Since pretty much everyone uses a mobile phone nowadays and a fairly large number of users opt for handsets that are able to carry out a wide variety of tasks (smartphones, to be more precise), it's no wonder that more and more advanced applications designed especially for these devices appear on the market. And two of the most interesting such applications come from a company called Unify4Life, which has developed a couple of accessories that will turn any BlackBerry smartphone into a universal remote control.

The two devices, namely the AV|Shadow and the Garage|Shadow, will allow users to employ the BlackBerry either for controlling their home cinema setup (the AV|Shadow) or for opening their garage door (the Garage|Shadow). The way these things operate is pretty much identical (Bluetooth technology), but there are also a couple of differences, so we'll have to tackle them separately.

Hence, the more useful of the two is the AV|Shadow, which turns the BlackBerry into a universal remote, able to control all of the user's audio/video equipment. The setup process is quite a fast and easy one, and it can be done either in front of the equipment or on Unify4Life's website (something similar to the Logitech Harmony One setup process). Users will be able to fully customize the buttons and activities and they'll also be able to stream music from their BlackBerry handset directly to the surrounding A/V equipment by using the SoundStreamer feature.

The second product presented by Unify4Life is the Garage|Shadow, a device that transforms the BlackBerry into a remote for the garage door. The interface allows users to quickly open, close and stop your garage door just like the switch currently connected to the garage door opener. The setup process is equally easy in the case of the Garage|Shadow, since all the users have to do is simply plug in the two wires from the Garage|Shadow, in the same location as the two wires from the ordinary switch.

Unfortunately, only the AV|Shadow is available on the market for the time being (for $100), but the Garage|Shadow is also very likely to arrive in stores shortly.


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