No, this app isn't geared towards a specific brand of products. With this free app and a store-bought attachment, you can control nearly any device in your house with your iPhone—without WiFi.
As if your iPhone didn't do enough, now you can use it to control your TV, DVD player, DVR, cable box, speaker system and anything else that responds to infrared, thanks to company L5 Technology. (It also works with the iPod Touch!)
Once you download the free app from the iTunes App Store and purchase a $49.95 L5 Remote attachment (available at retailers and L5remote.com), you're well on your way to pure remote-less bliss.
Setup is reportedly a breeze, using a drag-and-drop feature to customize your remote interface to only the devices you need to use daily. It will work up to a distance of 30 feet, without WiFi.
And don't worry about not having enough space for all your remote needs. The L5 remote has a 1000 remote capacity.
The L5 Remote attachment doesn't require any batteries or external power to work (that's a good thing—no charging!), but we would wage it'll drain your iPhone battery pretty quickly. A small price to pay for a clutter-free coffee table.
Sign up to be notified when the app and attachment become available through L5 Technology's site.
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I can't imagine sending an IR signal when in use would actually drain the battery that badly. It's not like it's constantly doing any sort of work; all it does is is send the signal to the accessory at a key press.
At least that's what I would hope.
VNTN is right. Straight from the L5 site FAQ:
Will the accessory drain the iPhone batteries?
No. Each code transmission uses a tiny bit of power for a half second. You wont notice a significant effect on battery life. However, leaving your iPhone or iPod touch on will use the battery with any app, including the L5 remote.
I have extensive experience with touch screen remote controls for home theater use. For example, the Philips Pronto and Marantz units, URC, etc.
Most power usage is for the backlighted display. If you're channel surfing, you are going to want the display to remain on, so you can press a button every couple of seconds. Specialized remotes have large batteries with capacity for several days of use before recharging.
Custom graphics and macros typically fill up several megabytes of memory.
There are usually a few hard buttons, so commonly used commands can be pressed by touch. Eg. volume and channel up/ down, 4-way pad with OK button, etc.
There are other differences too, of course.
However, these units usually cost several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars.