Joining the celebratory Windows Vista
soft drink as accessories that have hit the streets
long before a finalized copy of the operating system itself, the Vista MCE remote was out and on display at this year's Digital Life expo. A curious fellow over at Neowin got a brief glimpse of the remote in action, and even got some hands-on time with the yet-to-be-released media liaison. The remote appears oddly rectangular -- an unusual deviation from the
curvaceous trends we've
seen in remotes -- yet was said to "fit in your hand beautifully despite the squared edges." While the obvious Vista logo dominates the face, the remote is otherwise subtle when it comes to labeling, striking a surprisingly clean look compared to the
sticker-ridden devices we've become accustomed to. Moreover, the kiosk was supposed to demonstrate how Vista (and presumably the remote) interacted with the
Xbox 360, but a "number of technical difficulties" prevented that anticipated show from commencing. As of now, there's been no word concerning price,
expected delays, or eventual availability, but we're sure this is just the first of many media remotes we'll see coming down the pike for Microsoft's
forthcoming OS.
[Via
PVRWire]
posted Oct 17th 2006 9:55AM
OMG, that's ugly!
Will current MCE remotes and IR receivers work with Vista?
Yes.. I'm running RC2 with my Dell Angel USB tv tuner, and Microsoft OEM MCE remote and receiver. They both work, and work just fine. I don't know why you'd go out and spend probably $80 on a new remote when your existing one will work just fine...
@ Tony
"Will current MCE remotes and IR receivers work with Vista?"
From what I've seen, I have a current IR reciever and remote that came with a HP desktop system, and I hooked it up to my Vista Beta 2 system and it worked seamlessly. So, I think there will be absoltely no problem.
That is one of the cheapest looking remotes I have ever seen. Is it really for adults? Looks more like Fisher Price. "Oddly rectangular" = retarded design.
-Martha
Sweet...circa 1986. That is hideous. Was the engineer locked in a time capsule?
No one has said it yet...
It's "coming down the pike..."
move along, nothing to see here...
U-G-L-Y... you aint got no alibi, you ugly!
Looks like every other crappy remote I've ever owned, BUT IN WHITE! Microsoft innovation at its finest.
Has anyone found any specs or information on the standalone extenders with Vista?
Even DIRECTV's standard remote looks better than that thing. I think microsoft should ditch all of their current projects and totally rewrite windows, to the point where they have caught up with their competitors. (not just apple. office live already has a competitor (google docs) and even your grandmother could live with ubuntu)
actually i believe that remote might have something to do with the intel/directv project.
UGH! MS is in dire needs of getting new product designers. I would considering stealing some from Apple.
46 buttons!
I'll stick with my Apple FrontRow remote...only 6 buttons.
Is this more than just an updated formfactor? I'm using Vista RC2 on my media center now with the good ol' XP MCE remote and everything is working just fine.
I know a lot of Star Trek props were at auction last week, maybe thats where they got thier insiration???
PLAYSKOOL!!! Thats what it was reminding me of! Sheesh that was really bothering me. :P
Leave it to Vista to make me feel like a 5 year old again.
Do you guys really care how attractive it is? Wouldn't the function be much more important than the look or color? I can't remember losing any friends or having people leave my parties because my remote was ugly. It's a remote control not a fashion accessory.
Does that me the inverse is true?
"Great looking remote, hows it work?"
"It doesn't, it just looks great sitting there."
"Sweet! You're my hero"
Get some hobbies.
From the picture, this is not a remote, but the landscape of a strange city with little round buildings. A remote designed by committee. Does Microsoft have any innovating thinking at all ... any?
Apparently all the apple fanboys are out today. It is being condemned for having too many buttons as compared to the Apple remote, using the color white (as you know Apple has a tradmeark on that color), did not use the Apple design team so it must be poorly designed. Guess what - it is being used for two completely different purposes. All the apple software supports is cursoring around through a list, selecting playing, pausing, FF/RW.
So tell me, how would Apple design a remote that requires changing channels? Up/Down channel? Up/Down Volume? Do you really want to have to go back to a main menu to onscreen change these values. And try entering channel 921 using a 1980's arcade style menu. Looking at the FrontRow remote, how do I advance chapter to chapter rather than having to FF through a scene? MC Ihave 4 different speeds of FF or skip chapter. Something people have come to expect from a remote, as they are there for a purpose.
Will I like the shape? Maybe not, I would need to hold it in my hand to see. But in a year when Apple has another knock-off product (don't these guys ever have a new idea other than adding pretty colors and calling it revolutionary?), a remote with 40 buttons, have 1/2 the features of Media Center (to keep it simple for us, the stupid masses that could only aspire to be as brilliant as the one true God Steve), run only on Apple hardware, and able to communicate with only Apple software, it will then be called the greatest most brilliant thing ever created, why didn't anybody have this idea before, and then the PR coverup machine will kick in trying to dispell the lies from the Windows camp that Steve and his loyal cult fanatics ever said anything bad about a remote with more than 6 buttons.
But oh, it has already started. There was a patent filing by apple that showed a remote with a touch screen that had many different functions that were context sensitive (buttons would show/hide depending on your state). More than 5 buttons, brilliant, Steve does it once again! All bow before him! Want the state to be different (I want to control my TV now, not the DVD controls that are displayed to me now)? You fool, you don't know what you want, Steve knows better than you. So you will use your 5 button remote, all the wold must convert, and when Steve tells you you need one with more buttons, then you will be allowed to use one.
You will have my harmony and replace it with a FrontRow remote when you pry it from my cold-dead hands.
man.. that's a ugly remote
Even the PS3 remote looks nicer than that, damn.
Cool We A Martha Stewie Fan Here Cool.:)
this is engadget. WE DO CARE how fugly it looks.
the only thing worse than Apple-fanbois are Apple-haters.
more or less buttons is not better or worse, it just depends on the application. the traditional negative example for too many buttons is Word. a negative example for having too few is BMWs iDrive - it has only one button for everything, and is almost impossible to use, especially when driving.
cell phones or the original iPod are good examples of the "right amount" of buttons. it's more about the functionality than the number of buttons.
Seriously, what the hell were they thinking? Why can't a company that makes so much money not design something that looks nice? MS needs to start helping itself.
My second sentence should have been "Why can a company that makes so much money not design something that looks nice?". Wish there was an edit option.
Seems prety cool - anyone know when it will be in stores in Europe ??
With Kind Regards
Leon Bollerup
Team ORCA
http://www.orcadesktop.com