For every Apple and Nintendo fanboy out there, there is another equally zealous person entertaining a hope against hope that if only these two companies could somehow join forces, the world would be free from war, disease and famine. Apple apparently saw it fit to entertain those fantasies, and has a patent from November 2006 with some interesting Wiimote-esque functionality for what we presume to be the Apple TV. In fact, the patented controller seems to be suspiciously similar to the Wii controller in function, with a similar accelerometer and positioning setup, and Apple clearly states the proposed controller's relation to gaming, in addition to other functions like zooming in on images. Unfortunately for the dreamers out there, Apple patents out-there stuff all the time that never sees the light of day, and we're sure Nintendo wouldn't be all friendly about Apple turning the Apple TV into a Wii-killer. But hey, let's not let facts get in the way of unadulterated magnificence.

[Thanks, Mark]

As a whole, it's hard to kvetch too much about Logitech's Harmony line of universal remotes, but as a devout hacker once told us, there's always room for improvement. Phil Dibowitz has been pursuing this project for months, and it looks as if a final release is at long last ready for mass distribution. Put simply, Concordance enables the Harmony family to be programmed in UNIX (which Logitech's software doesn't support) as well as in Windows and Linux. Furthermore, Phil states that the goal is to be "cross-platform," so Mac users should keep an eye out for future updates. Currently, the software supports every model save for the 890 and 1000, though both will hopefully be added in soon. Go on, give the read link a tap and get started -- just don't come crying to us if your "Watch TiVo" command starts opening the boss' garage door.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Although the PlayStation 3 is quite the lovely Blu-ray player in most respects, one issue has nagged remote junkies from day one: the absence of IR. Now, however, the highly-anticipated IR2BT Infrared-to-Bluetooth converter is on the market, and sure enough, it promises to transmit "all 51 Sony Blu-ray remote codes including the PS button for Power On / Off." The unit itself measures in at 4.5- x 3- x 1-inches, operates on a pair of AA cells or a mini-USB connector and doesn't even require you to own a soldering iron. Ready to control your PS3 via a universal IR remote without getting a degree in electrical engineering? Hit up the read link and hand over your $55, bub.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Just when you think you've seen the iPhone perform its last magic trick (making you eggs benedict, solving the inverse Galois problem, a brief appearance on Dancing With the Stars) something like this comes along to make your jaw drop just a little bit more. Touchpad for the iPhone is built on top of VNsea, but instead of allowing you to navigate your desktop on the device, it becomes what is essentially a wireless, remote trackpad, which gives you direct access to your system as if you were using a mouse or touch device for input. It sounds interesting in description, but looks amazing in execution -- check the video after the break to see what it does, then go get the app loaded up and try it yourself.

Remember that intriguing KP-900 that came our way courtesy of the FCC late last month? Turns out, this creature is getting all official on us today, with Universal proudly proclaiming that its newest IR / RF dual-use remote will be debuting at the Electronic House Expo in Orlando next month. The multifaceted gizmo is made to be retrofitted into any home that could use a wall-mounted home automation controller and a sophisticated home theater remote, and it should be hitting authorized dealer locations next month for $599. Not bad, not bad at all.

[Via Widescreen Review]

So do you go out and throw down on a fully-featured RF remote to control your home automation gizmos, or do you get one of those snazzy wall-mounted keypads installed to handle the same duties? Frankly, we'd recommend option C, which would involve picking up a device that operates as both depending on your mood. Universal Remote Control's KP-900 is one such unit, which easily snaps into and out of a wall mount for use in both of the aforementioned scenarios. Furthermore, there's even a built-in LCD which showcases relevant activities depending on what main selection you make first. As with everything else spotted in the FCC, you'll have to wait a tick longer before finding out a price or release date, but it looks like this bugger may actually be worth holding out for.

With a name like RF Remote Commander, it has to be good, right? Unfortunately, this here device looks to be a forthcoming member of Sony's IPELA family, which fits more in the boardroom than the living room, generally speaking. Nevertheless, the PCS-RF1 does have a few likable buttons, such as presentation, microphone, zoom in / out and connect / disconnect. Granted, it's easy to see that this thing wasn't designed with home theaters in mind, but we're sure there are a few engineering minds out there already dreaming up ways to connect the aforementioned keys to something in their setup. Per usual, the price and release date remain unknown, but if history repeats yet again, it's oh-so-close to being ready for primetime.

