Say Hello To Clik, One Of The Simplest YouTube Remotes In The App Store
February 17, 2012
The idea of using your iDevice as a remote is nothing new. Several of the top cable and satellite providers have apps to control their set-top boxes, but online service specific ones like YouTube Remote also exist. However, none of these solutions feature the level of ease and portability of Clik, a new universal YouTube remote app.
What is the one thing common with most remote control apps, even Apple's own Remote app? They require a server-side software setup or at least an account. Clik is different, much simpler and even more portable. In fact, Clik requires no account login and no additional software installation -- besides the Clik iOS app, of course.
To use Clik, access Clikthis.com on any Web browser that supports Adobe Flash content, launch the Clik iOS app, and point your iDevice's camera at the large QR code displayed on the Web page. That's it! The synchronization remains until the Web page is closed or the Clik user disconnects.
Once synced, use your iDevice to begin playback of any YouTube videos you've marked as favorites, browse trending and popular feeds, or search by keyword. Once playback has begun, you can control the volume, scrub forward or backward, and play or pause. In addition, Clik offers "multiplayer mode," the ability for more than one user to select videos and control playback. To add a user to the session, tap on the Clik logo in the top-left of the iOS app, tap the blue "Show Clik Code" button, and have your friend scan the QR code with his or her copy of Clik.
Is Clik the perfect YouTube remote? No, as it does have limitations. While videos fill up the entire browser viewing area, I didn't see any way of going full screen. Because of no login capabilities, you'll need to favorite each video per iDevice and can't access YouTube specific features like commenting, rating, My Videos, and so on. Lastly, a small annoyance but it's not iPad-optimized.
Overall, I still found Clik to be one of the slickest YouTube controllers out there, even though it does have limitations. I'll be keeping it around, especially since it's completely free, and I'll be waiting to see if any enhancements come along.
Clik is designed for iPhone and the fourth generation iPod touch running iOS 4.0 or later, and available in the App Store as a free download. The app will work on a second generation iPad in iPad Compatibility Mode.
