OK, I have to apologize here. I called the Hillcrest Loop remote vaporware the other day, and boy was I wrong. I just got a chance to sit down and play with it today, and that accusation couldn't be farther from the truth.
This thing is amazing. The video really demonstrates it better than I can, but I honestly believe this is the way everyone will control their TV in the future. You won't see any Hillcrest branded equipment or services, but both equipment manufacturers and carriers will be able to use the interface and hardware to replace their current, lousy setups.
The interface is intuitive, simple, and just makes sense when dealing with the amount of content digital cable and satellite delivers these days. Rather than having to push arrow buttons through hundreds of channels, everything is arranged visually. You use both hand movements and a scroll-wheel to browse your content and adjust the volume, and it immediately feels natural. As for the remote, it's way better than the Wiimote. You don't need a sensor bar, you can hold it any way you want, and the learning curve is about 10 seconds.
Just watch the video and get ready to hate your standard remote.