviours, smart folders, interface and special elements are displayed in a tidy palette and can be placed everywhere in the menu structure via drag & drop. Files and folders can be added into the menu structure as well, so they can be accessed quickly - for example during a presentation. Different configurations can be organized in profiles, between which a user can seamlessly switch to meet the specific needs of different usage scenarios.
New as well is the virtual "Hotkey Remote", which allows to control Remote Buddy via a keyboard or a Bluetooth enabled mobile capable of emulating a keyboard. Thanks to this feature, the range of input devices that can be used to remotely control a Mac using Remote Buddy has become extremely broad.
Furthermore, support for Airfoil was added, Remote Buddy is now compatible with virtual desktop software, there's a new AppleScript command for OSD messages, the speed has been further increased and quite a number of additional improvements - available in detail in the release notes (http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/) - has been implemented.

About Remote Buddy
Remote Buddy is a software, that takes the usability of remote controls beyond a handful of applications to a level where the entire system can be controled. Applications and system functions are directly supported by so called Behaviours. They are automatically selected depending on the current status of the system and map their functions to the buttons of the remote accordingly.
A press on the menu button opens the Remote Buddy menu. The menu allows the manual selection of another behaviour as well as the virtual mouse and keyboard, browsing the filesystem, opening recently opened documents, adjusting volume and ratings, quitting and starting applications, the display of information on recorded programs, TV channels, cover art and the current mapping of the remote control's buttons. The menu structure is freely configurable and can be varied in an unlimited number of profiles, between which the user can choose depending on the current usage scenario and its special requirements.
The mapping of the buttons is freely configurable on a global and per Behaviour basis. Using the included Behaviour Construction Kit, support for additional applications can usually be added in a couple of minutes and existing Behaviours be extended with self-defined actions. Special care has been taken in the design of the Behaviour Construction Kit, so it is easily usable, including for those without any programming knowledge. Developers, that want to integrate direct support for Remote Buddy into their applications, can download the free Remote Buddy SDK, which contains a number of Xcode example projects.
You can find a compact overview with demo videos and many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ .

Availability
Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 7 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.4.6 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 12.70 US dollars). The price will presumably be raised to 19,99 € (approximately 25.40 US dollars) later. The prices are final prices and already include 16% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac with keyboard or a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 60 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/

New Remote Buddy version brings remote controls, applications and media center software closer together than ever before

2006-08-14T00:00:00Z

AUGUST 14, 2006 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is proud to announce the immediate availability of the biggest update of its solution for remote controls under Mac OS® X. Using Remote Buddy Preview 6, users can take full control over their Mac via the Apple Remote that shipped with it (or use any other supported remote for less recent Macs).

Summary of the major new features:
The menus have been modernized and do now include user interface elements relevant to the respectively active application. They allow to control volume, the rating of songs, terminating and hiding the active application and directly opening the files that were recently used with it. Users of EyeTV 2 and iTunes will also love the presentation of detailed information on recordings and songs directly in the menu - including available previews and coverart.
There are good news for media center enthusiasts as well: for the first time it has become possible to easily switch between Front Row, Media Central 2 and the full screen menu mode of EyeTV 2.3. All of them are supported by Remote Buddy. And thanks to the unique, new Quick Exit feature, Front Row and Media Central 2 users can return to their desktop quickly and cleanly without any navigation through their menus.
Besides its own AppleScript commands and support for the Griffin AirClick USB remote control, this latest preview release does now also include behaviours for iPhoto, Safari, GraphicConverter, Media Central 2, netTunes, FireFox, Camino and the Accessibility tools of Mac OS® X. In total over 30 new features, enhancements and fixes have been integrated into this new version.
Videos, that give an overview over the abilities of Remote Buddy including its integrated file browser and mouse- and keyboard emulation, are available on the Remote Buddy website ( http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ ).
Remote Buddy currently can be used with all Macs that include an Apple Remote or with every other Mac equipped with either the Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row or the Griffin AirClick USB remote control. Own behaviours can be created using the Behaviour Construction Kit or XCode. The introductory price for Remote Buddy is just 9,99 €.
More info
You can find a compact overview with many screenshots at the Remote Buddy website at: http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . A detailed list of what's new in this version can be found at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/ .
Availability
Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 6 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.4.6 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 12.70 US dollars). The price will presumably be raised to 14,99 € (approximately 19 US dollars) later. The prices are final prices and already include 16% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac with a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 30 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.
About the IOSPIRIT GmbH
The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.
A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.
At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.
The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.
For more information, please contact:
IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:
http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/

New Remote Buddy preview brings developer tools for Apple's Remote and many fun new features

2006-07-14T00:00:00Z

JULY 14, 2006 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is proud to announce the immediate availability of preview 4 of version 1.0 of its application for remote controls for MacOS® X. Remote Buddy enables you to fully control a Mac via its included Apple Remote (or any other supported remote). The new, built-in Behaviour Construction Kit does now allow the creation of Behaviours without requiring programming skills. A video on the Remote Buddy website shows - using CoverFlow as an example - how to make an application remote control ready within less than five minutes.

Now also supported by default are Acrobat Pro, CoverFlow, Quinn, GarageBand, NetNewsWire, MPlayer OSX and Exposé. Furthermore, the menu navigation has been made more intuitive and two new button combinations for the Apple Remote have been introduced.

