Features Include:

* 4.3 inch touch-color LCD display with a resolution of 480 x 272
* ARM9 processor
* 1GB flash
* 256MB SDRAM
* Built-in speaker and microphone
* 3-axis motion sensor
* Ambient light sensor
* Capacitive buttons
* Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2
* Microsoft Media Center support
* Support for 100 devices
* Activity and learning function
* Rechargeable 3760 mAh battery
* Firmware upgrade and rechargeable from mini-USB
* 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
* Z-Wave
* Photo Sync from live.com

No word on pricing yet, but I'm sure it's not going to be cheap. Kind of absurd really, when you consider that a smarpthone and a standard remote can handle much of this functionality (not to mention an inexpensive HTPC). [SIlver PAC via Krunker]

Featuring a trackpad, backlit buttons and connectivity with most devices through a wireless USB dongle, the Navigator combines crucial mouse functions with practical remote functions in a barebones, minimalistic design that won't take over your lap (aka cuddle space aka pizza box space aka fart fallout area).

For the full-blown home theater PC, all you're missing is text input. But GlideTV offers a downloadable onscreen keyboard to address the issue.

The Navigator, bundled with a rechargeable base and USB wireless hub, is available now for $150. [GlideTV]

GLIDETV® SIMPLIFIES THE PC EXPERIENCE IN THE LIVING ROOM

Introduces the perfect input device to navigate the Internet from your TV.

San Francisco, CA - October 13, 2009 - GlideTV, the company dedicated to simplifying the digital entertainment experience in the living room, announced today the release of its first product, the GlideTV® NavigatorTM. This award-winning and stylish device, which fits in the palm of a hand, combines the functionality of a keyboard, mouse and AV remote and makes it a breeze to access digital content stored on a home theater PC (HTPC) that is connected to a TV. The product is available for purchase from select online retailers worldwide with an MSRP of $149.

The new GlideTV Navigator, a study in modern design, reinvents the computer input device for the living room. The contrast of the highly-polished material and elegant curves is a fitting reflection of the sophisticated technology held within. The product includes a remote, charging station, USB wireless receiver and is compatible with Windows PC, Apple Mac, Sony PlayStation 3 or any set-top box that supports standard mouse and keyboard HID devices.

"Up to now, consumers who wanted to connect a computer to the TV to take advantage of digital content had to bring office equipment to their living room, making the experience bulky and cumbersome," said Chris Painter, President and founder. "With the Navigator, GlideTV brings simplicity to accessing internet-based entertainment and ushers in a new era for computing in the living room."

Consumers plug the USB wireless receiver into their PC and they're ready to take control of their computing experience or explore the Internet with a point and a click. GlideTV Navigator works with popular media applications including Windows Media Center, Apple iTunes, Boxee, Apple Front Row, SageTV, Firefox, and any web browser.

This product features:

· Clickable touchpad mapped to your TV screen — precise cursor control, one-thumb scrolling, single and double-click selection.

· Backlit AV buttons to control volume and playback.

· Directional buttons for easy two-axis navigation.

· Dedicated Esc, Enter, Back, and Function keys to control applications.

· On-screen keyboard — requires download, Windows only.

· Integrated search menu with links to Google, Amazon Video on Demand, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and more — requires download, Windows only.

· Rechargeable battery.

"GlideTV nailed the customer experience," said Aaron Burt, a beta test user who lives in the Washington DC area. "It's a great way to control Windows Media Center in the living room and even my kids enjoy using it. GlideTV Navigator is the perfect couch-mouse."

The product has garnered significant industry attention by winning the prestigious 2009 Best of Innovations Award at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The GlideTV team, led by Mike Machado and Christopher Painter, consists of consumer electronics and Silicon Valley technology veterans from Sony, SageTV, Slim Devices, and VUDU.

GlideTV Navigator is available worldwide from select retailers and directly from the manufacturer in the US and Europe. The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price is:

· United States — $149

· Eurozone — €129 (VAT included)

· United Kingdom — £119 (VAT included)

For more information, visit www.glidetv.com.

The Price:

$100

The Verdict:

Actually a good deal.

