10.4: Control Front Row via a Bluetooth phone
May 17, '06 07:29:00AM
Contributed by: trevbucky
Here is a script to use with Salling Clicker, which will let you control Apple's Front Row with your Bluetooth mobile phone (it should work with most Bluetooth phones -- see above Salling link for compatibility details).
This script could be handy if you can't be bothered finding the Apple remote control for Front Row, or if it has been chewed up by the dog. In order to control Front Row from your Mobile Phone you need a few things first:
- Download, install and pay for Salling Clicker. Now install Salling Clicker in your mobile phone by going into System Preferences -> Salling Clicker, and clicking on Set Up Device.
- Install the Front Row script found on this page of my blog macosxhints direct download mirror).
- Open up Salling Clicker in System Preferences. You'll see Clicker Items and Scripts menus. Just drag the file above, FrontRowLite.cgz, into the menu box named Clicker Items. In Salling Clicker 2, this puts it with all the other standard clicker items, like iTunes, in your phone's Accessories menu. With Salling Clicker 3, you will find Clicker is now a small Java application that you have permanently installed on your phone in Applications. This is much better as you don't have to press Connect on your computer first. You just press Connect on the phone, and so as long as your phone is connected to Address Book, you've always got Salling Clicker ready to go.
- Download and install Xkeys.
- Open up Xkeys and choose your keyboard type, select the option when the F8 key is pressed, then select 'launch the file/application,' and select Front Row. Close out of Xkeys. Now when you press F8, Front Row should launch.
Now when you connect to your Bluetooth Mac with your phone, you can control iTunes, DVD Player, etc., as well as Front Row -- the * key on your mobile phone now launches and quits Front Row! I've tried this on my mate's iMac G5, and it works fine. Let me know how it works on your machine, as I don't have Front Row on my G4.
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