Dexter Industries have updated their 'websockets' program which allows you to connect and control a robot through the Internet. This means that it'll work from a laptop, smartphone, tablet, basically anything that can load up a standard web browser. What makes it even better though is the fact that it is two way communication, mean you can send sensor values back to the web browser so you can keep tabs on your robot from anywhere in the world!
How is this possible you ask?
http://dexterindustries.com/blog/2012/07/12/control-your-lego-mindstorms-with-an-iphone-or-ipad
What would I do? Set up an NXT with a temperature sensor, light sensor and sound sensor and constantly update the conditions in my office. An Ultrasonic sensor pointing at my chair could also be used to update a webpage letting people know if I'm in, or out at a meeting :)
How is this possible you ask?
The hard part of using websockets is establishing a connection with a webpage. For security reasons, a key is passed back and forth in a complicated “handshake”: the webpage sends some information, and the NXT must respond with a specific answer back. We’ve taken care of that with our websockets library so you can easily and quickly setup your robot to communicate with Chrom, Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Opera, and Safari.Dexter very helpfully supply a fully worked code example in RobotC, ready for you to tinker with.
http://dexterindustries.com/blog/2012/07/12/control-your-lego-mindstorms-with-an-iphone-or-ipad
What would I do? Set up an NXT with a temperature sensor, light sensor and sound sensor and constantly update the conditions in my office. An Ultrasonic sensor pointing at my chair could also be used to update a webpage letting people know if I'm in, or out at a meeting :)