Thanks to a neatless integration with both Front Row and EyeTV 2, new and old Macs alike are completed to real media centers. It's also possible to control applications, filesystem, mouse and keyboard solely via a remote control. Besides the Apple Remote, this version also supports the "Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row", which thus allows the usage of Remote Buddy on less recent Macs. The introductory price for Remote Buddy is just 9,99 €.

New since the third preview version:

NEW: The new Behaviour Construction Kit makes it a breeze to create new behaviours. Create your own behaviours using your own blend of AppleScript, keystrokes, mouse wheel events and more. Complete with syntax highlighting and tools that help you debug and test your creations quickly and without hassle. Except for the AppleScript part, the Behaviour Construction Kit can be used without any programming skills.
NEW: Global mapping for remote controls allows hard-wiring buttons to frequently used functionality.
NEW: Optional emulation of two additional button states: plus (held) and minus (held).
NEW: Behaviour for Adobe® Acrobat Pro added.
NEW: Behaviour for CoverFlow added.
NEW: Behaviour for Quinn added.
NEW: Behaviour for GarageBand added.
NEW: Behaviour for NetNewsWire and NetNewsWire Lite added.
NEW: Behaviour for MPlayer OSX added.
NEW: Behaviour for Exposé added (find it in "System").
NEW: Fast user switching is now detected and handled correctly by Remote Buddy.
Enhancement: Behaviours can now be activated/deactivated selectively.
Enhancement: Remote Buddy can now also reboot your machine.
Enhancement: Whenever you can go up a level in the menu, an appropriate arrow is now displayed for the selection.
Enhancement: Unmapped hold button codes are now automagically remapped to their normal button code counterparts.
Enhancement: The mapping help screen is now changed on the fly if you make any changes there.
Enhancement: Improved agility in the Apple Remote driver. If you had the impression, Remote Buddy did miss a button press once in a while: this issue is no more (at least for Remote Buddy users).
Enhancement: The iTunes and EyeTV behaviour are now customizable via dedicated option panes inside the mappings pane.
Enhancement: The EyeTV behaviour now also offers the ability to start/stop recording
Enhancement: Screen saver deactivation can now be turned on/off.
Enhancement: Improved reliability and speed of behaviour bundle installation.
Enhancement: The Front Row behaviour does now dismiss Dashboard upon its selection.
Fix: Now handles screen resolution changes correctly.
Fix: A rare Front Row related problem when selecting Music was fixed.
Fix: Hidden docks located on the left side of the screen can now be reached, too.
Fix: Problem fixed where Keynote and EyeTV would sometimes be relaunched by Remote Buddy if they were quit manually.
Fix: Improved reliability of the EyeTV and keyboard sequences behaviour menus.

Remote Buddy highlights at a glance:

What is Remote Buddy?
The latest Macs ship with a remote control that allows you to control Front Row and a couple of Apple's applications. Beyond that, you can't do much else with it, though. Remote Buddy fundamentally changes this. It gives you control over the rest of your computer via the remote control. And starting with preview 3, you can now use other remote controls, too!
Completing the media center setup
Using Remote Buddy you can control both EyeTV and Front Row and seamlessly switch between them - with just one remote control. Use your Mac as mediacenter that can not only play DVDs and music but also Live TV and shows you recorded - today!
One stop interface
Remote Buddy provides you with a one stop interface that allows you to control almost anything on your Mac just with the remote control. Besides tools that allow you to emulate keyboard and mouse, eject CDs, terminate applications and much more, Remote Buddy also can control applications directly.
It does this through specialized plugins, so called Behaviours. Already included with Remote Buddy are Behaviours for iTunes, Keynote 3, PowerPoint, Photo Booth, QuickTime Player, EyeTV 2, DVD Player, VLC Media Player, Real Player, Adobe Reader, Acrobat Pro, CoverFlow, Quinn, GarageBand, NetNewsWire, MPlayer OSX, Exposé and many more. Learn how to create your own behaviours further down this page.
For your convenience, Remote Buddy has a set of intelligent algorithms that can automatically choose the best fitting behaviour for the currently running applications. Plus a table of the active mapping and the behaviours menu is always just a press of the Menu button away.
Virtual keyboard and mouse
Even on a Mac you'll sometimes encounter unexpected situations. And those are especially annoying in living room usage. Instead of grabbing keyboard and mouse, you'll get your remote control in the future. Remote Buddy emulates a virtual mouse (including 2D mouse wheel!) and keyboard, so you can just close or move bothering windows, reorder your play list via drag and drop or open that context menu you urgently need.
Easy customization
Remote Buddy allows you to customize the button mapping of your remote with just one click per change. It's that easy. Of course, Remote Buddy already comes with well picked mappings, so it just works out of the box and all options are, well, optional.
Also works with other remote controls
Don't have a new Mac with Apple Remote? Never mind! Remote Buddy works with other remote controls just as seamlessly. Currently, there's also support for the "Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row", which works with every Mac with a USB port. This way you can also take full control over your Mac mini G4. Got interested? Find a complete list of all supported remote controls and supplies for them here.
Unlimited expandability, easy installation
Behaviours are plugins for Remote Buddy. They can be creates either with the built-in Behaviour Construction Kit (BCK) or - based on the free SDK - in XCode and Cocoa. Behaviours written in Cocoa are able to access any function available in the system and thus make functionality available to Remote Buddy users that is not within reach of AppleScript.
Those who want faster results easier can use the BCK to develop their behaviours and benefit from the best of all worlds. Besides the possibility to edit and execute AppleScript, keyboard- and mousewheel-events can be quickly integrated into new Behaviours. Since AppleScript is not required for writing behaviours for most applications, the BCK has no mandatory requirement for previous programming experience. A demo video on the developer sub page shows, how to create a behaviour for CoverFlow in less than five minutes.
To install a new behaviour, all you need to do is to double click it. Versions are automatically compared for you. It just works.

