November 19th, 2009 9:02 PM | by Christen da Costa
When GlideTV arrived on the scene last month it garnered all sorts of press thanks to its cool design and what appeared to be ease of use factor. If you haven’t heard, it’s a remote/mouse targeted at the home theater PC crowd, you know, the folks that prefer to watch their media on their computer rather than pay the money hungry cable companies. Or you could be like me and do both.
Right out of the box I noticed how light weight the GlideTV remote is. Front and center is your standard mouse touchpad – similar to those found on laptops – which is surrounded by 8 buttons. Beyond that there is a designated GlideTV button that fires up their custom software, a power button (it controls the PC power), volume control, search button (opens up GlideTV’s search which can be designated to Hulu, Google, etc) and media player controls (play, pause, etc). The 8 surrounding buttons each do something different in their respective applications, so a little trial and error will help you figure that out. …Continue reading: GlideTV Review
November 18th, 2009 4:13 PM | by Christen da Costa
In the past we’ve seen piezoelectric technology applied to flooring in train stations and mats to take advantage of people’s stepping power. Now the technology is being applied to a home theater remote control developed by NEC and Soundpower.
How does it work you ask? Instead of being powered by batteries, the remote harvests the kintentic energy of a pushed button and uses that to power itself, hence piezoelectric technology. It’s not too often that my remote dies, but it would be great to have at least one self sustainable device.
October 28th, 2009 10:45 PM | by Christen da Costa
Buy.com, via Amazon has the La-z Boy LZ6200 Touch Screen Universal Remote Control for $119.99 – $80 instant savings + free shipping = $39.99 shipped! This remote has a touchscreen, is preprogrammed, 6 programmable smart keys, 9 hard keys, USB connection and charging cradle.
The 15 in 1 controller provides the convenience of controlling up to 15 home entertainment devices with one remote control
The remote control incorporates a library of channel icons for most countries’ main TV stations; via the color LCD screen you can program the right channel icons for the right channel
The universal IR code database refers to a library of infrared codes built-in to a particular remote. This feature allows the remote to control your equipment without needing to learn individual signals
Unlike other universal remote controls, where a 3-digit code needs to be input to identify a brand and device, this remote incorporates on-device step-by-step instructions to setup your equipment, regardless of brand
High resolution quality ( 2.0 inch high resolution, 220×175 pixel TFT display) ensures great readability of the content on the screen
The rotary wheel cursor enables you to navigate through the setup menu and the device pages, in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions
Backlighting illuminates the LCD screen and keypad for use in the dark (Backlight color: White)
I just got my mitts on the GlideTV remote, which is designed specifically for use with a home theater PC. While I have yet to actually fire it up and use the remote, I very impressed with the packaging and overall presentation.
Form factor wise it fits relatively well in the hand and is pretty light weight. I’m currently charging it – scratch that – I think I’m charging it; I had a hard time telling if the contacts were sitting in the dock correctly and receiving a charge. The backlighting did light up initially when I plugged it in, but then turned off. Anyway…well see later tonight. Tons of pics below and video.
October 21st, 2009 12:44 AM | by Christen da Costa
Logitech’s latest Harmony remote, the 700, is now available for your divine purchasing behavior. Amazon has it for $140 out the door, which ain’t too shabby considering it’s got a half way decent color screen and works with over 200k devices. It’s not equitable in feature set to some of Logitech’s other Harmony remotes, but for those of you with 6 devices or less it should be a fit.
THIS DEAL ENDS 10/26. Newegg has a coupon deal for the Logitech Harmony 520 Remote. This remote has an LCD screen, infrared connectivity and works with up to 80,000 models of electronics. It’s …Continue reading: Logitech Harmony 520 Remote – $60 Shipped
October 14th, 2009 12:52 PM | by Christen da Costa
The Black Wii might not ever make it to the US, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the monochrome action. Starting November 16th Nintendo (and all its retailers) will offer a black Wii Remote with Motionplus for $50 and a black Wii Nunchuk, sold separately, for $20. Damn Nintendo, talk about being a prick tease.
Like the Jitterbug phone for old people, Sony has plans to release a set of remotes that features over sized buttons and are resistant to liquid spills. They’ve done a nice job to dress up the ‘you’re too senile to use a real remote’, by offering them in a variety of finishes and colored button patterns. For now, they’ll only be available in Japan for about $29.
TigerDirect has the Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote for a reasonable deal, although it’s not the best price ever. This remote has a color LCD screen, charging station, easy use and setup and macro settings. It’s 
Buy.com, via Amazon has the La-z Boy LZ6200 Touch Screen Universal Remote Control for 
Buy.com has the Philips PRESTIgO SRU8015 Universal Remote Control for 
THIS DEAL ENDS 10/26. Newegg has a coupon deal for the Logitech Harmony 520 Remote. This remote has an LCD screen, infrared connectivity and works with up to 80,000 models of electronics. It’s 
