Android Magazine UK - Issue No. 49

Qmote

P

icture the scene: you’re trying to enjoy a

Sunday morning lie-in, but then your phone

alarm goes off. It’s on the other side of the

room and out of reach, forcing you to get out of bed.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a remote control for

your phone? Enter the Qmote. This multifunctional

remote can turn off your alarm, fi nd your phone

when it’s missing, turn music on and off, and control

all sorts of smart tech around the house.

The size and shape of a guitar plectrum, the

Qmote only has the one button, but you can

program it to complete any number of functions

depending on how many times you click it. These

can easily be set up using the free companion app.

Small enough to fi t it in your pocket or fi t on a

keyring, the Qmote offers all the conveyance and

control of a smartwatch, but without the need to

have it manacled to your wrist.

Could this Kickstarter

replace Android Wear?

At a glance

» Product name Qmote

» Available from qblinks.com

» Price £TBC/ $24.

A single-button remote control which lets you perform

actions on your phone, even when it’s out of reach

Where did the idea for the Qmote

originally come from?

A

We have been working on Bluetooth

Smart based technology since 2012 and

launched our first Bluetooth Smart product,

the Qblinks-Q1, in June 2014. When we first

created Qblinks-Q1, we tried making a super

light version of a ‘smart-watch-like’ gadget. We

collected feedback from our backers of the

unsuccessful campaign to figure out what they

did like about Qblinks. Everyone thought we

were creating a remote control, so we did.

What else did you learn from

this feedback?

A

We researched similar products, listed

features we wanted to include, and sent

them to our backers. We used their feedback to

decide which functions to include and examined

how the media reported the unsuccessful product.

For example, Qblinks-Q1 had a temperature sensor

but the media rarely mentioned it. This was the first

feature we removed and we tried to integrate as

many features as possible.

Howcomplexisthesetupprocessto

programwhatyouwanttheQmotetodo?

A

We’re doing our best to keep the setup

straight-forward. For the first time user, just

press [the Qmote], scan, add and done. Qmote

works with laptops as a presentation remote, but

people mostly use Qmote with smartphones so

you may need to disconnect it from your phone

and reconnect it to your laptop for a presentation.

However, when the Qmote connects to your

phone again it will restore the configuration with

the phone automatically.

Doesn’tawearableliketheAndroidWear

smartwatch make Qmote’s unnecessary?

A

You can only wear one watch at a time but

you can have many Qmotes at multiple

locations for multiple purposes. A smartwatch

is an extension of the smarthphone. For most

applications of a smartwatch you still need to

look at it – glancing at your smartwatch while

drivingacarisdangerous.Qmoteoffersquick

actions without watching your smartphone.

AKickstartpledgeforQmotecostas

little as $15, how much will it retail for?

A

MSRP in North America is $24.99 and

for the EU it is $26.99.

What other plans do you have for the

Qmote’s functionality?

A

We have opened Qmote protocol

specifi cation to the public. Some

people are asking about the SDK, so the next

thing for us is to release the software SDK

for developers to make Qmote compatible

apps. The other request, particularly from

Android users, is for Tasker support. Hopefully

we will be able to add this soon after we

release the Qmote.

Q & A

Co-Founder of Qblinks

Samson Chen

NEW TECH Android remote

One button

controls

The Qmote’s elegant design

only requires one button.

Use the companion app to

program different numbers

of clicks for different

functions, such as, one click

to turn off your alarm or two

clicks to activate Google Now

IFTTT integrated

Qmote works with IFTTT so you

can harness the online

automation service to control the

smart tech in your house, like

dimming your Philips Hue

lightbulbs or turning down your

Nest thermostat

Long life battery

The Qmote doesn’t require

constant charging. Instead, it runs

on a coin cell battery that will

impressively last a full year, and

only uses Bluetooth Low Energy 4.

to connect with your phone

Water resistant

Designed to be used both at

home and on the on the go, the

Qmote has IPX7 rating so you can

use it in rain, snow or brief

splashes of water