Ahanix iMON Review

With the ability to control almost every program in Windows and a functional joystick mouse, the iMON by Ahanix is an excellent addition to any Media Center PC or HTPC project.

Summary

The Ahanix iMON infrared remote control and included software make a powerful multimedia combination. Users of Media Center PCs and home-built HTPCs alike will appreciate its usefulness, relatively easy configuration and customizable features.

Lacking only a few key buttons useful in PVR functions, which the company includes in another version of the remote, there isn’t much more that we could ask for with the iMON remote. The remote does what the company says it can do and it does it well.

At under $70, this is one piece of hardware that really does help to bridge the gap between computing and home entertainment.

Introduction

With Media Center PCs and custom built home theater PCs (HTPCs) bridging the gap between computing and home entertainment, one key issue remains: controlling the device. The problem lies in trying to manage a computer that up until now has been controlled by a mouse and a keyboard, from the comfort of your couch. Optical or roller-ball mice generally won’t cut it because they require a flat surface, which is often hard to find when lounging back in your couch to enjoy your digital entertainment.

Gyration has come up with some innovative designs, creating a mouse-like remote that utilizes internal gyroscopes so mouse movements can be accomplished with the flick of your wrist. And ATI includes a radio-frequency remote control with a thumb-pad mouse control with their All-In-Wonder line of multimedia video cards. But there was something lacking in each of those designs.

Enter the Wireless Freedom iMON remote control by Ahanix. The iMON is an average-sized infrared remote control that includes all of the number and application keys common to home theater PC functions. Supplied to us by online retailer Sharka, at under $70, the iMON just might be the device to finish off your home-built HTPC or store-bought Media Center PC.

Included with the iMON is the remote, infrared reciever, two batteries and software.

Design and Features

The iMON looks and feels like any regular multi-purpose remote control and could easily get lost among the sea of remotes in your living room or home theater. It is a black plastic control that runs on two AAA batteries. While the Gyration and ATI solutions are radio-frequency based, the iMON operates via infrared. The IR sensor is a small transparent and black plastic sphere that almost looks like an oversized eyeball. It sits on a small base that comes with a sticky backing so it doesn’t move around on you. The device hooks up to any Windows PC (98 and up) via USB and features a 3 ½-foot cord allowing you to position the "eye" where you want. Ahanix lists minimum system requirements as a 500MHz Pentium III, which is just about the minimum required for a basic HTPC anyway.

With 43 keys, the iMON can control almost anything on your HTPC that you would want, and it also features programmable actions and macros to add even more functionality. What sets the iMON apart from other PC-based remote controls is the joystick mouse. The mouse is a joystick located in the center of the remote and is easily operated with a thumb. It takes some getting used to as we found it hard to stop our cursor on the icon we wanted at first, but eventually we were able to get the hang of it. The remote/mouse includes all of the regular buttons associated with a mouse and mouse-based navigation such as left-click, right-click, forward and back. Pushing the joystick down works like a double-click on a standard mouse and there is even a ‘drag and drop’ button that proved to be very useful to us.

The iMON’s USB receiver can also be programmed to work with any other remote control you may have, making it useful for a host of other applications.

Our review unit included a software version that was out of date but we were able to download the latest drivers and software from the iMON website. One great feature of the latest software is a home theater PC front end, called Multi-Median, which provides access to photos, music, videos and even live TV if you have a TV tuner. Multi-Median can also record and pause live TV, like a PVR application would.

The iMON software has presets to control a number of media applications such as Winamp, Windows Media Player, Power DVD and many others. These files allow you to load presets that have defined actions tied to certain keys on the remote. If the application you want to control is not available as a preset, the software allows you to easily add supported programs and settings, so virtually any program you can load on your computer can be controlled by the iMON.

Useful keys on the remote include:

• Application Launcher