Do you already have a remote control for your laptop? I don't think an out-of-the-box notebook will respond to commands through the IR port.

I have used a remote control from MindPath Technologies with my laptop. The software (Presentation FX v5.1) can be configured to use the laptop's built-in IR port. I bought my remote several years ago and it looks like MindPath has been taken over by InFocus. See [Link: infocus.com] for info.

Does anyone have experience with other products?

If you have a remote control that works with your laptop, the ProntoNEO should be able to control the laptop if it can learn the commands from the remote. That could be a problem since the ProntoNEO has some learning limitations. The ProntoNEO can't learn all frequencies. See the technical specs in the user's guide.

Good luck!