While it seems like every week our living room technology evolves, with new curved and 4K UHDTVs, the remote that controls these new devices seems to have hit a wall. Harmony has long dominated the upper-echelon universal remote world, but its solutions haven’t always been the most intuitive.
The good news is a fresh competitor is set to enter the marketplace, taking design cues from Cupertino while putting a highly-visual user experience first. The Ray Super Remote puts all of your devices, programming and functions into one 4.8-inch display that promises to simplify your home entertainment experience.
The Ray Super Remote uses its display as the main way of interacting with your devices, while seemingly iPhone-inspired side controls control sleep/wake and volume levels. Ray puts its plastic competition to rest with its “high-grade” anondized aluminum finish. It also sets itself apart on the inside with a dual-core Arm-Cortex-A9 GPU that utilizes 1GB of RAM, 8GB of flash memory to power a 1120×480 display. This remote also promises to cover nearly every device that you can throw at it with support for WiFi, Infared, ZigBee and Bluetooth communication. Ray already has a large list of devices that are compatible as well as apps designed specifically for Apple TV, Roku 2/3 and Xbox One.
Everything is built around a visual user experience that puts bold graphic art first. The initial “Hello” screen gives your favorite consumption options in a simple vertical layout while always displaying weather, time and battery life in an similar to iOS.
The search function is designed to find any show, movie, episode or channel across all your devices. This has the potential to be the universal search option that Apple TV users have long yearned for. They are currently partnering with Dish Network for a customized Hopper experience.
Ray also learns about your viewing preferences and offers “customized experiences” for finding what you want on television. It has a kids mode that only provides appropriate viewing options – think iOS guided access – as well as an enhanced sports mode.
Pre-orders are currently available direct from Ray with a $199 price tag and free shipping for a limited time only.
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