在《华尔街日报》作为专栏作家所测试的第一款产品就是万能遥控器，那是一个大家伙，看上去就不太顺眼，厚厚的一本说明书，页数估计跟遥控器上的按钮数量差不多。那个玩意儿能遥控几乎任何东西，从灯光到自动窗帘，以及各种娱乐设备。
时间真的能改变很多东西。本周，差不多正好八年后，我测试了另外两款红外线转发器，它们可以直接插到iPhone或iPod touch上，将其变成一个万能遥控器，来控制各种各样的电子设备。转发器的设置只需要几分钟时间，而且凭直觉就能完成，我都没看说明书。
我 测试的是L5 Technology公司出品的L5 Remote(www.L5remote.com)，售价50美元的，还有New Potato Technologies公司出品的FLPR (www.newpotatotech.com)，售价80美元。两款产品都能遥控成千上万种电子设备，我把这两个转发器分别插入iPhone 4的基座连接器，下载免费的软件来遥控两台电视机，包括我办公室里的一台老款索尼(Sony)电视和一台TiVo Series 2数码录像机。其他设备也可以遥控，比如MP3卡座、音响和DVD机等。
FLPR贵一点，但能自动生成一个定制化的遥控器设置屏幕，并为每个设备预先设定好控制按钮，你只要输入设备类型和品牌就行了。L5 Remote需要手工设定控制按钮，以匹配传统遥控器上的各个功能。
这 两款新设备所带来的便利显而易见。iPhone或iPod touch的摇身一变意味着你手头经常会携带着一个无所不能的遥控器。不过，如果你想要用遥控器，但你家人出门的时候把iPhone或iPod touch带走了怎么办，这是个问题。另外，如果有人想用遥控器，但你正在用iPhone打电话，你就得中断通话，（在新的iOS 4操作系统上）切换应用软件。
这两款红外线转发器都很小，很容易随手一放就找不到了；但要整天插在iPhone或iPod touch上的话，又觉得还不够小。
另外还有一个问题，iPhone或iPod touch的触摸屏没有传统遥控器那样的按键手感，因此按键的时候你得低头看着，确认按到没有。
我把L5和FLPR分别插入iPhone 4的时候，会出来一条信息，其中包含一个快捷方式，引导我到安装免费软件的界面。红外线转发器插到iPhone下方的连接口时，两款产品的软件界面都会自动颠倒过来，迫使我也倒转iPhone机身，让转发器正对着要遥控的设备。
FLPR 的设置很简单，用起来不费吹灰之力。我选择了被遥控设备的型号和品牌后，屏幕上立刻就能显示出设定好的按钮。我为每个被遥控设备选则显示图标，比如把一个 TiVo样子的图标设定为我的TiVo遥控。FLPR的每个遥控界面都使用了有趣的背景（叫做皮肤），包括各种扎染图案等。
虽然L5 Remote的设置必须人工输入，因此显得有点乏味，但软件很不错，能够很好地在屏幕上显示你的设定，在给每个按钮设置任务时会使用绿色的进程条来显示。
两 家公司的产品也都适用于iPad，但没有为此进行专门的优化。我在自己的iPad上成功使用了L5 Remote，用的是其在iPhone上的应用程序，运行十分流畅。L5公司的一个销售代表说，iPad专用程序计划在2010年底推出。FLPR公司表 示，其将于2010年8月推出iPad版的应用程序。
如果你不跟很多人共用遥控器，并想通过一种简单的方式、利用自己随身携带的设备来控制电子产品，FLPR将是你的最佳选择。不过，老是得插拔FLPR或L5 Remote的红外线转发器，这也是件挺痛苦的事。
One of the first technology products I tested for my job here at the Journal was a universal remote. It was a giant eyesore and its dense instruction book had about as many pages as the remote had buttons. It controlled most anything from lights to automatic shades to entertainment systems.
My, how times have changed. This week, almost exactly eight years later, I tested two different infrared sensors that plug into your iPhone or iPod touch and turn it into a universal remote that controls a myriad of devices. The setup for these took just a few minutes and was so intuitive I didn't need to consult any directions.
I tried the $50 L5 Remote (www.L5remote.com) from L5 Technology and the $80 FLPR (www.newpotatotech.com) from New Potato Technologies; both work with hundreds of thousands of electronic devices. I plugged each of these infrared sensors into the dock connector of an iPhone 4 and downloaded free apps to remotely control two TVs, including an old Sony in my office as well as a TiVo Series 2. Other devices can also be controlled, like MP3 docks, speakers or DVD players.
The FLPR costs more but automatically creates a customized remote control screen with pre-coded buttons for each of your devices; you simply enter the device type and brand. The L5 Remote requires manually training each button to match the function of a button on the physical remote.
The new devices offer an obvious convenience: An iPhone or iPod touch that doubles as a universal remote means you'll often have it with you. But that could be a problem if you want the remote and someone else has left home with the iPhone or iPod touch. And if someone wants to use one of your remotely-controlled electronics while you're on the phone, you'll have to interrupt your conversation to switch between apps (on the new iOS 4 operating system).
These infrared dongles are tiny and could easily be misplaced, yet aren't small enough to keep on your iPhone or iPod touch all day.
Another problem is that the touch screens on the iPhone and iPod touch don't give tactile feedback like remote controls with physical buttons, forcing you to look down while pressing buttons.
To get started with the L5 and FLPR, I plugged each into an iPhone 4 and a shortcut message appeared, sending me to a screen for installing each gadget's free app. Since the infrared remote plugs into the bottom of the iPhone, each app's screen automatically flipped upside down, forcing me to also flip the iPhone and point it at my devices.
The FLPR's simple setup made it a breeze to use, and each electronic device's coded buttons appeared on the screen seconds after I selected the type of device and brand name. I chose icons to represent each device, like a TiVo-looking icon for my TiVo remote. FLPR used fun backgrounds (called skins) for each remote, including tie-dyed designs.
Though the L5 Remote is a bit more tedious to set up because each button must be manually assigned, the app does a great job of showing you what's happening on the screen, using green progress bars to display when each button is assigned a task.
Both companies' products will work with -- but aren't optimized for -- the iPad. I successfully tried the L5 Remote's iPhone app with my iPad and it worked without a hitch. An L5 representative said an iPad app is due out by the end of the year. FLPR says it will release its iPad app in August.
If you don't share a remote control with many other people and want a simple way to control your electronics on a gadget you already carry all the time, FLPR will be your best bet. But the infrared pieces needed to work both the FLPR and L5 Remote are a pain to take on and off.