While the Squeezebox Duet's original spec sheet might've been enticing enough, it doesn't look like Logitech is just leaving it at that. It turns out this little-remote-that-could includes Flickr support, a built-in speaker and headphone jack, a hidden SD card slot, IR transmitter and a 3-axis accelerometer. That's in addition to the WiFi media streaming and controls we've touched upon, and there's even an expansion port on the bottom if that still isn't enough. We're not quite sure what a WiFi home audio controller needs a 3-axis accelerometer for, but we want.

If you thought Logitech was going to rest on the laurels of the Harmony 880, think again. The Harmony One looks to pick up where the 880 left off; it takes everything we love about the 880 and steps it up by replacing the terrible buttons with our favorite raised type, and the LCD screen goes touch screen to boot. PJ from PC Magzine appreciates the new ergonomic layout and touch screen, but misses being able to access the LCD screen without looking down at the remote. The charger base was also revised, but no word on if it is more reliable -- PJ does say that he was seeing about a week of battery life. In the end, the Harmony One is a nice upgrade to the 880, but considering that it's priced almost twice that of the Harmony 550, we're not sure it's doubly good.

Logitech put up a strong showing at CES Unveiled this evening, so naturally, we had to stop by and evaluate the wares. We were particularly impressed with the Squeezebox Duet, and we think it's a good sign of things to come out of the company's acquisition of Slim Devices last year -- Sonos better look out with that one. The diNovo Mini won't set any records for typing speed, but it's a fabulous concept for controlling a PC from a few feet away, and as for the Harmony One, we'd wager it's the best looking Harmony remote to date. Click on!

Looks like Harmony is listening to users -- witness the Harmony One's revised layout. Centrally-located transport controls and good separation on the numeric inputs go a long way to addressing our gripes. They're touting the "same one-touch, activity-based control" as existing models, so no telling if the programming side of the house has been revamped. We're hoping they take the one-size fits all wizard approach and make tweaks and adjustments a little more easily accessible. Control freaks and those who make a habit of shuffling their gear (sound like anyone familiar?) would really appreciate a more direct way to tweak out their remotes!

Following up on the RICA 100 that Ricavision unveiled in May is the VAVE100, which doesn't deviate too far from its past siblings in the design department, but does offer up a 2.4-inch QVGA LCD, a shiny green MCE button and SideShow functionality. As we'd expect, this thing is a Class 1 (~50 meters promised) Bluetooth device with A2DP support, and it comes with its own docking station, a BT transceiver and a power charger. The remote enables users to control over 20 different components from up to 50-feet away via IR, and the buttons are backlit to keep you from fumbling around in the dark while trying to switch tracks. Unfortunately, you won't be using one of these to control your new gear (you are asking for new gear this year, right?) until next February, but you will save $25 by pre-ordering now for $274.

[Thanks, Ronald]

If you're gonna make a remote that stores away in your laptop's PCMCIA slot, you probably shouldn't make it so it sticks out. Unfortunately, that's exactly what the USB Media Remote from USB Geek does, and it also includes a USB dongle that sticks out too. Frankly, we'd rather go for any other option than deal with all the hassle that this $30 gadget promises to bring.

[Via Everything USB]

Here at Engadget HQ, we've no particular issues with superfluousness, but we're just hard pressed to believe that anyone could find value in a $30,000 remote control. Granted, we'd certainly have a change of heart if said remote could grant a trio of wishes, create a clone to handle our 9-to-5 and serenade us on command, but unfortunately, Lantic Systems' RC 1 does none of the above. The discuss-shaped device only offers up control of one's DVD player, TV, CCTV / security setup, audio system, lights, curtains, HVAC and any other standard AV component, all of which can be taken care of for a Toyota or so less. Interestingly, the outfit doesn't even mention how much gold you're really getting here, but considering that those signed on to bring one home likely posses more money than sense, that tidbit probably isn't a dealbreaker.

[Via BornRich]

Here's a human-interface challenge for you: what's quicker, typing in a three-digit channel number on a traditional 0-9 keypad, or locating a physical button for that channel in a 20-inch long rainbow gradient of 102 identically-sized buttons? Art Lebedev is apparently hoping to solve that age-old dilemma with the Pultius remote, a concept created in response to a challenge to "design a remote control with as many buttons as there are channels on TV." Since it's just a concept, there's no word on price or availability, but really, haven't we all learned not to expect that sort of thing from Art Lebedev at this point?