So smart they know what you're pointing at
Sevenhugs rode the crowdfunding train to great success in 2016, when it attracted over a million dollars in backing for its futuristic smart remote. Now it’s releasing its latest models, the Smart Remote U and Smart Remote X, in its quest to help people stitch together the disparate services and products in their smart homes.
The Smart Remote U and X are small, simple, and sleek, with touchscreen controls that are fully customisable. Sevenhugs says they can connect to some 650,000 devices using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and infrared tech.
Read next: The best smart buttons for smart home automation and scene control
Some notable integrations include all the major TV manufacturers, as well as Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, and Sonos, plus smart home gadgets from Nest, WeMo, Hue, and Lifx. For a full list check out Sevenhugs’ website.
Users can also set up shortcuts to queue multiple actions across different devices, which they can execute at the tap of a button. This means you can set up scenes and processes nicely for whatever mood takes you.
The Smart Remote X is the real powerhouse of the pair, and boasts an interesting feature called ‘Point Mode’. This uses contextual awareness to know what device you’re pointing at as you do so, and displays the right screen for that device. No more switching inputs or searching for the right source, control any device or system without having to pre-select it on the remote. If it works as seamlessly as Sevenhugs promises, it could be quite the game-changer.
The Smart Remote X comes in black or white, and clocks in at $299.99, while the slightly less smart Smart Remote U is only available in black, but is $100 less expensive at $199.99.
For now, Best Buy is your best bet outside of buying direct from Sevenhugs.com, but the company says the remotes will be available on Amazon soon.