Availability

Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 4 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.4.6 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 12.70 US-Dollar). The price will presumably be raised to 14,99 € (approximately 19 US-Dollar) later. The prices are final prices and already include 16% VAT for customers inside the EU. On the hardware side, a Mac with a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 30 day trial period. Remote Buddy is localized in English and German.

About the IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.

A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.

At the same time the IOSPIRIT GmbH is its own distributor. The platform used therefore is an internal development - tailored to the needs of the market - and therefore allows efficient and fast processing of incoming orders and queries.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.

For more information, please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:

http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/

Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 3 allows the control of every Mac via remote control

2006-06-20T00:00:00Z

JUNE 20, 2006 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is proud to announce the immediate availability of preview 3 of version 1.0 of its application for remote controls for MacOS® X. Remote Buddy enables you to fully control a Mac via its included Apple Remote or - beginning with this release - also with other remote controls. Thanks to a neatless integration with both Front Row and EyeTV 2, new and old Macs alike are completed to real media centers. It's also possible to control applications, filesystem, mouse and keyboard solely via a remote control. Besides the Apple Remote, this version also supports the "Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row", which thus allows the usage of Remote Buddy on less recent Macs. The introductory price for Remote Buddy is just 9,99 €.

New since the first preview version:

New: Added support for the Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row (ER-RF1).
New: Introduction of the deluxe version of Behaviours, so called Managed Behaviours. Still zero configuration, but you can now change the mapping or choose alternative functionality, if you want to. Needs only one click per change, of course! Check out the preferences.
New: Virtual mouse does now emulate a two-dimensional mouse wheel (just like Apple's Mighty Mouse).
New: Filesystem browser with integrated launcher.
New: Fade in and fade out effects using Core Image (turned off by default, though)
New: Now screen saver friendly. Remote Buddy deactivates screen savers when they run and prevents them from running for as long as you are pressing any buttons on your remote control.
New: Behaviour for Acrobat Reader.
New: Behaviour for Preview.
Enhancement: The visualizer can now be toggled on/off in the behaviour for iTunes.
Enhancement: Photo Booth behaviour now offers more options.
Enhancement: The Front Row behaviour now offers help and a way to display the Remote Buddy menu while in Front Row.
Enhancement: The license code interface is now easier to understand and provides you with visual feedback for missing information.
Enhancement: Improved appearance of preferences window and some internal cleanup.
Enhancement: Rewrote EyeTV 2 behaviour in most parts, added support for zapping through channels in EyeTV 2 and solved a number of issues.
Enhancement: Improved navigation in the menus. You can now quickly jump to the root level of the menu and the first and last entries in a menu.
Fix: Improved reliability of Front Row Behaviour.
Fix: EyeTV 2 channel selection now works also with customized channel lists.
Fix: EyeTV 2 full screen toggling now works.
Fix: Hidden docks can now be reached via the virtual mouse as well.
Fix: Situations where Remote Buddy would register itself as a start item multiple times are now handled correctly.

Remote Buddy highlights at a glance:

What is Remote Buddy?
The latest Macs ship with a remote control that allows you to control Front Row and a couple of Apple's applications. Beyond that, you can't do much else with it, though. Remote Buddy fundamentally changes this. It gives you control over the rest of your computer via the remote control. And starting with preview 3, you can now use other remote controls, too!
Completing the media center setup
Probably the most prominent point of criticism about Front Row is that in its current state it lacks support for anything television. Remote Buddy is now changing the game! With a single remote, a user can activate or deactivate Front Row with all its media capabilities and then switch back and launch EyeTV 2 to watch live television or recorded video. Users can choose recordings and TV stations via the onscreen menu supplied by Remote Buddy and use their Remote to pause playback, control volume, rewind and fast forward. Using Remote Buddy's inbuilt virtual mouse, even recordings can be programmed!
One stop interface
Remote Buddy provides its users with a one-stop interface that allows them to control almost anything on their Mac just with the remote control. Besides tools that allow the user to emulate keyboard and mouse, eject CDs, terminate applications and much more, Remote Buddy also can control applications directly.
It does this through specialized plugins, so called Behaviours. Already included with Remote Buddy are Behaviours for iTunes, Keynote 3, PowerPoint, Photo Booth, QuickTime Player, EyeTV 2, DVD Player, VLC Media Player and Real Player. Since IOSPIRIT GmbH provides source code to developers and also continues to work on new Behaviours themselves, a lot more can be expected to come along!
To make its usage even more comfortable, Remote Buddy features a set of intelligent algorithms that can automatically choose the best fitting behaviour for the currently running applications. Also the user can always view the currently active button mapping or return to the hierarchical menu of available Behaviours by pressing the Menu button.
Virtual keyboard and mouse
Even if there is no specific Behaviour tailored to an application, the virtual keyboard and mouse can be used to move the mouse cursor, drag and drop items, open context menus and make a selection, emulate cursor keys or replay strings that have previously been entered. With this, a user can do anything, from replaying often used sentences at work to playing games and solving minor problems with a keyboard and mouseless media center Mac.
Easy customization
Remote Buddy allows you to customize the button mapping of your remote with just one click per change. It's that easy. Of course, Remote Buddy already comes with well picked mappings, so it just works out of the box and all options are, well, optional.
Also works with other remote controls
Don't have a new Mac with Apple Remote? Never mind! Remote Buddy works with other remote controls just as seamlessly. Currently, there's also support for the "Keyspan RF Remote for Front Row", which works with every Mac with a USB port. This way you can also take full control over your Mac mini G4. Got interested? Find a complete list of all supported remote controls and supplies for them here.
Unlimited expandability, easy installation
Behaviours - plugins for Remote Buddy - are a smart technology. A double click in the Finder installs a Behaviour and automatically inserts it in Remote Buddy's menu structure. That's really it. It just works.
Not just Applescript
Written in Cocoa and tightly integrated with Remote Buddy through a carefully defined abstraction layer, Behaviours provide superior performance, stability, reliability and flexibility. They are real binaries, not scripts, which makes them more efficient, versatile and capable of doing things you just can't do in Applescript. Behaviours are implemented as Cocoa bundles, so they can bring along the resources they need and provide a clean, lightning-fast interface to Remote Buddy and the applications they connect to.

