One For All Kameleon Generation III will remotely control everything

We don't know much about this new One For All Kameleon Generation III home theater remote control other than it seems to be one of the highest-end universal remotes that we've ever seen. Not only will it apparently control your stereo and video gear, but your home lighting as well. It also includes a programmable option to execute multiple commands at the same time, so as Tech Digest points out, it can: "switch off your stereo, turn on your DVD, boost your surround sound or dim the lights when the movie starts" all at the push of a single button. The Generation III looks pretty freakin' awesome -- it starts at £70 ($130) and goes up from there, depending on how many devices you need it to control. Sadly though, we don't know when it will become available nor where, as it's not yet listed on the One For All Kameleon website.

[daaper @ Oct 16th 2006 11:44AM]

that controller is $1200...did you seriously just counter-point a $130 remote with a $1200 one?

[FlyMolo @ Oct 14th 2006 1:58AM]

Wow, $130 seems rather low to me. Some of the Logitech Harmony remotes cost three times as much. The screen doesn't look quite as fancy as the Harmony screens, but this looks like a great deal to me when you consider some of the popular competition.

[kiz- @ Oct 14th 2006 2:22AM]

bluetooth? :)

[Chase M. @ Oct 14th 2006 2:28AM]

sweeeet!

[Mank @ Oct 14th 2006 4:27AM]

But does it play Wii Sports?

[B @ Oct 14th 2006 4:29AM]

I had the gen two Kameleon and while it worked really well, there were some drawbacks. The first was the noise the thing made. Sort of low humming/buzzing noise that was quite loud. When my mates would come over to watch a match they would comment on it, so it wasn't just me and my girlfriend.

The other problem was battery life. It would suck down for fresh AAA in one week. I spent a fortune powering the thing.

Because of these issues I finally upgrade to Logitech Harmony 830. Mostly because it came with a charging station and I saved the same amount as the purchase price in the first year by not buying batteries.

But if Kameleon have fixed these two issues, I would recommend you try it.

[Sean D. @ Oct 14th 2006 6:50AM]

No bluetooh, no PS3 control. It's already dead to me.

[Fabian Bauhaus @ Oct 14th 2006 7:17AM]

Again, B&O was first here.
Tey had the single remote concept for years and yes, it also controls home lightning.

[ET @ Oct 14th 2006 10:39AM]

Touchscreen? No thanks. Nothing beats the tactical feel of rubber buttons. I don't want to stare at my remote just to change the channel. Ergonomic nightmare.

[Paul Schmidt @ Oct 14th 2006 2:12PM]

"I don't want to stare at my remote just to change the channel"

Cool remote, but i couldn't agree more.

[Ari @ Oct 14th 2006 11:26AM]

My kameleon does all this already. I have the One-For-All URC6690 and it cost me $30. It's not as slick as the one above, but I wanted some tactile buttons along with the neat lcd that changes controls.

[TroyG @ Oct 14th 2006 12:00PM]

OK all, just to clear things up, this is NOT a touch screen. It's cool, but it's some sort OLED segment display that's flexible w/ physical buttons under. The buttons are fixed - you can't change them, you can't even decide which ones go on and off. There's very little ability to program, other than simple macros, and previous generations were limited in how many commands they could memorize.

Don't get me wrong, it's cool looking, and gets an Ooohh... Ahhh... factor from your friends, but in the end, it's just another universale remote. I dumped mine for a basic Harmony. MUCH, MUCH better.

[wontoncookie @ Oct 14th 2006 12:24PM]

Can I get one to control my wife. Doh Divorce papers comming soon ,,,
Im free

[Manboy @ Oct 14th 2006 1:47PM]

On bluetooth: if I were a betting man I'd say Sony will do its PS3 control in some obscure proprietry manner, so screw bluetooth*

*(if they really do manage to herald a new useful standard [RS 232 usually hands back fairly simple info, and wifi is problematic with remotes in terms of wake-up and battery life] in two-way home theatre control then colour me happy).

On touchscreens and physical buttons: physical buttons on universal remotes are great until you have to start remembering that the F1 button is "Stop record" for the DVDR but for the plasma it's "wide mode" etc etc. Truly customisable touchscreens let you call the buttons whatever you want. Making the navigation, volume and channel buttons physical is a common compromise, though I wouldn't mind a keypad as well. There's definitely the space for it on that Harmony touchscreen.

[Nate @ Oct 14th 2006 2:46PM]

Is this the gadget you get at Bed, Bath & Beyond? I have heard from one movie that although they are technologically advanced, these can ruin your life if you are not careful.

[Steve @ Oct 14th 2006 3:43PM]

I have a generation two and it is absolutely terrible. You can't tell where the buttons are without looking at it because the surface is perfectly flat. Some raised bumps would have been nice. Also eats batteries. Only used it for about a month... now it is collecting dust.

[NotOfThisEarth @ Oct 14th 2006 4:28PM]

I had the last Gen one and although it LOOKS nice and handles everything reasonably well, it eats batteries like they are free. Get a Harmony 880 if you want an all in one remote. You won't be sorry.

[DBreskin @ Oct 14th 2006 10:03PM]

"Nothing beats the tactical feel of rubber buttons. I don't want to stare at my remote just to change the channel." > The black buttons with white legends in the middle of the remote ARE dedicated tactile buttons for channel, volume and menu so you don't need to look at the remote for these functions.

The illuminated part of the display is addresssable EL, not OLED. THe EL has metal switches underneath that provide tactile feedback, although you do need to lok at the display to ensure you're pressing in the right spot.

[Chappy @ Oct 15th 2006 2:50AM]

Wow, Engadget usually gets it right, but they dropped the ball on this one if they think it's the "highest-end universal remotes that we've ever seen"; it's cheap radio shack garbage (way overpriced, of course). The Harmony stuff is by no means "high end", and it's a significant step up in functionality. I think the Philips Pronto is where the "high end" really begins.

[Hammer @ Oct 15th 2006 12:25PM]

Bluetooth? Why? So you can pay the Bluetooth liciensing fee for the one or two times you will sync it to your pc?

[Eric Whitney @ Oct 16th 2006 2:42AM]

I am I the only one to that feels missled by the title of this post?
It sounded like the remote should control my toothbrush, the sewing machine, the coffe maker, the vacume, my chainsaw, my dog, stoplights, and all robots on the planet. That would be worth the price all of those AA batteries.