This paper reviews the often cited use of personal mobile devices, such as 
mobile phones and PDAs, for interacting with appliances, such as TVs, light 
switches, or vending machines. It argues that mobile devices should not be 
considered tools for general appliance control, but rather a means to assist 
users in exceptional situations that they do not encounter on a daily basis. 
To illustrate this paradigm, a prototype implementation for mobile phones is 
presented and the setup of a user study to verify its value is discussed.