IOSPIRIT GmbH starts into May by releasing the second release candidate (RC2) of Remote Buddy to the general public with a true firework of new features. The most important news in this release:

• Fullblown, virtual onscreen keyboard and Mousespot presentation tool

  Owners of a compatible remote control can now enjoy a fullblown, freely scaleable, virtual keyboard. The virtual mouse - existant in Remote Buddy since the first Preview - has also been further improved and can now - using the new Mousespot feature - gently highlight the position of the mousecursor. With Remote Buddy, media center owners can unplug their mouse and keyboard and use their remote control as a replacement instead.

• Emulation of a virtual Apple® Remote

  This, for the first time, makes it possible to use programs (like, f.ex. iAlertU) that usually require the built-in IR receiver of newer models on older Macintosh® computers. With any supported remote control.

• Usage and different configuration of multiple Apple® Remotes with Macs with an internal receiver, usage of otherwise unavailable hardware features of internal receivers and compatibility to OS 10.4.9 thanks to a kernel extension of its own

  Remote Buddy's drivers for the internal Apple® Remote IR receivers have been rewritten from scratch. Thanks to an exclusive kernel extension, it is now possible to fully use all hardware features. The usage, authorization and different configuration of multiple Apple® Remotes is now possible just as well as shorter reaction times, full compatibility to OS 10.4.9 and play and menu button presses of arbitrary length (previously limited to 0 seconds). An example for one possibility to use the new support for multiple Apple® Remotes: when using two Apple® Remotes, you can now configure the first to exclusively control iTunes® and the second for usage with everything else.

• Support for the IR mousemode of the Wii™ Remote with just one infrared light source (a world premiere), new energy saving options, support for waking the computer with connected Wii™ remotes

• Support for now more than 70 applications and system functions

  Among the 17 new entries are Democracy Player, Joost™, Lightroom® and SlingPlayer. Of course, users continue to be able to control, among other things, supported webbrowsers, audio & video, presentation and media management apps as well as games and control over parameters like screen brightness, resolution, refresh rate and volume with their remote control.

• Reworked iTunes® Behaviour including support for the Cover Flow® display mode

• The mapping of buttons is now completely unlimited.

• Further speed improvements, allowing the use of Remote Buddy on many G3 models

Two new demo videos are available on the Remote Buddy website, giving you a first overview of what is possible with this product. A complete and detailed list of changes is available at http://www.iospirit.com/remotebuddy/releasenotes/ .

Using Release Candidate 2, users can fully control any Mac® using an Apple® Remote, Keyspan™ Express, Keyspan™ DMR, Keyspan™ RF Remote for Front Row, Griffin AirClick USB, Wii™ Remote, SiK™ Rex™, a number of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones or a keyboard. At Mac® Expo in Paris, Remote Buddy has received the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple® Technologies" for its innovative use of the latest technologies.