remote-controlled

"Doctor Who" excitement levels are hitting overload as the long-running series gears up for a big 50th anniversary extravaganza episode that will bring together many of the doctors in one show. I would recommend celebrating the occasion with a remote-control flying Tardis. It's not going to get tangled like a super-long scarf, and it's a lot cheaper than building your own working K-9.

Forget aerodynamics, this is a pretty faithful replica of the Doctor's Tardis in miniature. The handset controller runs on four AA batteries while the Tardis itself is chargeable through USB from the handset. Half an hour of charging time will net you up to seven minutes of flight time.… Read more

Millions of people use TeamViewer to remotely control their own and others' PCs to provide support, host online meetings, and manage files. TeamViewer for Remote Control lets you control computers remotely from your smartphone. Wherever you are, you can access and control your partner PCs using TeamViewer's Mobile app, just like using TeamViewer from a desktop or laptop. To use TeamViewer for Remote Control, you'll need to be a TeamViewer user and have the client software installed on the machine you want to control, but that's free. You don't even have to sign up for a … Read more

PARIS -- LeWeb's focus this year on "the Internet of things" this year brought Net-enabled door locks, houseplant monitors, and footstep loggers to the conference stage. But the gadget that caught the most attention was a remote-controlled quadcopter.

Quadcopters are all the rage these days, popularized best by the Parrot AR.Drone. Here at LeWeb, startup Team BlackSheep showed its take on the tech with a model that's remotely piloted by an operator who sees what's going on from a camera mounted on the drone itself.

Raphael Pirker, founder of the company, piloted a TBS … Read more

Ever wonder how the sausage is made around here? I can't reveal all the tricks of the cheapskate trade, but I do want to shine some light on the "exclusive" deals I occasionally post.

Every so often a developer or vendor approaches me to ask if I'll spotlight one of their products. If it's a killer deal, I'll usually say yes. If it's a product or service I know well and really like, I'll usually say yes.

But sometimes I'll tell the rep or owner outright: This isn't a good … Read more

TeamViewer is a free tool that makes it incredibly easy to set and use a VPN connection; a Virtual Private Network that lets you take complete control of another PC from your own computer, whether they're separated by a soda can or a continent (and as long as both machines are running TeamViewer). It enables two-way connections in which users can flip control back and forth. TeamViewer also lets you hold virtual meetings with multiple participants (again, they all must have TeamViewer installed). With a name like TeamViewer, you'd expect it to be an enterprise-ready tool, and you'… Read more

If you're one of the 15 to 26 million people who use Spotify to listen to music on the regular, you'd probably appreciate being able to control it remotely from your iPhone, Android, or other device, so you don't have to walk over to your computer, Android, or iPhone in order to skip a song, queue up a new playlist or album, and so on.

Luckily for you, we've found several apps that let you do exactly that, whether you're trying to control Spotify on a Mac, Windows, or even an iOS or Android … Read more

In an obvious effort to turn YouTube into more of a TV-like experience, Google has created the YouTube Remote app for Android devices. With this free download, you can pair your mobile device with a desktop computer or YouTube-ready television, and use Android to share control of your YouTube playlist.

As great as the concept is for YouTube Remote, in practice, I see some things that need to be ironed out. My biggest gripe is that the device pairing process is not as simple as it should be. You must first navigate to YouTube.com/leanback on your computer or … Read more

Users of the Splashtop app, which lets you control your PC from an iPad, will find a few enhancements in the latest version.

Released on Wednesday, Splashtop 2 throws in support for the new iPad's Retina Display, so users can take advantage of the higher resolution. You can also now set up a connection without having to enter an IP address or port numbers. Just install and launch the Splashtop streamer app on your computer and the Splashtop iPad app on your tablet, and your computer automatically pops up as an available connection.

Security has also been beefed up … Read more

Last month, CNET reported that Apple was granted a patent for a steering-wheel remote, a clever-sounding gizmo that would allow drivers to control audio playback without having to look at or interact with their iPhones.

Of course, who knows if or when this product will see the light of day. Fortunately, there's another one that already has: the Satechi BT Media Remote. I've spent the last couple days test-driving one, and I've arrived at this conclusion: Best. Accessory. Ever!

OK, maybe I'm a little overenthusiastic about a Bluetooth remote, but it solves exactly the problem described … Read more