Availability

Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview 3 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.4.6 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 12,90 US-Dollar). The price will presumably be raised to 14,99 € later. On the hardware side, a Mac with a remote control supported by Remote Buddy is mandatory. A list of supported hardware is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/supportedremotecontrols/. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 30 day trial period. Remote Buddy is fully localized in English and German.

About the IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.

A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.

For more information, please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:

http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/

Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview for MacOS® X released

2006-06-06T00:00:00Z

JUNE 06, 2006 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is proud to announce the immediate availability of a preview of version 1.0 of its universal program for Apple's Remote for MacOS® X, that extends the new Intel Macs to a complete media center by seamlessly integrating with both Front Row and EyeTV 2 plus allowing to control applications, mouse and keyboard via the remote control. The introductory price is just 9,99 €.

What is Remote Buddy?

The latest Macs ship with a remote control that allows its users to control Front Row and a couple of Apple's applications. Beyond that, not much else can be done with it, though. Remote Buddy fundamentally changes this. It gives the user control over the rest of his computer via the remote control and also improves the available functionality in those apps that already supported the remote control by themselves.

The highlights at a glance:

Completing the media center setup
Probably the most prominent point of criticism about Front Row is that in its current state it lacks support for anything television. Remote Buddy is now changing the game! With a single remote, a user can activate or deactivate Front Row with all its media capabilities and then switch back and launch EyeTV 2 to watch live television or recorded video. Users can choose recordings and TV stations via the onscreen menu supplied by Remote Buddy and use their Remote to pause playback, control volume, rewind and fast forward. Using Remote Buddy's inbuilt virtual mouse, even recordings can be programmed!
One stop interface
Remote Buddy provides its users with a one-stop interface that allows them to control almost anything on their Mac just with the remote control. Besides tools that allow the user to emulate keyboard and mouse, eject CDs, terminate applications and much more, Remote Buddy also can control applications directly.
It does this through specialized plugins, so called Behaviours. Already included with Remote Buddy are Behaviours for iTunes, Keynote 3, PowerPoint, Photo Booth, QuickTime Player, EyeTV 2, DVD Player, VLC Media Player and Real Player. Since IOSPIRIT GmbH provides source code to developers and also continues to work on new Behaviours themselves, a lot more can be expected to come along!
To make its usage even more comfortable, Remote Buddy features a set of intelligent algorithms that can automatically choose the best fitting behaviour for the currently running applications. Also the user can always view the currently active button mapping or return to the hierarchical menu of available Behaviours by pressing the Menu button.
Virtual keyboard and mouse
Even if there is no specific Behaviour tailored to an application, the virtual keyboard and mouse can be used to move the mouse cursor, drag and drop items, open context menus and make a selection, emulate cursor keys or replay strings that have previously been entered. With this, a user can do anything, from replaying often used sentences at work to playing games and solving minor problems with a keyboard and mouseless media center Mac.
Unlimited expandability, easy installation
Behaviours - plugins for Remote Buddy - are a smart technology. A double click in the Finder installs a Behaviour and automatically inserts it in Remote Buddy's menu structure. That's really it. It just works.
Not just Applescript
Written in Cocoa and tightly integrated with Remote Buddy through a carefully defined abstraction layer, Behaviours provide superior performance, stability, reliability and flexibility. They are real binaries, not scripts, which makes them more efficient, versatile and capable of doing things you just can't do in Applescript. Behaviours are implemented as Cocoa bundles, so they can bring along the resources they need and provide a clean, lightning-fast interface to Remote Buddy and the applications they connect to.

Availability

Remote Buddy 1.0 Preview is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.4.6 ("Tiger") and higher as a Universal Binary at an introductory price of 9,99 € (approximately 12,90 US-Dollar). The price will presumably be raised to 14,99 € later. On the hardware side, a Mac with Apples Remote is mandatory. Remote Buddy does not include any of the controlled applications. They have to be purchased and/or installed seperately. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/ . There are no functional limitations during the 30 day trial period. Remote Buddy is fully localized in English and German.

