Rowmote

The form factor of the iPhone makes it the ideal remote control. What's obviously missing from the iPhone that you would find on most remote controls is an infrared port. It exists on all the iMacs, MacBooks and MacBook Pros, but I guess that's what the Apple Remote is for (the infrared remote, not the iPhone app).

I've tried different remote control apps for the iPhone, some were good ideas, but much too complicated and the simplicity of most of Apple's UI aesthetics was lost.

Enter Rowmote. Rowmote doesn't try to be the end-all and be-all of remotes but it comes close. Most people use their remotes to operate their media centers and control presentations. While the Apple Remote, both the iPhone app and the infrared remote, is good for some of those things, namely iTunes (music only) and Front Row, there is other media player software that are left to other solutions to enable users to control them without resorting to a mouse, trackpad or keyboard.

Rowmote allows you to control the following on your Mac:
Front Row
Boxee
DVD Player
EyeTV
Finder
iTunes
iTunes Visualizer
iTunes Coverflow
iPhoto
Keynote
Plex
PowerPoint
QuickTime
VLC
XBMC
Last.fm
Skim
Spotify
AirFoil Video Player
PandoraJam

Quite a comprehensive list, no?

All that is required is the Rowmote app for the iPhone and the (free) Rowmote helper app that runs on your Mac. The Mac and the iPhone (and presumably iPod Touch) need to be on the same wi-fi network as your Mac for everything to work.

Basically the UI of Rowmote simulates the simplicity of the Apple Remote with 6 buttons (4 directional, pause/play, and menu).

It's a great little app that fills in a big gap.