Hasta La Gadget!

Logitech’s most recent offerings in the Harmony line, the 900 and the 700, were much more affordable than the $500 touchscreen Harmony 1100 we reviewed last year, but neither crossed beneath the magical $100 threshold. Finally Logitech has a few new models that’ll set you back less than a Benjamin, the $79 Harmony 600 and $99 Harmony 650, said to be shipping by the end of the month. Both share the same shape as the 700 but have been gimped somewhat to control a maximum of five devices — a curious step back from the 700’s six. Likewise the 600 offers only monochrome screen while the 650 offers color, but given your dog’s lack of chromatic acuity he’ll be perfectly content chewing on either.

Logitech 600 and 650 remotes bring Harmony for under $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is one fancy remote control. Featuring a touchscreen that lets you manage your DVR as if it was media stored on your phone, it’s unfortunately only coming direct from cable/satellite providers. Me wantee.

Once you get your hands on this thing, you can use it to not only control your SlingGuide DVR, but other stuff in your home theater like Blu-ray players and receivers. What I love is the ability to fiddle with your DVR without turning your TV on. Convenient and eco-friendly!

Home automation and multiroom A/V remote controls might still be a relatively niche and nascent segment of the electronics market, but that hasn’t stopped Elan from proclaiming its new g! series to be groundbreaking. Then again, its software includes irrigation controls, so what do we know — maybe the company’s talking literally. Building on the software legacy of HomeLogic, the interface is said to be consistent across all platforms, which include an OLED display as part of the hardware package, as well as iPhone, PC and TV integration for a truly flexible control scheme. In terms of pricing, this is aimed at competing with Control4 setups, and we’re told that a “decent” multiroom system could be had for $5,000. Full details are set to be unveiled on January 1, which should give you enough time to decide if you can continue living with an un-automated pool.

Elan g! home automation system is heavy on hype, light on details originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s ‘Remote‘ application was a good start, but we’ve known for some time now that the platform was capable of far, far more. ThinkFlood is stepping up today and proving our assumptions right, as the RedEye universal remote control system effectively converts your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote for any IR-equipped component. The app itself is completely free to download, though it’s the $188 base station that really makes the magic happen; your handheld talks to said dock via WiFi, and if you’ve got an AV device, home automation system or pretty much anything that responds to IR signals, your iPhone can now control it. The setup supports multiple rooms, controllers and users simultaneously, and we’re told that it “controls a virtually unlimited number of devices and can store a virtually unlimited number of commands.” Heck, this thing even reacts to multitouch gestures and accelerometer controls. Don’t believe us? Check the vids just past the break.

Continue reading RedEye turns your iPhone and iPod touch into bona fide universal remote (video)

RedEye turns your iPhone and iPod touch into bona fide universal remote (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know what you’ll be doing in 2011? Everything that you’ve ever wanted, that’s what, ’cause the world as we know will unquestionably end in 2012. Amazingly enough, one of those bucket list items that you’ll be able to achieve is to change the channel on your tele without ever slipping a battery into your remote. A prototype clicker was recently shown over in Japan utilizing technologies from NEC and Soundpower; essentially, the remote turns the small vibrations from button presses into power, which it then uses to beam out signals to the nearby set. If all goes well, the two hope to have battery-less remotes shipping with televisions in just two years — a proposition that surely exasperate the likes of Duracell and Energizer (and enraptures us to no end).

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals

Battery-less remote gets power from button presses, aims for production in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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