If there is one place Apple has RIM beat, it is most definitely with it’s huge number of applications. While Apple’s App store is available globally, offers 60,000 apps, and has over 1.5 billion downloads, RIM’s number are far behind with the App World unavailable in most of the world. One of my major disappointments with my new BlackBerry was the fact that I could not install the App World, which made finding good apps a challenging task.
VLC
VLC Remote: The Perfect App; Almost
Let me start off by saying that VLC Media Player is hands down the best video player I have ever encountered on a PC. It is an open source, simple to use, lightweight application that plays almost every format of video. I personally have never come across a video format that could not be played by VLC.
So imagine the excitement when I stumbled upon this amazing little app for my iPod Touch that claimed to transform the iPod into a remote control that is able to control any instance of VLC on a PC. I had to try it out. Not only was I not disappointed, I was so impressed, I seriously considered buying the premium version (I have yet to purchase any app from the App Store, nothing seemed worth it; YET) that enables you to not only control VLC but also select files to play with no displayed ads.
I did not end up buying it because like many apps on the iPod, it is an amazing app, but in reality I am never going to use it, or I wont use it enough to warrant me spending the $1.99 for the non-free app.
The app works completely seamlessly with no delay at all. You click the Stop button on the iPod and VLC stops immediately. No bugs, no problems. Well, almost none. It did not detect my PC, I had to manually add it by its IP address, which took 10 seconds. Once I initially set that up, the app worked perfectly.
So if you ever watch videos on your PC, first thing’s first, download VLC. Then, download the VLC Remote Free app from the App store, lay back, and enjoy the movie!
-Hillel
