Did Peel Just Turn The Apple Watch Into A Universal Remote Control?

Like Hulu, yet another third party is trying to turn the Apple Watch into more than just a wearable device. Peel, a manufacturer of smart remotes, has just debuted a universal remote control mobile app designed to be used on Apple’s one and only smartwatch (so far). This app basically allows owners of the Apple Watch to operate more than 400,000 types of home electronic devices, not only television sets but also DVD players and even audio and streaming gadgets such as the Roku. 

Peel’s latest mobile app for the Apple Watch is actually an extension of its smart remote mobile app for iPhone devices, which has already been out in the market for some time now. And although the Peel Apple Watch app lets users control devices by way of a Wi-Fi connection, people will still need the Pronto hardware, the same one used on the iPhone version of the app.

For those who are not familiar with Pronto, it is the 360 degree infrared blaster that turns iPhone devices (and now the Apple Watch too) into a smart universal remote control. Costing a shade over fifty bucks, Pronto is placed in your entertainment center and generally supplies the infrared capabilities needed to control TV sets and other electronic devices. It also has the ability to connect to the mobile user’s iPhone device with the use of Bluetooth Smart technology.

Peel’s iPhone app gives mobile users a personalized TV guide that comes with recommendations for movies and TV shows based on preferences and on what video content was viewed earlier by the customer. By this logic, a person who always makes use of the Peel app in viewing programs get better and more fine tuned recommendations as time goes by. On top of that, the mobile app actually helps people discover fresh content across various video content providers such as Netflix, Hulu, and even YouTube.

As for the company’s Apple Watch app, it also serves to provide a miniature version of Peel’s visual program guide, which mobile users can scroll through on their smartwatch’s screen. The guide will show the first three ribbons from the Top Picks tab in the app, and right after using it, the Channels You Watched section will be displayed. If a user discovers something he wants to watch, he just has to tap on the thumbnail picture and instantly start viewing right there and then. Oh, and it also allows people to turn devices on and off, manage audio settings, and even surf channels. 

The app can be downloaded from iTunes, while the Pronto hardware is sold separately at Amazon, Best Buy, and NewEgg, among many others.