There are two components of the remote that, depending on your habits, you may use more or less of. There's the "universal remote" part of the iconRemote RF, which acts similar to the Logitech Harmony remotes in that it controls all your electronics, but it doesn't have the fancy software programming suite to back it up. And there's the X10 part of the remote, which acts as a wireless control—via the included wireless receiver and appliance/lamp modules—to various appliances around your house.

The Remote:

The iconRemote RF is a so-so universal remote, and you program it like you do the old style ones you buy at Radio Shack; you point it at your TV and you stop cycling when the TV turns on. Repeat as many times as you have A/V equipment you want to control.

This method makes initial setup actually easier than the Logitech Harmony remotes, but limits you to how much fine-grained control you have. The remote may "know" how to turn on and off your receiver, but it doesn't understand how many HDMI inputs there are or how to switch between them. So it's a universal remote only for more simple systems with just a TV and maybe a DVD player.

One nice feature the iconRemote introduces is the semi-hard coded favorites, which has network logos on screen that you can click to jump to. And, as the name of the remote implies, it has an RF to IR blaster included, so you can eschew line-of-sight and put your equipment in a cabinet and still be able to change channels.

Package includes an RF to IR blaster

It's only a rudimentary universal remote

Also, it's kind of gigantic

The X10 Wireless Control:

X10 has dialed down their popup ads in recent years, but their product is the same: home automation via light, appliance and electronics controls. The package includes one wireless transceiver, one lamp module and one appliance module. The transceiver takes the wireless signals and shoots them over your powerline, which them gets interpreted by your lamp or appliance module to turn on/off whatever's plugged in.

Its major flaw is the fact that the whole transceiver + module has to be on the same circuit. A transceiver upstairs wouldn't control a lamp downstairs, for example, because they weren't able to talk to each other over the electrical system. You'll have to go and buy more transceivers to control every room of your house this way.

But, once you do have everything set up, being able to dim lights, turn on and off appliances, and otherwise interact with other X10 home automation devices, is a pretty valuable thing to have in your universal remote.

Controls X10's home automation modules

Comes with one transceiver and two control modules

You'll have to buy a lot more to control your entire house

At $100, the iconRemote RF is a pretty interesting package. It's not great enough of a remote to replace a Logitech Harmony for hardcore users, but it is decent enough to be a step up from those cheaper universal remotes you may have. Coupled with the fact that it's an X10 remote, it's a very handy thing to have at all times.

To get the package, add both the iconRemote RF and the Remote-Controlled Dimmable Theater Lighting to your cart before checkout. [X10]

Once your signals hit the receiver, you can support Windows, Linux, Mac or Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii (supposedly). Hard to tell whether or not it can actually do all of these things, since the website looks like one a kid would make for his dad's business over the summer between Jr. High and High School, so we'll have to see for ourselves to be sure. [EFO via The Gadgeteer via Oh Gizmo]

Yes, what you see in the gallery is a cable. In reality, the Panasonic Karma is an inflight entertainment system remote. One that kicks ass with a touchscreen, an embedded OS that looks very much like the iPhone's, a D-pad, and four game buttons. It will allow you to call, surf the web, send mail, and play games.

Dear Apple, if you don't want to do this, that's fine. Just allow a third party to do game button jackets, ok? Thanks. [Mary Kirby]

* You're right! That's not really Latin!

I suppose you'd have been better off whipping out that other wand first, no? Well, anyway, at least you'll have this cool accelerometer-controlled universal remote to play around with for the rest of the evening. There are no buttons, so to change the channel or the volume you'll have to wave it around in the air using some easy-to-remember gestures.

Clockwise or counter-clockwise motion adjusts the volume up or down; simple up-and-down movements switch between channels. How one programs such a thing is anyone's guess. Magic, perhaps?

Overall, pretty simple, although at $84 (pre-order for Oct. 1) you better really like looking like a jackass while surfing the boob tube.

Then again, I put on my robe and wizard hat... [Kymera via Ubergizmo]

Each new Aurea will be bundled with this pod-style slider that we're only telling you about because it's a bit different than most. When closed, it's reminiscent of a first-gen iPod. When open, it feels like a cellphone aimed at tweens. And that ball at the top? No, that's not a speaker intended for your ear. It's the power button.

