If, right now, you're lying there supine on your couch flipping through the boring TV channels hoping for a better alternative, you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll cover some of the best apps that let you convert your smartphone into a remote control for your desktop or laptop computer. These apps work on Android and most of them don't require any special equipment to get started.
YouTube Remote
YouTube remote lets you control YouTube using your Android device. Once you pair your smartphone with YouTube, you can search a video from your device and then watch it on the bigger screen. What's interesting is that the app ties up with your account so that you can access your previous playlists and watch them anytime you want.
This application lets you control selected Sony devices from your Android smartphone. Once installed, you'll be able to switch channels, adjust volume, access settings, and do pretty much everything that your remote lets you do. There is also an interesting feature called Catch and Throw that lets you send and/or receive URLs between your phone and your TV or laptop. The app is known to work with most Internet-enabled BRAVIA TVs and Sony VAIO computers as well, but unfortunately, it doesn't work with PS3 systems.
This app brings along a compilation of remote control that you can use
to control your PC wirelessly. You can use them to control almost all
major aspects of your computer right from mouse to media player. One
interesting feature about this application is that it lets you use your
smartphone as a touchpad device. So, if you're too lazy to reach out for
the mouse but still want to control your computer, this application
will come in handy.
This application, though compatible with Windows only, lets you control almost all of your desktop functions with your phone. With support for applications ranging from VLC to Firefox, Unified Remote makes it easier for you to do menial tasks on the desktop with relative ease.
The application, as the name suggests, lets you control VLC from your smartphone. Once paired with your desktop, you'll be able to browse through your VLC library, change tracks, and access the DVD menus as well. Overall, this is a great application for VLC lovers.
This application lets you control your Ubuntu desktop with your computer. Despite the fact that installing this application and getting it paired with the desktop is a rather tedious task, Ubuntu Remote Control does succeed at giving you some of the main functionalities you need from a remote control application. For example, you can unlock the screen, change the volume, and shutdown or restart the computer as well.
