IOSpirit, the company widely known for its Remote Buddy application has released v1.1 of the program that not only allows you to control your Mac from a distance, but it allows you to use the iPhone as well.

Besides a few other features, the main upgrade to v1.1 is the inclusion of an AJAX Remote that mimics the icon-based scheme of the iPhone and allows you to control anything from movie and music playback to presentation software and EyeTV recordings. Not bad for a cool $27 huh?

Well, I guess that one is up for debate. While the premise sounds fine, the Remote Buddy has historically been a somewhat difficult product to use. And while a variety of fine iPhone apps are coming out, I’m still suspect of the web-only system.

Unlike any other smartphone, the iPhone is completely locked down and with those restrictions, how can anyone truly get the functionality and usefulness they should expect with a $600 price tag? The simple fact is Apple needs to open the iPhone for third-party support and allow a useful product like this to work without the help of the Internet.