So we're gonna need a modder to dig into this thing with some Skype hardware or at least our MP3 collection from 2001—shouldn't be hard, it's basically a 4-hour loop of Lady Marmalade. [Philips]

When using Logitech remotes, the point is to let the remote know every single appliance in your setup so you can focus on "activities", such as watching TV, or playing your Xbox, or watching a Blu-ray on your PS3. That way your remote knows exactly which thing needs to be on—and which boxes don't—for what you want to do. Since these activities are now tied to a separate physical button, you can just hit that button instead of scrolling through a list in order to get where you're going. It saves a few seconds each time, but adds up over years of TV watching.

Other features on the 700 include a color LCD screen, rechargeable AAs and compatibility with the standard Logitech remote setup program. It will be available in September. [Logitech]

Additional Features:

•Blu-Link offers advanced PS3 button shape and colors and dedicated buttons for Triangle, Circle, Square, X, Select, Home and Start, Blu-Ray DVD controls for Top Menu, Popup Menu, Angle, Audio Channel and Subtitle movie features
•Blu-Link is an "advanced learning" remote: learning button assignments from existing remotes; and user-configurable.
•Blu-Link's non-volatile memory retains button assignments even when it's 2 AA batteries have been removed
•Blu-Link supports more than 400 brands of standard and HDTV television and flatscreens, 150 VCR brands, 200 Satellite Receiver models, 100 Cable TV Receiver brands, 50 DVR models and 200 home theater surround sound systems

The Blu-Link is available starting today with a price tag of $50. Not a bad deal if you have like 20 remotes sitting on your coffee table. Consolidate! [SMK-Link]

Yet Sony is marketing a RM-PZ3SD waterproof remote in spite of this fact, and putting it on sale in Japan next month for $29.

Am I missing some key piece of market research? Does a large segment of the population, unbeknownst to me, have a pool in their living room? Are scuba divers sporting 52-inch Bravias on their backs, cursing at their inability to change the channel to Discovery HD while deep sea diving?

You know what would be great, Sony? If you just came out and said, "We have no unique ideas pertaining to a new line of remotes. So stick with what you've been using and things will probably be alright, barring an aquatic act of God that will probably destroy your TV and every other possession you hold dear anyway." [Sony via New Launches]

The Price: $400

The Verdict: This form factor, plus the included charging dock and the RF to IR blasters make this the best remote package Logitech has right now. We've been fans of their standard remotes for a while, but combining the keep-your-eyes-on-your-tv ability of those with the extendability of their full touchscreen units makes for a winner.

If you've played with the Harmony One you should know what this remote feels like. The number keys are on the bottom, the navigation keys are in the middle and the activity keys are near the top. The touchscreen is responsive enough, and can scroll through pages of various commands for different media console items—just like their previous remotes.

The charging dock is contoured exactly like the back of the remote, taking it in lovingly into its electric arms. Imagine getting into bathtub shaped exactly like your body—this is that, except without the water or the urge to pee.

Syncing with your computer works the same way as before, but Logitech STILL hasn't managed to enable consolidating profiles so that you can have more than one remote on an account, and hasn't come up with a way to export remote profiles to other accounts. That's a huge pain in the ass if you have multiple Logitechs, and is probably our biggest gripe with their setup.

There is one included central RF to IR blaster, with two other IR blasters that can hook up to it for a total of three IR blasters. They're meant to be used in cabinets where the door is closed, or somehow out of IR line of sight, so you can literally point your remote at nothing (it's using RF) and it'll still propagate the command through to the IR blaster. This is pretty easy to set up—there's a wizard right on the remote—and you should be up and running in a few minutes. And there's very little RF delay, so you won't have to worry about that.

The upside is that this is probably our favorite universal remote package that Logitech has made, figuring in the charging dock and the RF to IR blasters. The downside is that the whole setup costs $400. If you're shopping for your first universal remote, this will probably be your last. if you already own a cheaper Logitech in the sub $100 range, find a way to sell it and pick this up. [Logitech]

Best universal remote by Logitech yet

Allows extendability with touchscreen without sacrificing the usability of buttons

Price is a little high, but less than full touchscreen remotes

Developed by AT&T, the Anywhere uses RF tech to control your various home entertainment baubles from anywhere in the room. Behind a couch; with the cable box behind an opaque cabinet door; or even from the dark basement dungeon you set up for when the AT&T U-verse guy shows up late for his ambiguously defined 9-5 appointment window (yes, it's back lit!).

