We’ve just noticed a new RF4CE remote control from Philips listed on the ZigBee Alliance website:  http://www.zigbee.org/Products/DesignedForZigBee/tabid/234/Default.aspx

Is this the first RF4CE product…?

Called the Philips C210 + OVU-RF4CE/TID/1 – Remote control + receiver that work with RF4CE protocol;  this is likely a pre-release version currently being certified (the Designed for ZigBee products listed here are normally at that stage).

Exciting to see this first wave of new remotes being released now!

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With the RF4CE spec now available, expect to see product announcements coming thick & fast over the following months.

The first of these comes from Samsung, who have just announced they’ve received ZigBee certification:  http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800584348_499488_NT_4949d7cf.HTM

Meanwhile, Philips have announced the first remote control solution using ZigBee RF4CE:  http://zigbee.org/imwp/idms/popups/pop_download.asp?contentID=16386

And if this article’s prediction is correct, then vendors should start shipping devices by Christmas 2009, and top 160 million units by 2012:  http://www.planetanalog.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216403050

We’re really excited by the potential of this new wave of wireless consumer electronics, replacing infra-red technology that’s been around for many years.

Freescale have produced a nice video showing some of the technology benefits:  www.freescale.com/rf4ce

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We should begin to see RF remotes replacing IR by year end, with the ZigBee RF4CE spec now available for download from the Alliance site.  This whitepaper has just been released:  http://www.zigbee.org/imwp/download.asp?ContentID=16212

This new presentation is also a good overview of the current state of ZigBee, detailing RF4CE progress as well as Green Power, Healthcare and Enhanced Smart Energy:  http://www.zigbee.org/imwp/download.asp?ContentID=16299

There’s even a proposed mockup of how the first RF4CE profile may look (ZigBee Remote Control).

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