If that's all a little committal for your tastes there's another tier, at $229 for just one year of service, Pronto included, matching the price points for prior, similar trial deals with the original Peek.

To put this into context the latter deal, less the cost of a Pronto, averages out to about $15 a month over the course of a year, compared to the regular $20. On the other hand, the lifetime subscription has a monthly cost approaching zero, assuming very specific circumstances: That the Pronto represents the pinnacle of consumer technology for the next few hundred years, and that medical science on on the verge of extending the human life indefinitely. It's possible!

And for those of you with no imagination or optimism, and a sense that you'll probably give up on this thing after about two years, max, it's still a pretty great deal, averaging out to about $10 a month for unlimited texting, emailing, and now, even semi-apps. [Peek]

The Pronto shares the same $20 monthly plan as the original Peek, but on top of unlimited push emailing, that plan also supports unlimited text messaging. The Pronto's software is also a bit more advanced, including the ability to check out documents and PDFs, as opposed to just pictures.

The Pronto is available now, but unlike the original, it's only in black (they call it gray). [Peek]

UPDATE: Over on the Peek messageboards, one user claims that the old Peek will receive the same software soon. Consider that unconfirmed, but it seems likely enough.

UPDATE 2: Future Peek Classics will no longer have SMS.

Mr van Rensburg said he looked at the research into South Africa's Aids problem and found that low condom use was a real factor and this was largely because people found them difficult to use.

"People find it's a passion-killer and they're willing to take their chances."

This reminds us of the (fake?) Condom on and the real Speedstrip Applicator Condom. Check out that video here. – Jason Chen

Update: Moved the movie after the jump for those poor bastards at work.

Product Page [Pronto Condoms]

Fast condoms on sale in S Africa [BBC - Thanks Rory!]

Right off the bat, this remote is for custom installers only. So for you, the average Joe consumer, you will have to go through a direct retailer and then have extensive training to learn how to set it up. On top of that, the remote costs a hefty $1,300.

The remote itself is pretty nice, the GUI is pleasant and very user friendly. It comes with a stylus if you like to operate that way, or you can just use your greasy finger on the 3.7-inch touchscreen. For lighting and other appliance control it operates with the Lutron RadioRA lighting control system. Not Z-Wave that is slowly becoming the standard in home automation (in my opinion).

The thing that is still pissing me off is the lack of user control. It has to be programmed by a certified user because of the complex programming system. There are tutorials out there available for the consumer, but it is likely too complex to even do simple tweaking if you are unhappy how the system is operating. And it would just be a pain in the ass to have the CI go back out to your place, and charge an arm and a leg to program the system how they think you want it.

Overall the feel of the device is a bit bulky. It fits okay on the hand, but there are bulky "grips" on the underside that are inconvenient rather than pleasant. It is nice that the screen is completely flush-mounted, though.

My recommendation: stick with the Logitech Harmony 1000 if you like to have even the slightest control of your home theatre and automated household.

Philips TSU9600 Pronto Professional [Remote Shoppe, Thanks Jim]