We've covered RF remotes before, most notably the recent Loop Remote, which controls TVs using a mix of Wii-like wonder, some pointing, and plenty of kitsch. The RF Anywhere is perhaps a bit more practical, but again you need to be a U-verse user to enjoy it.

The remote will cost U-verse customers $50 (slightly more than the one they get with service), and that includes the RF dongle. After that's paid up, you're free to change channels blindly from the pooper at your convenience. [AT&T via Engadget]

The R800 offers a green laser pointer, LCD display (providing info like battery life, time alerts and wireless reception) and a 100-foot range. The R400 is stripped down to a red laser, navigation buttons and a 50-foot range. Both devices will be available starting in September for $100 and $50 respectively. Not bad if you are on a budget, but if you have some money to burn I would hold out for this. [Logitech]

Beyond the haptics, the MX-5000 is a fairly standard high-end universal remote, intended for system builders to pair with similarly high-end home media systems—not your 40-inch HDTV. This explains the unorthodox button choice and inclusion of Wi-Fi, which the remote uses to display all manner of information broadcast from your receiver. It also explains the price price—although there's no official figure, Crunchgear's inquiry was answered with an ominous "below $1500."

Even if most people could never dreaming of needing one of these, the concept is still exciting: having to looks at a remote every time you use it feels like a step back, so if URC can clear that hurdle, more power to them. [Crunchgear]

Today, the Loop goes on sale for $100.

Far from a universal remote, the Loop is intended specifically for home theater PCs (HTPCs), the PS3, or AppleTV. The remote has just four buttons and a scroll wheel, but its extremely fluid in-air mouse makes it simple to browse webpages and icon interfaces.

You can see our vintage demo video here in which Adam tests the remote. Note that internal sensors determine mouse position, not line of site infrared as in the Wiimote.

The Loop requires an RF USB dongle to function, so don't expect to use it for every home theater component you own. But it still might be worth its $100 price to get the mouse and keyboard out of your lap.

Hillcrest Labs Introduces the Loop™ Pointer: In-Air Mouse for TV

- Before Father's Day, Award Winning Product Now Available to Consumers -
- Targeted to Consumers who Connect their TV to a PC or Mac® -
- Available for $99 via Amazon.com or www.hillcrestlabs.com/loop -

Rockville, MD – June 15, 2009 – Today, in time for Father's Day, Hillcrest Labs launched its award-winning Loop™ pointer to be sold directly to consumers. The Loop pointer is a unique Freespace® mouse that lets users control an on-screen cursor with the flick of wrist. The Loop pointer is designed to be used by the growing number of consumers who connect their PC or Mac® to a TV.

According to data derived from a recent Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ® report, there are now more than 7 million US households that have connected a personal computer to their home television sets (1). With the Loop pointer, these consumers now have an engaging new way to search, browse, and navigate the Web or their home media content on TV.

The Loop pointer's distinctive design is round and ergonomic including just four buttons and a scroll wheel. Originally developed as a concept product to showcase Hillcrest Labs' Freespace in-air pointing and motion control technology, the Loop pointer is available to consumers for the first time for just $99. Consumers can purchase the Loop pointer at www.amazon.com or www.hillcrestlabs.com/loop.

"As our flagship Freespace product design, the Loop pointer has captured the imagination and interest of most people who have used it," said Dan Simpkins, CEO and founder of Hillcrest Labs. "Although today we are introducing our first product directly to the public, at our core, we remain a software and IP licensing company."

"Hillcrest Labs is recognized as one of the most innovative developers of motion control technology and graphical user interfaces for television," said Colin Dixon, principal analyst at the Diffusion Group. "Their new Loop pointer is a simple, elegant product whose unique design will make it a great conversation piece in the living room, dorm room, lecture hall, or board room."

