* 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]

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]

For instance, no matter how hard I push "use litter tray," Wynona still prefers to use the linoleum floor just in front of the litter tray. Is this a calibration issue?

And when I aim the thing straight at Wade and press "Get Off—Shelf," he just looks at me. And that's the other problem: Even when I'm not pressing certain buttons such as "Remain Aloof" "Cat Nap" and "Eject Fur Ball," the cats seem to be performing those tasks anyway. It's as if they have minds of their own! Maybe there's a good reason you don't print a toll-free tech support number on the package.

Sincerely,

Wilson, Frustrated Cat Owner

[Amazon via Book of Joe and Apartment Therapy]

The big upgrades over the $300 Harmony 1000 are a new black anodized aluminum body and a now-customizable touchscreen. (Read about it more here.) Remember when silver was the upgrade color? Yeah, now it's black again—at manufacturers other than Apple even.

And I'm so sick of silver that they've totally sucked me in. Damn you and your clever anodized alunimum, Logitech! Damn you! [Newegg Thanks Ron!]

The One to Watch: Logitech Harmony One Introduces Significant Evolution in Home-Entertainment Control

Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote Introduces New Design with Full-Color Touch Screen, Intuitive Button Layout

Winner of CES Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Award

LAS VEGAS — CES - Jan. 5, 2008 — Today at the Consumer Electronics Show, Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) unveiled the Harmony® One advanced universal remote control, marking a significant leap in the evolution of the best-selling line of Harmony remotes. Offering the same one-touch, activity-based control as other Harmony remotes, the Harmony One makes controlling home entertainment even easier with a full-color touch screen, an intuitive button layout and an exceptionally comfortable user-friendly design. The product has received the CES 2008 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations in Home-Entertainment Accessories.

As home-entertainment systems become more sophisticated and complex, people are often frustrated and overwhelmed by the need to have multiple devices, the frequent necessity for family members to have written instructions to control the system (otherwise known as a cheat sheet) and the growing number of remotes on the coffee table. And, according to industry research, more and more families will face this problem. IMS Research's report, "The Future of High-Definition TV - 2007 Edition," forecasts strong worldwide growth for HDTV over the next four years (nearly 148 million HDTV households by 2011). And in the U.S. alone, consumer spending on digital-living products is on track to hit $300 billion in 2010 (Parks Associates, "Digital Living Forecast," Dec. 2006).

"The Harmony advanced universal remotes have been highly successful at providing easy, one-touch access to favorite activities, such as watching TV, playing a video game, or listening to music - all with a single remote," said Ashish Arora, vice president and general manager of Logitech's Harmony business unit. "To further improve our lineup, while developing Harmony One, we sought to intimately understand the interaction between people, their remotes, and their entertainment systems. In fact, Harmony One is the result of our most comprehensive research and development undertaking ever - more than 20,000 hours."

A key outcome of Logitech's research is a 2.2-inch color touch-screen that uses capacitive technology, which responds to tiny electrical charges from the fingertips. Capacitive touch-screen technology is more durable, compared to touch screens that respond to pressure. The color touch screen provides control of any home entertainment device with an infrared receiver, including digital video recorders, high-definition televisions and many household appliances. The Harmony One remote's touch screen can also display icons of specified TV stations for quick access to favorite stations.

Based on a customer survey, Logitech also determined that it could improve its customers' experience with the Harmony remote by creating a more intuitive button layout. For improved ease of use, the Harmony One remote provides an intelligent and intuitive button layout divided into four distinct zones (numbers; traditional DVD controls; D-pad with volume and channel up/down; and on-screen menu buttons) for seamless control of today's most popular home entertainment devices. Only the 40 most-essential buttons appear on the Harmony One remote - so people can find the right one quickly. Each button is individually sculpted, providing useful tactile cues so people can operate the remote by touch, rather than relying on sight.

To better address ergonomics, the Harmony One remote features a curved, exceptionally comfortable shape that is easy for anyone in the family to hold, regardless of hand size. Presenting an elegant piano-black top and a silver base, and black buttons with white backlighting, Harmony One is the perfect complement for any living room. And the rechargeable remote's recharging station has a sleek profile with an adjustable light that makes it easy to find, even in the dark.

In addition to its optimized design, the Harmony One delivers the renowned benefits common to the Harmony family of universal remotes, including its exclusive one-touch activity-based control system powered by the world's largest A/V-control database of entertainment equipment, guided online setup and sophisticated telephone support.

The Evolution of One-Touch Activity Control
Using the Harmony One color touch screen, people simply touch the appropriate activity button and the Harmony One remote does the rest, including turning on the right components in the right order and setting the correct inputs. To watch a DVD, for example, people simply touch "Watch a DVD" on the touch screen. The Harmony One remote turns on the TV, the DVD player, and the A/V receiver. Then, if necessary, the Harmony One remote allows people to adjust the volume on the stereo system. There's no need to control components individually - the Harmony One remote manages everything. And the Harmony One remote even provides interactive on-screen help if something interferes with an IR command (for example, if someone walks in front of the set-top box).

Patented Smart State Technology
Patented Smart State Technology® enables the Harmony One remote to deliver activity-based control. Smart State Technology allows the remote to track the power state and input setting of the various components it controls. With this technology, Harmony remote users can effortlessly switch between watching home theater and listening to music by selecting a single activity button.

Guided Online Setup
Logitech's Internet-based setup makes getting the Harmony One up and running as easy as possible. With its intuitive setup wizard guiding the process, the Harmony One online interface allows people to enter their components' make and model numbers. Then, this information is automatically matched to the characteristics, discrete codes and infrared commands of the more than 225,000 devices from more than 5,000 manufacturers (updated almost daily) contained in Logitech's online database. Any devices that don't match can be added using the online system, and the setup process lets people add the control signals from the original device's remote control to the Harmony One remote. When people want to add a device to their living room, they can be confident that the Harmony One remote can control it - today and tomorrow.

Pricing and Availability
The Harmony One is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in February for a suggested retail price of $249.99 (U.S.). The Harmony One will be showcased in the Logitech CES booth (No. 35512, South Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center).

They're water resistant. Why is that, because these might be used around a swimming pool? Or maybe some users in Japan have spilt coffee or tea on the remote-control one too many times.

Sony says the remotes have a special wide-angle infrared LED that makes it so you don't have to point the remote directly at the TV set for it to work, a big plus. But we don't see any backlighting on those buttons, which would be a major disadvantage.

These remotes will first be seen on the Japanese market, selling for ¥2468, which would be a bargain-priced $22 if they ever make it Stateside. [AVing, via OhGizmo]

Other than its stunning looks, it operates much like a typical TV universal remote control with its library of access codes, and thankfully, it has a sound effects mute key to get rid of those noises you'll grow weary of hearing after about two minutes.

How faithful is it to the original? After the jump, we compare this remote with the original prop from the Star Trek series.

This Star Trek Phaser remote is sold out at the moment, but the Phone Phun site vows to locate more. – Charlie White

Product Page [Phone Phun, via Red Ferret]

The 670 works with the Harmony 7.0 software to make setting up different devices a breeze, but has a monochrome LCD screen instead of the crazy 3.5-inch touchscreen of the Harmony 1000. However, this costs only $149, plus improves on the Harmony 659 by putting DVR functions in the middle of the remote where it's easier to reach.

We've always liked Harmony remotes, so this one should be a pretty decent foray into the world of universal remotes for those who don't want to spend 300 bones. – Jason Chen

Press Release [Logitech via Uber Gizmo]