Though only a week ago, we were witnessing the rebirth of a certain category of gadgets that seemed to hit a stop for quite some time, “La Renaissance” continues with the Re dongle that adds the same functionality power-ups as similar products, to your iPhone or iPod touch.

The Re is also compatible with the Apple OS 3.1 version and later, like the i-Got-Control I was referring to earlier and has a lot more similarities, except for the general aspect, which seems to be a little bit more stylish. Now that I have mentioned the word similarities, let me tell you all about them, starting with the fact that the Re dongle also uses a special piece of software in order to let your iPhone/iPod Touch communicate with “nearly all IR controlled entertainment and home control equipment,” as revealed on the maker’s website.

"The Rē has a fully populated IR code database chip for instant support of nearly all AV entertainment and home automation devices," said NewKinetix head of engineering and operations John Miller.

Like other universal remote-transforming gadgets for the famous Apple products, this piece of software will be available for free in the App Store. Another similar feature is the fact that the dongle itself has to be bought separately; of course, without it, the application software will do nothing. Simply plug it in the 30-PIN dock connector and start controlling your home entertainment gadgets from the touchscreen of your iPod touch.

The Re dongle is manufactured in the U.S. and even has the same price ($69.95) as the competition. I will leave you with Barry Baril, marketing spokesman for NewKinetix, "Competition legitimizes the market. I'm confident that consumers and analysts will recognize the superior value of the Rē. Every other iPhone remote available lacks at least one critical universal remote feature available in the Rē today."


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