When the iPhone 2.0 software update was announced one of the first app to show the power of the SDK was Apple’s Remote app. This app allows you to control your iTunes Library over the WiFi network you are on. For this to work you need to have iTunes 7.7.

Setting it up is very easy and simple, just make sure both the computer the iTunes library is on and the iPod/iPhone are one the same network. Then launch the app on your iPhone/iPod and it should find your library, tap on that, it will present you with a 4 digit code to enter into iTunes. In iTunes the Remote app should be listed under your devices, click on that and enter the code. Now you are setup and ready to go. The setup is very similar for the Apple TV.

Your iPod acts as a Remote to iTunes but does not stream the music to your iPod, and you get the artwork as well. You have full access to your library so you can play anything you have in iTunes. If you head into the setting you will see you have the option to choose speakers, If you have an Airport Express or Apple TV you will see a list of the speakers you have connected to those Airport Expresses. When it is paired with the Apple TV you can use it control, rout music to it and use it as a keyboard. Below the images depict the difference between playing from the Remote app or actually on the iPod/iPhone (there are none).

It is a app I would recommend every one tries because it seems to be so dam useful. There are a few things Apple could do to improve it such as stream the music to the iPod as well so you may listen to it. The App has crashed for me about 3 times and when I say crash I mean restart my iPod, but considering how much I have used it that is not that often. If Apple can do things like this why can’t we have wireless syncing? That would be one cool improvement, the ability to sync and download new podcasts while not at your computer would be so useful.