About the IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.

A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.

For more information, please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:

http://www.iospirit.com/presskit/

Picture Arena 1.3.5 with album folders, French localization, multi-screen support, file operation support and improved data security is now available

2005-11-07T00:00:00Z

NOVEMBER 07, 2005 - NUREMBERG, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH today released an update to its integrated digital picture management software Picture Arena for MacOS® X offering sophisticated picture browsing, image-processing and presentation capabilities to version 1.3.5.

What's new in version 1.3.5

The main focus on the update to version 1.3.5 are enhancements that allow an even broader use of Picture Arena. Thanks to enhancements in the file operation capabilities, it is now possible to create directories directly within Picture Arena and to copy and move files via drag & drop like in the Finder™. The management of albums has been vastly improved by the introduction of folders that allow users to group albums in more logical and natural ways. Furthermore, slideshows do now support multiple screens and support for Entourage, Eudora and Mailsmith has been added for sending mails. A French localization of the userinterface is now also integrated into the default release. As a round-up, the introduction of automatic background backups and a semi-automatic repair function for broken paths increase data security and general reliability.

A compact overview over what has changed since version 1.3.2 build 2 of Picture Arena:

New: Translation of the interface and other parts into French by Patrick Thoennessen, Frédéric Verges and André Siegel.
New: Albums can now be grouped in folders and subfolders.
New: Picture Arena can now create directories and supports file operations like moving and copying of files via drag & drop.
New: Multi-screen support for slideshows, improved efficiency and behaviour of the controls.
New: If the location of files managed by Picture Arena was changed manually, any broken paths inside Picture Arena can now be "repaired" by choosing the new location.
New: Vastly improved data security through regular background backups and a safe "backup exploration" mode in case of crashes.
New: Support for Entourage, Eudora and Mailsmith in addition to Mail for sending photos.
Enhancement: Support for CMYK JPEGs, including those saved with Adobe® Photoshop.
Enhancement: The greeting card script now supports international characters via UTF-8, can store cards on the server (which is auto-detected) and allows to send plain text emails.
Enhancement: The greeting card and database scripts are now also localized in Spanish thanks to the work of www.tuvidaloca.net.
Enhancement: Screensavers and system sleep are now automatically disabled during a playing slideshow.
Enhancement: Zoom + / - now works the default way on OS X via "Apple +" and "Apple -".
Enhancement: When browsing through images in view mode, the image viewed last will also be scrolled to in the browse mode on return.
Enhancement: When an image is displayed in "size-to-fit" magnification, you can now scroll through your images with the mouse-wheel.
Fix: The slideshow transition rendered too fast to be visible on Tiger. Fixed.
Fix: Added a workaround for a problem where thumbnails would be displayed upside-down when Quartz 2D Extreme was enabled.
Fix: Crash on pressing an Apple-key and the right mousebutton in empty albums.
Fix: Conditions that could lead to a crash with Core Image filters are now handled correctly.
Fix: The interpretation of EXIF dates was corrected so it now reflects the local time of the shoot, not GMT.
Fix: Clicking on "Page setup" inside the printing dialog could render the current Picture Arena project window unusable.

A look behind the scenes

Since the previous release of Picture Arena in May a lot has happened. That is, significantly more than is visible in version 1.3.5. More than 35.000 lines of new sourcecode to date have been written for a new framework that will lay the foundation for upcoming versions of Picture Arena. With the release of version 1.3.5, work has now begun on switching over Picture Arena to the new framework step by step. Stay tuned!

Wanted: RAW files

In order to further improve the RAW capabilities of Picture Arena, we are still looking for test material of as many different cameras as possible. If you want to help us further, you are invited to send us an email with the name of your camera(s) to raw-cameras@iospirit.com. We will then check, if we already have sample files for that camera and, in case we don't have any, come back to you with a link for uploading test files via your browser. Many thanks in advance for your support!

Availability

Picture Arena 1.3.5 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.3 ("Panther") and higher at an introductory price of 24,90 € (approximately 30 US dollar). The price will presumably be raised to 29,90 € later. All updates until the release of version 2.0 are free for purchasers of version 1.x. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.picturearena.com/. The only functional limitations are a demo-watermark in every saved file and the limitation of the trial period to 14 days. Picture Arena is fully localized in English and German. The user interface is also available in French.

About Picture Arena

Picture Arena is the new center of your imaging world. Browse your directories, rework your photos on the fly, manage them in albums, reuse your existing iPhoto™ albums, make a speech-driven presentation, work independent of any network and put your digital treasures to use in many new ways. Full of innovations and super fast, Picture Arena lets you create stunning web galleries with eCards and interactive databases without any expert knowledge and just a few clicks, burns up to 9200 pictures on a single CD for convenient viewing on a DVD player, prints contact sheets, letter paper, greeting cards and much more. Taking full advantage of the advanced processor power of the Mac®, you can combine more than 20 amazing effects and operations to dive your photos into vibrant colors, correct skew horizons, add fun effects or create a picture mosaic with your photos being rebuilt by thousands of others. Effects are generally non-destructive and are performed without modifying your original files. Powerful batch operations for renaming (with undo!), reworking, exporting, file format conversion, a compact, thoughtfully designed interface and a great number of smart tools round up this unique and incredibly useful software package that no graphician should live without.

