In an average consumers drawing room there is a Television set, a Set-top box and a DVD/Blu-ray player. If you are using all the three devices at once, you will surely have a hard-time manning them all. This is the time you would feel the need of a single remote control that can control all your devices. There are numerous Universal remotes available in the market currently, ranging from branded ones to the ones
made from the land of Dragons.
However, if you happen to have an iPhone 4, you no longer need to hunt for an additional universal remote.
Mashed Pixel has come up with a new accessory called Surc that makes your iPhone 4 act as a universal remote controller. We’ve been using it for quite some time and this is what we think.
Design:
As you’d have guessed by the image, Surc is a case that comes integrated with an Infrared sensor. So in addition to transforming your iPhone 4 into a fully fledged remote control, it protects the device as well. Surc has a really simple design. The case protects the back and the sides of the device with cutouts for the buttons making them easily accessible. From a case perspective, the Surc is thin but looks rigid enough to protect the iPhone. It has a matte finish for better grip. Finally, the most important part in the case is the integrated connector.
Installation:
Installing Surc on the iPhone 4 is not rocket science however, you need to take special care. Since the case has the connector, you have to carefully connect the iPhone 4 and slide it in. In case you find it difficult, Surc has got a bunch of video tutorials to get you going.
Universal Remote Control:
Installing the case is only half job done. To use the iPhone 4 as an universal remote control, you’ll need to download the free Surc app from the App Store. You’ll first need to setup “rooms,” after which you’ll be able to add up remotes. Adding remotes is really easy. Just go the respective room and add a device, which will be followed up with a series of questions and you’re all set.
Surc has a nicely thought-out user interface that makes switching of rooms and devices easy and fast. The topmost part lists all the rooms, which when selected reveals the remotes and their control buttons at the bottom.
One good thing I like about Surc is that the remotes are highly customizable to match user’s preference. A new ‘Edit Device’ option allows you to do just that. Don’t use the Menu button on the remote? Just remove it. Use the Channel +/- buttons frequently? Place it in the best possibly location wherein your fingers can reach easily. To make things easier, Surc also supports Gesture controls. Do a 1-Finger swipe and Power On a device. Tap twice and mute it, and so on. There are lots of gesture control options to choose from.
Although Surc has a huge dynamically updated list of devices to choose from, there can be a device not listed in the database. In that case, a user can just add the Type of device and pair the controls with a real remote. Initiate pairing on the Surc app and just press the same button on the actual remote control by pointing towards the iPhone 4. The required function will be paired on the Surc remote control. Sure, a time consuming task but totally worth it if you the device is unlisted in the Surc database.
Similarly, you can add a Room remote by adding some or all the controls of all the devices in a room onto a single remote control.
Other nifty features present are a TV Guide. Unfortunately, it only supports United States but I hope Surc includes an option to add TV Guides from other countries or an option to add it manually. Next up is the Themes support. Frankly, I couldn’t care more how the remote looks as far it works perfectly but if you’re up for looks, Surc gives few eye pleasing options to choose from. Finally, it’s the Backup and Send/Receive feature. Users can backup or restore all their remotes onto Surc’s server as well as send or receive them by sharing with another Sur user or an email address.
Conclusion:
So is it worth it? Well, if you’re in the market for a universal remote control, Surc is a great alternative. It’s easy to use, highly customizable but is marred by only one limitation — it needs an iPhone 4 to work. Thankfully, Surc will expand its choice of devices to other iPhones, iPod touch, iPad and hopefully, Android as well.
It can be bought from the link below for $74.95.
Rating: 
Pros: Easy to use, customizable, protects iPhone 4
Cons: Restricted to iPhone 4
way too much money and way too limited.