Like most things in consumer electronics, mobile phones are prone to more than their fair share of duff add-ons and accessories and one of the biggest culprits of recent years has been the iPhone. Anyone needing proof need look no further than the truly ghastly chocolate bar case. But, every once in a while a company unveils an accessory that is so innovative it really could change the way we use our phones. So a round of applause please for L5 technology and their product, the L5 remote.

Announced earlier on in the week at CES (currently being held in Las Vegas, Nevada), the L5 remote looks fairly inconspicuous as a small adapter that that attaches to the dock connector at the bottom of your iPhone. But this small, unassuming little accessory adds yet another stellar feature to the iPhone’s ever growing list; it transforms your phone into a universal remote.

That’s right, the L5 dongle features infra red technology that works in conjunction with a free app from the company and lets you control your TV, stereo and much more all from the comfort of your favourite touchscreen phone. Programming multiple rooms, changing button layouts, and managing multiple devices couldn’t be easier whilst setting up a new device is simply a case of pointing the phone at the IR receiver and following the on scree (that’s the iPhone’s screen) commands.

No word on pricing or availability yet though L5 Technology hope the L5 remote should be available by the end of February. Keep your eyes on the blog and we’ll let you know as soon as we do.