About the IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.

A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Nuremberg, Germany.

For more information, please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 911 3677423~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:

http://www.picturearena.com/presskit/

PayPal now available as additional method of payment in the express shop

2005-11-06T00:00:00Z

Our express shop does now also accept payments via PayPal.

With the addition of PayPal to the repertoire of possible methods of payment, we are realising a frequently expressed wish of our customers. Already previously our customers could choose between pre-payment via bank transfer and cash as well as a range of creditcards, namely Visa, Mastercard/Eurocard and American Express.

By supporting PayPal, new and interesting possibilities are created, especially for our international customers. Through PayPal, bank transfers and direct debits without high fees (or any at all) are now available in many countries.

You can learn more about PayPal at http://www.paypal.com/.

Picture Arena 1.3 with support for Tiger, Spotlight, Core Image and Quartz Composer is now available

2005-04-28T00:00:00Z

APRIL 28, 2005 - HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY

What's new in version 1.3

The main focus of the update to version 1.3 is the addition of support for the latest Mac OS® X Tiger™ technologies like Spotlight™, Core Image and Quartz® Composer and a further acceleration for working with big photo collections.

A compact overview over what has changed since version 1.2 of Picture Arena:

New: transparent support for Spotlight™'s saved searches / Finder®'s searchable folders.
New: support for Core Image is now integrated in Picture Arena's effect subsystem. Initially, Core Image effects for zoomblur, sharpening, noise removal and edgework are available - more to follow.
New: support for loading and indexing Tiger's Quartz Composer files.
Enhancement: the vertical scrollbar in browse mode does now scroll exactly one page or row, depending on where you click.
Enhancement: some small adaptions for better compatibility with Tiger.
Enhancement: overall improvement of the effect subsystem's performance.
Enhancement: further improved speed when loading many images, a global cache is soon to follow.
Enhancement: mp4 files are now better recognized.
Fix: vertical and horizontal scrollbars do now conform to OS X standards.
Fix: scrollbars are now updated correctly after a digicam import.
Fix: in some situations, when using effects with selectable areas, the window could start moving.
Fix: fixed a bug that could lead to a crash under rare timing conditions.
Fix: added a work around for five OS X functions that are documented as thread-safe but aren't (could previously lead to a semaphore lockup condition of the PA GUI).

Availability

Picture Arena 1.3 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.3 ("Panther") and higher at an introductory price of 19,90 € (approximately 25,90 US dollar) until the end of April. The price will presumably be raised to 29,90 € later. All updates until the release of version 2.0 are free for purchasers of version 1.x. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.picturearena.com/. The only functional limitations are a demo-watermark in every saved file and the limitation of the trial period to 14 days. Picture Arena is fully localized in English and German.

About Picture Arena

About the IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.

A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

For more information, please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 9132 732844~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:

http://www.picturearena.com/presskit/

Picture Arena 1.2 with DNG and RAW support, mail export, higher speed and numerous improvements

2005-04-22T00:00:00Z

APRIL 22, 2005 - HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY

What's new in version 1.2

The highlights among the new features of this version:

New: Picture Arena can now compose emails in Mail including comments and file information. Effect recipes, file renaming and scaling can be applied on the fly.
New: RAW and DNG support. Initially the output formats of over 150 cameras are supported.
Enhancement: major speed increase for realtime effect previews.
Enhancement: reworked digital camera import, can now import to any directory of choice.
Enhancement: vastly improved keyboard support: full support for navigation through files and folders via the keyboard.
Enhancement: JPEG EXIF data is now preserved when saving the same image to JPEG again.
Enhancement: generally improved user experience (better thumbnail display quality, faster scrolling and display, improved speed with big numbers of images).

A compact overview over what has changed since version 1.1 of Picture Arena:

New: clipboard support - files can now be copied to the clipboard and pasted anywhere.
New: auto rotation of images on browsing.
Enhancement: reorganized batch export and added quick resize option.
Enhancement: selections in browse and view mode can now extend across several screens - Picture Arena does now scroll accordingly in that cases.
Enhancement: files can now be opened on a single or a double click - whatever you choose. Also, unknown file formats are now always launched with the default application upon a double click.
Enhancement: the adjust effects controls (basic color corrections) are now more fine-grained.
Enhancement: Picture Arena does now create smaller JPEG files without sacrificing quality.
Enhancement: Finder™-like zoom effect can now be disabled in the preferences.
Enhancement: zooming is now a hundred times more finegrained.
Enhancement: Finder® aliases are now resolved on the fly without mounting volumes pointed to by aliases.
Enhancement: the position of the main splitview and the status of the info tab are now remembered across launches.
Enhancement: in view mode, the image can now be dragged around via a "mouse hand". Drag and drop is still available by pressing the Apple® key.
Enhancement: Finder® aliases are now resolved on directory import.
Enhancement: Picture Arena does no longer return to browse mode when deleting images in view mode.
Enhancement: improved the "Add copyright message" and "Add album comment" recipes for better readability.
Enhancement: warning before deleting albums.
Fix: the demo timeout in V1.0 and V1.1 was preliminary detected in rare cases. Thus, this version grants every user (another) 14 days to test.
Fix: scrollbars are now updated correctly when adding big amounts of images to albums.
Fix: "Select All" is now always available.
Fix: custom zoom levels are now kept upon effect calculation even if zoom lock is turned off.
Fix: workaround for a race condition in Quartz that could lead to unexpected application termination.
Fix: EXIF aperture and maximum aperture data are now displayed at the correct locations.
Fix: drag and drop of single images from iPhoto™ albums to the Finder™ now contain a reference to the actual image file, not its thumbnail file
Fix: Illegal memory access in fisheye effect fixed (rarely occured)

