The Old

Although many thought it was dead, we have just submitted an update to Keymote that includes many sought-after features (fast-app-switching and function key support to name a few). And we are still actively developing it, and will continue to update it. We even hope to bring it to the iPad someday, but right now that is not our number one priority, which brings me to my next point:

The New

Over the last few years, we have tried out a few ideas for iPhone and iPad apps, but many of them just ended up not having a wow factor. However, for the past six months or so, we have been working on a brand new iPhone application which we hope to have released by this summer. We can’t give many details yet, except that it’s going to be awesome and very Iced Cocoa-y. In the coming months, be sure to check our blog for updates on our progress.

tl;dr?

• Iced Cocoa is not dead, and Keymote is still being actively developed.
• We have an awesome new app that we hope to release by the summer.
• Happy New Year!

Ready? Here we go.

On your Mac, click the WiFi symbol in the menubar. You should see a line that says Create Network. Click it. Enter the name you want, set the channel (whatever the automatic channel is will usually work best), and require a password if you so choose. Click OK and you’re done. What you’ve done, essentially, is turned your computer into an Airport station, sending out a wireless signal that your iPod or iPhone can connect to.

On your iPod/iPhone, open up the WiFi settings. You should see the network you’ve just set up. Connect to it, wait for the WiFi symbol to show up in the device’s status bar, and open Keymote. When you go to pair with your computer, it should show up and you’ll be good to go. If it’s not, you may have to use a direct IP connection. If you click on Keymote Receiver in your Mac’s menubar, it will tell you what your IP address is and what port to use. Simply enter this info into Keymote to set up an IP connection.

A note: unless you have an Ethernet cable plugged into your computer and have Web Sharing turned on and configured, you will not have access to the internet on either your computer or iPod/iPhone.

• Added Ad-Hoc connection support.
• Brand new icon.
• Forward Delete key now appears as symbol, not text.
• Minor user interface tweaks.
• Fixes other minor bugs.

If this update solves a problem you’ve been having, we encourage you to comment here and leave a positive review on the App Store. More fixes and features are coming soon including colored keys, support for more keys, and more. Enjoy Keymote!

Download Keymote on the iPhone App Store.

So what if you want to put your Mac to sleep with Keymote? Can’t be done without using the eject key, right? That’s not entirely true. Until we get it working in Keymote, here’s a workaround:

Open up the Keyboard pane in System Preferences. When it comes up, click Application Shortcuts in the sidebar and click the plus button under it. Set ‘Application’ to ‘All Applications,’ type the word Sleep in the ‘Menu Title’ box, then click the ‘Keyboard Shortcut’ box and enter the command you want to use. After clicking ‘Add,’ you’ll notice that the shortcut for Sleep in the Apple menu has changed to the shortcut you set. Now all you have to do is add a key in Keymote that corresponds to it, and you’re good to go.

(This is based on Snow Leopard’s Keyboard preference pane. Leopard’s Keyboard preference pane is a bit different, but you can do the exact same thing.)

UPDATE: When you set the shortcut, you need to make sure it’s a shortcut that nothing else is using. I use, and suggest using, Ctrl+Opt+Cmd+S.

UPDATE:  Keymote is now back for sale on the App Store.

We’re very sorry for all of the confusion and frustration. The issue was between Manas Tungare’s free web application that controls Keynote (the presentation software) and our application having the same name. We first received an email from Manas explaining the issue. We then replied, but never heard back from him. Manas then told Apple about the issue because of the lack of reply from us. Apple then warned us about the issue, but proceeded to take the Application off the store before we could reply back.

As it turns out, Manas did reply, but for some reason the email was not received at our end. After a lot of talking we have settled an agreement. The Keymote product page now has a link to Manas’ application to avoid confusion.

Now that Keymote is back in the store, we’re back to work. We’ve heard about the network problems and crashes some of you have been experiencing and we’re working hard to fix them. We’ve also got some great features planned for feature versions of Keymote including many of the ones you keep asking about. Keymote will only be going uphill from here.

• Fixed an issue where Search and Alphabetical sections of the Keymote Store would not work properly.
• Fixed an issue where pairing with multiple computers would lose connection with the Keymote Receiver.
• Added more function keys (with a total of 21).
• Redesigned the pairing screen with a new icon.
• Added new keys you can use in your keysets including the Forward Delete and Enter keys.
• Fewer crashes.
• Minor user interface tweaks.
• Fixes other minor network issues.

If this update solves a problem you’ve been having, we encourage you to comment here and leave a positive review on the App Store. More fixes and features are coming in 1.0.2 . Enjoy Keymote!

Download Keymote on the iPhone App Store

If you’ve created a Keyset that you find useful, we encourage you to publish it for others to enjoy. The process is fast, easy, and free. Just press the “+” button in the Keymote store, select the Keyset you want to publish, enter your name, and tap “Publish Keyset.” A video tutorial can be found here.

Please be sure to follow these simple guidelines when creating a Keyset. Not following these can get your Keyset flagged and even ban your device from uploading Keysets.

• Give your Keyset a unique title, that tells the user exactly what it is. Too many of the same Keyset titles makes an ugly store filled with confusion.
• Capitalize the first letters of Keyset titles and key descriptions when necessary.
• We recommend looking in the applications menubar for key descriptions.
• No emoji.
• Always add spacers where no key exists. We recommend adding at least one spacer per Keyset to avoid clutter.
• No URL’s, messages, or any sort of advertising in key descriptions, Keyset titles, or author names.

If you would like to create a Keyset for an application that you don’t own, we recommend using a nifty site called KeyXL. This site allows you search though a database of shortcuts for almost any application. But be warned, sometimes false shortcuts and typos can slip though providing you with invalid information. We recommend testing the shortcuts before publishing.

Here are a few extra tips for creating Keysets. If you’ve got a good one, leave a comment below.

• If you cannot fit “Show/Hide” in a key description, try using “Toggle” or “Switch” instead.
• If an application contains more shortcuts than you can manage, create separate Keysets for each part of the application. For example, Photoshop could have a “Drawing Tools” keyset and a “Photo Adjustments” keyset.
• Group keys in your Keyset by their use, not always alphabetically or in the order of the Applications menu.

By following these instructions when submitting Keysets you’ll help Keymote run smoothly for new users and make our lives a lot easier. High quality Keysets, makes a high quality Keymote. We really appreciate your help.

But how about your Mac? Sure, you probably have one of those Apple remotes, but how much can it really do? You can change tracks in iTunes or control Front Row, but what about everything else – Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Coda, or even The Sims?

Welcome to Keymote. It picks up where all other Mac remotes left off. With Keymote, you can control any application you want. ‘How is this possible?’ you may ask. Simple, with the use of keyboard shortcuts and a slick user interface. Almost every Mac application uses keyboard shortcuts to control basic functions. By pairing your iPhone or iPod Touch to your computer (with the Keymote Receiver desktop app), Keymote can send these shortcuts over the air.

Let’s say you just picked up your copy of Photoshop, but you’ve got no clue where to start. No problem; Keymote can help. Just fire up your iPod Touch or iPhone, launch Keymote, head on over to the Keyset Store, and download a Photoshop keyset that someone just like you has made and you’ll be clone stampin’, color correctin’, and paintbrushin’ in no time. And you can do all of this without ever learning a single keyboard shortcut.

You can now download Keymote from the App Store here. If you like it, please leave us a nice review. Thanks, and enjoy Keymote!