Posted 09/07/09 at 08:30:13 AM by Paul Lilly

Forget about fumbling for batteries in your kitchen junk drawer once your remote loses its juice. If you owned Logitech's new Harmony 700, you could just plug it into the wall with the included adapter to bring it back to life. According to Logitech, the Harmony 700 can go several weeks between charges.

Other tricks include one-click activity buttons for  tasks such as "Watch a DVD,"  a color LCD screen, support for more than 5,000 brands and over 225,000 devices, online setup so you don't have to punch in codes on the remote, and the ability to replace up to six other remotes.

Logitech is taking pre-orders for the $150 rechargeable Harmony, which the company says will ship this month.

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Posted 06/03/09 at 04:29:14 PM by Andy Salisbury

Unveiled just this week, Zalman’s new CNPS10X cooler is the first CPU cooler with a removable remote.

The CNPS10X rocks a total of five heatpipes in order to conduct heat away from the processor, all of which feeds into a huge group of fins. These fins are kept cool by a sizable, high-CFM fan.

And, of course, there’s the remote, which will let you adjust the speed of the fan, or lock it into auto mode. The remote can be plugged into the heatsink itself, or work via extension cable. The remote features two LEDs, a surface button and a wheel for all of your speed adjusting needs.

The CNPS10X will be available in several different colors, but no word on when it’ll arrive or how much it’ll cost.

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Posted 12/04/08 at 05:40:42 PM by Andy Salisbury

IBM is looking for people to break their Microsoft addiction by launching a Linux-based collection of virtual desktop applications that run on a server – without the need of desktop hardware.

Given current economic pressures, IBM predicts that this virtual route of computing could save some corporate customers up to $800 per user. This, thanks to the low price point put on the Virtual Linux Desktop. It is available today for $59 to $289 per user, all depending on what level of software and service is desired.

“Deploying your technology this way is going to save you something more than 50 percent of your total costs,” said Jeff Smith, IBM's vice president for open source and Linux. “As customers face an increasingly challenging economic situation, they're looking at everything they're spending money on.”

While the idea sounds great in theory, there are some questions that remain. Mostly, will corporate customers really go for a system that stores their data on a server instead of locally?

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Posted 09/10/08 at 04:09:27 PM by Paul Lilly

In what's sure to elicit Tim Allen-like grunts, Philips has unveiled its Pronto TSU9800 touchscreen remote control. The new models retains all the same features as the previous model (TS9600), but upgrades to a bigger full-size 6.4-inch VGA display. Also new to the TSU9800:

• Two more buttons + optical rotary wheel
• Pronto Link support (allows a homeowner to control home theaters, lights, temperatures, security, and multi-room audio systems via a single remote)
• Advanced two-way functionality by receiving feedback from RS-232 or IP-controlled devices in real-time

Philips is offering an optional accessory allowing users to mount the remote to any wall or table top, and will also make available two extenders for integrating into with home controls.

No word yet on pricing or availability.

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Posted 06/27/08 at 10:42:44 PM by Paul Lilly

ESPN's "Ultimate Remote" looks nothing like the one Adam Sandler wielded in the move Click, nor can it manipulate time. It can't mute your girlfriend, and no matter what combination of buttons you push, you won't be able to call an audible and change the outcome of the SuperBowl. So can it still live up to its moniker and be the last remote you'll ever buy?

To learn what nifty tricks the Ultimate Remote can do, click through the jump.

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Posted 03/02/07 at 01:38:44 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

With the ability to record unencrypted high-definition cable streams, this HD-tuner has a big advantage over pure over-the-air tuners

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