Availability

Picture Arena 1.2 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.3 ("Panther") and higher at an introductory price of 19,90 € (approximately 25,90 US dollar) until the end of April. The price will presumably be raised to 29,90 € later. All updates until the release of version 2.0 are free for purchasers of version 1.x. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.picturearena.com/. The only functional limitations are a demo-watermark in every saved file and the limitation of the trial period to 14 days. Picture Arena is fully localized in English and German.

About Picture Arena

About the IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.

A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

For more information, please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 9132 732844~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:

http://www.picturearena.com/presskit/

Picture Arena 1.1 with EPS support and bug fixes

2005-04-03T00:00:00Z

APRIL 3, 2005 - HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY

What's new in version 1.1

A compact overview over what has changed since version 1.0 of Picture Arena:

New: Support for Postscript and EPS files.
New: The render resolution, transparency and background color for PDF, Postscript and EPS files are now settable.
Performance: PDF thumbnail creation is faster now.
Fix: "Apple + H" is no longer used as key combination for the home directory and again available to hiding the application. "Apple + G" is now used instead.
Fix: Photoshop files with a depth other than 32 Bits are now shown correctly.
Fix: Some international characters in file or folder names caused problems when files were added to albums.
Fix: iPhoto™ albums can now be burnt.
Fix: In rare occasions part of the GUI was trashed when scrolling big images horizontally.
Fix: The drag & drop focus ring in lists does no longer persist.

Availability

Picture Arena 1.1 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.3 ("Panther") and higher at an introductory price of 19,90 € (approximately 25,90 US-Dollar). The price will presumably be raised to 29,90 € later. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.picturearena.com/. The only functional limitations are a demo-watermark in every saved file and the limitation of the trial period to 14 days. Picture Arena is fully localized in English and German.

About Picture Arena

About the IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.

A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

For more information, please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 9132 732844~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:

http://www.picturearena.com/presskit/

Picture Arena 1.0 for MacOS® X released

2005-03-30T00:00:00Z

MARCH 30, 2005 - HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY

IOSPIRIT GmbH is proud to announce the immediate availability of version 1.0 of its integrated digital picture management software Picture Arena for MacOS® X offering sophisticated picture browsing, image-processing and presentation capabilities at the introductory price of 19,90 €.

What is Picture Arena?

Picture Arena is the next generation tool to manage, process, use, present (even by speech) and browse digital picture collections. It elegantly and transparently unifies different product categories with fascinating innovations and thus allows a broad and versatile use.

The highlights at a glance:

Browsing the file system
The integrated file browser displays pictures and movies as thumbnails, thus allows for easy and quick browsing through the file system, network volumes and removable media. The size of the thumbnails can be altered in realtime and files are automatically viewed as a magnified "sneak preview", as long as the mouse cursor is positioned over them. Combined with the built-in favorites management, history functions, the quick navigation bar and the seamless integration into the Picture Arena concept, these features cater for highest convenience while browsing.
Import from digital cameras, iPhoto™ and directory hierarchies
Old material as well as new pictures and video clips can be imported effortlessly into Picture Arena. Users who have previously organized their pictures in directories can use the directory import assistant that can even take over existing hierarchical structures. Those who have used iPhoto™ before, will be happy about the dynamic import of their albums which allows the flexible use of Picture Arena as an add-on or replacement. New photos and video clips finally can be conveniently imported from digital cameras or be added to new and existing albums via drag and drop from the Finder™.
Creating professional web galleries
The creation of impressive internet presentations of photos without any HTML programming knowledge is a breeze with Picture Arena. Numerous varied and professional themes are already included and advanced features such as online slideshows, interactive greeting cards and online searchable databases can be added with just one mouse click for each.
Manifold burning functions
Creating cross platform HTML presentations and backups on CD or DVD or specially prepared CDs containing up to 9200 pictures for viewing on DVD players takes only a few mouse clicks in Picture Arena. It was never easier to make one's personal photo archive portable, to present, protect and share it.
Better printing
Besides the usual standard formats and contact sheets, Picture Arena also prints innovative new designs: Eye-catching circle-shaped photo collages or greeting cards and letter paper with a very special and personal touch are easily brought to paper in one of three different quality levels.
Effectively powerful: reworking and effects
With over 20 different effects and operations, Picture Arena makes every photo an eye-catcher. Among other things, colors, proportions, red eyes, skew horizons and the lighting can be easily and intuitively corrected. No matter whether the user needs "just a picture", a piece of pop art, an oil painting or a high resolution picture mosaic consisting of thousands of other pictures - Picture Arena delivers. Thanks to Picture Arena's concept of effect lists, all this can even be achieved without any modification of the original files. Users who happen to have lots of photos saved on CDs, will love this feature. To ease repetitive tasks and empower batch operations, effect sequences - entered once - can be saved as effect recipes and be reused flexibly.
Presentations navigated by speech
Magical presentations with Picture Arena. Navigation through slideshows with freely configurable speech commands, performing rotations and jumping to particular pictures just by pronouncing a word or sentence .. sounds like science fiction? Picture Arena makes all of that a reality today. Besides the navigation by speech, Picture Arena of course also supports mouse and keyboard.
Independence through resyncing files
The resync feature of Picture Arena gives its users independence from the network and freedom of choice regarding their equipment and working location. Creating graphics independently, yet integrated into a team? Network connections that are not permanently available? Relocating work from the desktop to the notebook on sunny days? Not a problem: Picture Arena gives its users maximum flexibility and takes care of distributed file bases staying consistent and up-to-date.
Integrated tools
Many practical tools in Picture Arena ease the everyday life of its users. For example, the orientation of digicam pictures can be corrected automatically. Batch exports and conversions can be combined with effect recipes. Batch renames may be performed and - in contrast to other applications - also be undone with the inbuilt undo feature. Pictures can be searched for and found, sorted by different criteria and much, much more.
Inner qualities
Without creating confusion, Picture Arena manages to give the user access to its diverse functionality via a compact interface. Furthermore, it shines with full multiprocessor support, widely available internal multitasking, full support of alpha channels, intelligent EXIF support, a theoretically unlimited number of project windows and the support even of exotic formats. Currently supported are BMP, GIF, IFF-RGB8, IFF-ILBM (except HAM), IFF-YUVN, JPEG, MacPaint, PBM, PCX (including the 24 bit version), PhotoCD™ (a trademark of Eastman Kodak Company), Photoshop® PSD (including alpha), PDF, PGM, PICT, PNG (including alpha), PPM, TARGA (including alpha), SGI, TIFF, WBMP and many more.

