GEAR4 have announced a new iPhone accessory which turns your mobile into a universal remote.

The UnityRemote enables you to use your iPhone to control a vast number of devices including TVs, Hi-Fis , Blu-Ray players and digital TV boxes. The device can control pretty much any electrical device with an infra-red sensor.

You need two parts in order to use your iPhone as a remote which firstly is to download a free application from the App store and install it on your iPhone.

You also then need to buy a device which  sits in the room and receives Bluetooth signals from your mobile which are then transferred into infra-red and sent to your electrical device.

The application is very easy to configure and you just choose the devices you'd like to control for a list. If your device doesn't feature on the list the application can "learn" how to control any device.

The UnityRemote is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and will be available exclusively from John Lewis for £99.