The world is not ending merely an era.

Hi to all !
Of course it's a real pity for the Pronto team loosing their jobs because of Philips' decision. I feel with them.
A few voices here already stated that the Pronto series didn't grow up with the iPods and iPads out there. I fully agree with that. But it is not only the hardware that makes the device sexy and influences the price. I had an iPod touch for a few weeks and use now an iPad. Both gadgets are great but I don't wanna use only the iPad to control my stereo or homecinema. The iPad is too big the iPod too small. An iPod Touch with a few hard buttons could make it. I hope Savant or some other manufacturer invent something nice...

But what really hurts is not that there will be no more new software to our Prontos. To be honest: Most of the the firmwares and Pronto Edits where quite boring to me. I think at Philips they never realised that most of the Pronto buyers where freaks like me who want total control over their equipment and that "we" don't want a third party to program our device. I hope, I don't only speak for me alone...

The real tragedy today is not that there will be no more new hardware or software. The tragedy is the end of the line. From this point now there is no vision to where to carry my (better our) efforts. Like most of you I nearly have owned every Pronto modell the last ten years now ending up with a 9400. Yes, it would be cool if Philips had introduced a newer Pronto line with multitouch or implemented webbrowser and so on. But for these gadgets we can use our iPads.

What really hurts is the loss of our work. Every pixel on my Pronto is designed by me and no one else. My Prontos saw dozens perhaps a hundred different configurations of my homecinema and was able to handle them all. From time to time I find buttons on my Pronto which were designed ten years ago. And I re-use the graphics or the codes behind that button.

With every new device I found workarounds and created new optics and found sometimes new functions with the help of my Pronto and remote central of course. The option to load "standard" IR-Codes from other users here was always great. Sometimes I had my Pronto reconfigured for a new device before the device arrived. All with your help.

The Prontos can do things which are essential like macros on every button, delays and a few things more. My Pronto configuration hold buttons and codes which run since five years. I cannot even remember how it works, but it works. I don't want to re-invent them. I always thought that I will transfer these ideas to the next generation Pronto. But as far as I see this option died with Philips decision and this is the real tragedy in my eyes.
Nocko!

I understand Crestron has a clamshell snap-on that goes over the iPad and provides buttons. Naturally it is for a crestron system. IMHO it will be too big and unwieldly. Maybe I am just used to it, but the 9800 is as large as I would want to go although the iPad would make it a lot easier on my eyes as I only need glasses for reading not watching movies/TV

I would prefer a nice directional microphone and good voice recognition in a noisy (movie) environment.

I have made a some new friends in Belgium, Norway, Sweeden, Australia, New Zealand, Germany so there is that gain to consider.

With regard to the makeup of an xcf file, many of us know exactly how such a file is structured. Think "Zip".

Or better still a blue tooth headset microphone :)

The obvious thing would be something like Crestron's attachment, but for the ipod touch. Number buttons, and simple transport controls (previous, next, play, pause, stop, rew, FFWD) could be great (and a built in IR transmitter to allow for those of us not wanting to use wifi to a seperate module for IR).

As "SHN" mentioned though I prefer an open source solution, so something android based for something like one of the better HTC models would work.