2) ThinkFlood is a startup, but a smart one. It’s only a matter of time before they also have support for Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, etc. All they would need to do is fund a port of the handset client software to each of these other platforms and my guess is the exact same hardware dock will be able to support these new platforms without changing anything. So the strategy is target the biggest install base first that will give you some buzz, some sales to fund additional development, and a chance to refine things. If sales go well, you’ll see much broader platform support and next thing you know nearly every phone your guest could show up with will have a client available.

Regarding, the problem you had with the remote issuing a sequence of commands too quickly: I think this is a fairly common feature on higher-end remotes. I have a $100 universal remote that I bought about 6 years ago that allows me to do this. It’s usually a feature that’s buried in the manual, and not on the box.

Overall, I think using an iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote is a great idea, and was wondering when a solution like this would be released. But the bottom line is it’s way overpriced. They should be able to turn a healthy profit selling this for $50. This would undercut the Harmony remotes which dominate the market.