Examples of Applications and Uses

To use the Loop pointer, consumers simply plug a small, USB 2.0 transceiver that comes with the device into a compatible computer or device. As with a conventional mouse, no special driver software is required for use on a PC or Mac. Device applications include:

• Mouse for TV: For consumers who connect a PC-to-TV or Mac-to-TV, the Loop is an in-air pointer that offers the industry's highest performance. Users can relax comfortably on a couch, hold the Loop pointer in any position, and control their favorite online video sites, photo sites, music sites, and more. Using the standard on-screen keyboards that are included with the Windows or Mac operating systems, people can enter search terms, passwords, and more.

• Presenters: Executives, professors or other PowerPoint™ users now have a far more useful and eye-catching tool for use with keynotes, company presentations, or lectures. The Loop pointer also makes it easy to switch between presentations, web pages and other applications, all while walking around the conference room or lecture hall.

The Loop pointer can also complement the following products:

• KODAK Theatre HD Player: Owners of the highly acclaimed KODAK Theatre HD Player can use the Loop pointer as a fully functioning alternative controller to interact with pictures, videos and music, and more.
• PS3™: The Loop pointer is not a game controller for PS3, but it can be used as a complementary device to navigate the Internet using the PS3's web browser.
• Apple TV: While Apple TV does not support mouse controllers, consumers who use aTV Flash, from Fire Core (version 3.6), will be able to use the Loop pointer to navigate content on the device and the aTV Flash web browser.

Freespace Technology

The Loop pointer incorporates Hillcrest Labs' patented Freespace technology. Attributes of the Loop pointer that are made possible by Freespace technology include:

• High Accuracy/Precision: The Loop is a highly precise pointer which allows users to point to individual pixels on a high-resolution screen.

• Orientation Compensation: Regardless of the orientation of the device in space (e.g. pointing at the ground, turned sideways, etc.), Freespace generates intuitive cursor motions on the screen. MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors combined with Hillcrest's proprietary software enable consistent control of the device from any position – standing, sitting or reclining.

• Adaptive Tremor Removal: Hillcrest's technology can distinguish between intentional and unintentional movement, including natural hand tremors. Instead of filtering out the entire range of human tremor, which would reduce the accuracy of the pointer, the Loop pointer dynamically measures each individual user's specific tremor and unintentional movements and removes them.

• No Line-of-Site: Unlike conventional Infrared devices and optical motion-sensing devices that require "line-of-site" operation, the Loop pointer uses RF (radio frequency) technology, so users do not need to point directly at the computer or TV screen. This gives users greater freedom to move around at a range of up to 30 feet. It also means that the PC or Mac could be stored in a media cabinet while in use.

Freespace technology can also be licensed by companies as a complete hardware and software platform to create peripheral devices that accurately track motion with six degrees of freedom. Companies that have licensed Freespace for use in their products include: Eastman Kodak, Logitech, UEI, and ZillionTV. In addition, Hillcrest Labs licenses a broad set of intellectual property including more than 40 issued patents, out of more than 190 filed by the company.

Loop Pointer Specifications

• Diameter: 4.8 inches (approximately the size of a CD or DVD)
• Width: 1.2 inches
• Weight: 4.9 ounces
• Color: Black with silver buttons
• Connectivity: USB 2.0 antenna with built in RF (radio frequency transceiver)
• Power supply: 2 AA batteries (included)

To order the Loop pointer, consumers should visit www.amazon.com or www.hillcrestlabs.com/loop. For more details about Hillcrest Labs, visit www.hillcrestlabs.com.

[Hillcrest Labs]

The Monster MCC AV50 Home Theater Controller, $50 next month, is a "tabletop universal remote control" that has a "Web-based setup." We have no real grasp of what these descriptions indicate, but assume the device to be bulky as hell (that's the "tabletop" part) and have a simple onscreen setup (that's the "web" part).

Maybe there's a market for such big, easy to use controllers, but why anyone would want to wield a QWERTY-like keyboard without the keyboard is beyond us—especially one this ugly. Indeed, it's hard to believe that this announcement was coupled with Monster's new, aesthetically pleasing HDMI cables. [Gearlog and PCMag via Crunchgear]