Availability

Picture Arena 1.0 is immediately available for MacOS® X 10.3 ("Panther") and higher at an introductory price of 19,90 € (approximately 25,90 US-Dollar). The price will presumably be raised to 29,90 € later. A trial version can be downloaded at http://www.picturearena.com/. The only functional limitations are a demo-watermark in every saved file and the limitation of the trial period to 14 days. Picture Arena is fully localized in English and German.

About the IOSPIRIT GmbH

The IOSPIRIT GmbH has been founded in 2004 by Felix Schwarz with the aim of developing high-quality software for the Mac® - low-priced, so everybody can enjoy it.

A special focus during development lies on the latest technologies in MacOS® X, their innovative use, own innovations and industry novelties - far away from outworn paths.

The IOSPIRIT GmbH is based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

For more information, please contact:

IOSPIRIT GmbH, Felix Schwarz, CEO
Phone: ~~+49 9132 732844~~
Email: Contact

A presskit with screenshots and logos is available here:

http://www.picturearena.com/presskit/

Blog

Remote Buddy updates bring macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 compatibility and bugfixes

Compatible with macOS Sequoia

Compatible with iOS 18

Available now

Press Kit

Remote Buddy 2.6 expands IR support, adds shell actor and UI improvements

Improved Custom Actions

Global Custom Actions

New actor for shell scripts

Custom Action Editor improvements

Expanded infrared (IR) support

More IR codecs and better IR recording

Sending and learning IR commands with AppleScript

Introducing irtool: IR support for the command line

More improvements

Renaming remote controls

Support for IINA

Tutorial: how to use Siri Remotes to control a MIDI setup for podcasting

Availability and Release Notes

Press Kit

Remote Buddy updates bring macOS Sonoma compatibility, support iOS password managers and dictation, add iPad hardware support

Compatible with macOS Sonoma

iOS password manager integration

Dictation support

Trackpad, mouse and hardware keyboard support

Available now

Press Kit

Vidimote 1.8 makes skipping unwanted videos & entering PiP easier

Skip and PiP button on top of videos

Automatic Speed Lock

Settings shortcut

Available now

Press Kit

Vidimote 1.7 released, at a lower price

Inline permission assistance

macOS Ventura bug workaround

Available now - and at a lower price

Press Kit

Remote Buddy 2.4 update

Support for the Alexa Voice Remote Pro

Control playback speed in Kodi

New Siri Remote option

Other improvements

Now requires at least macOS 10.13

Remote Buddy 2.3 adds support for macOS Ventura, the new Siri Remote, Microsoft Edge and Jellyfin Media Player

macOS Ventura support

Support for the 3rd generation Siri Remote

Control Microsoft Edge - web video control included!

Support for the Jellyfin Media Player app

Many small improvements and bugfixes

How to get the update

Remote Buddy 2.2 update

Siri Remote improvements

Support for the Amazon Prime Mac app

Support for the Roku Infrared remote RC-16F

Privacy & Security improvements

Spacious 2.3 available!

What's new

Availability & pricing

Vidimote for Mac brings extended PiP & playback controls to web videos in Safari

What is Vidimote?

Popup with video controls

Extended Picture-in-Picture

Default speed & other settings

Highly compatible

Native user interface

Respect for your privacy

Availability

Press Kit

Remote Buddy 2.1 update

Device compatibility

Netflix updates

App compatibility

Introducing Vidimote: smart playback controls for web videos in Safari!

Remote Buddy 2.0 is here, packed with new features!

What's new

The Highlights

Siri Remote support

Remote Buddy Mobile 2

Introducing `irtool`: IR support for the command line