Sugiyama Electronc will release the "Remocon Saucer," a learning remote control that is operated by a connection with a FOMA handset's TV phone function. It will be released o­n February 10th. It was developed jointly with NTT DoCoMo Tohoku, so it will first be released in major DoCoMo stores throughout Tohoku, then later nationwide. Its price is Open, but it is estimated to cost around 12,000 yen.

This "Remocon Saucer" has an infrared learning remote function, and connects with the TV phone function of FOMA handsets. The Remocon Saucer and a FOMA handset are connected, and the Saucer is left at home, allowing the user to operate home electronics and appliances from outside their home through another handset's TV phone function. Operating the remote is done by inputting pre-defined numbers o­n this mobile phone. The remote supports as many as 8 kinds of signals. The results of the operation and the current state can be viewed with the TV phone function.

To use this product, two lines are required: o­ne to connect to the Remocon Saucer, and o­ne to operate it from outside the home. The connection between the Remocon Saucer and FOMA handset is done via earphone mic jack. The handsets that can be connected are the P901i, P901iS, P700i, P701iD, P902i, N901iC, N901iS, N700i, N701i, N902i, Nevica-F, and AirView 2. All FOMA handsets that support TV phone can control the unit from outside the home, besides the M1000.

Inspired by:
http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/cda/article/news_toppage/27602.html [1]

Remocon Saucer Homepage:
http://www.remoconsaucer.com/ [2]