Lots of news on the VUDU front today, starting with the announcement that the grossly overpriced VUDU XL is finally shipping to all three people who forked out for one. Moving on to more important matters, the forthcoming v1.3 software -- which is hitting barely a month after v1.2 was loosed -- will open up the VUDU Vault. Put simply, this feature will "enable consumer to move owned titles from the VUDU hard drive to a secure area on VUDU servers to free up space for additional purchases." As expected, the feature will only be available on "select titles," but hey, we suppose we'll take what we can get. Moving on, VUDU is also announcing the $39 IR receiver kit for both the original STB and the XL, which will "allow for the operation of the service using approved programmable remotes." Lastly, v1.3 will bring about a numerically listed Most Watched overlay as well as improved searching for TV episodes. No word on when the update will start being pushed out, but we'd guess it'll be sooner rather than later.

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.

While we wouldn't mind a bit if the iPhone had an easy-to-replace battery like most mobiles these days, it seems that Exradia feels that such an oversight was nothing short of (potentially) harmful. As you very well know, we've seen so much conflicting data regarding the true danger of "cellphone radiation" that we've basically given up on trying to make sense of it all, but the aforementioned replacement battery outfit -- which just so happens to integrate a mystical RF-blocking circuit into each cell -- is reportedly "surprised [that] Apple has chosen to ignore this potential health issue" by not giving users the option to spend a bit of coin with Exradia. David Schick, the firm's chief executive, went on to state that there was "no scientific evidence that clearly demonstrates mobile devices are safe," but he unsurprisingly failed to mention that the flipside of that statement is also true. Whatever the case, we wouldn't worry too much about this shameless grub for money -- considering just how many mobile users are yapping it up right now, we'll all go down together should these fears prove true.

[Via TGDaily]

Sure, your average PlayStation 3 controller is functional... but is it super ugly? Enter the dreamGEAR Lava Glow wireless controller -- a peripheral so heinous looking it can likely be used to visually stun your opponents. The liquid-filled, glowing controller transmits on the lovable 2.4GHz RF band, and is said to be the "most comfortable controller ever created," according to the company's modest PR. The Lava Glow is also jam-packed with "motion sensing gyroscopes," which somehow provide you with "complete latency free game play," though we're not sure how. The controller comes in red or blue, and is available now for $34.99 -- just be sure you don't spike it against a wall and get lava juice on your carpet.

Handover technologies are nothing new, but Agito Networks is hoping to offer up scalable systems that can "hand voice calls over quickly and accurately between company WiFi and cellular networks." More specifically, the startup system utilizes RF to tell when an individual is approaching "predefined points at the limit of the company's WiFi coverage," after which a mobile-based client cooperates with a RoamAnywhere router (which integrates with the company's IP PBXs) in order to hand the call over. Reportedly, the actual transfer "takes less than one second," and administrators can even set up RoutePoints and instruct calls to be sent directly to voicemail when users are off duty. Granted, it seems Agito is aiming its products at medium-to-large businesses looking to save on cellphone bills, and if all goes well, models ranging from $9,995 to $24,995 should hit the US by the year's end.

Right on cue, Denon has gone and launched the oh-so-snazzy RC-7000CI remote, which we had the pleasure of seeing a tad early thanks to the FCC. The fully programmable, ZigBee-based remote allows for universal command and control of all Denon remote controlled products "as well as products from other manufacturers," and those with internet access (that'd be you, hot shot) can simply connect the remote to a PC via USB and "program the functionality of all the products in their system" care of the online IR database. Paired up with one or two RC-7001RCI RF/IR Remote Bases (pictured after the jump), the duo creates a multi-room remote control system that allows for "both two-way communication and IR functionality." As with everything labeled Denon, don't expect either of these August-bound niceties to come sans a premium, as you'll be asked to cough up $299.99 for the remote itself, while each base station adds another $199.99.

[Via TrustedReviews]

Hey, mundane PowerPoint presenters need to interact with their tunes from afar too, right? Apparently, Keyspan sure thinks so, as its Presentation Remote Pro not only provides a 100-foot range to flip through slides, but it also plays nice with Apple's Keynote software, sports audio controls, and packs an obligatory laser pointer for movie theater antics. Moreover, it's entirely plug 'n play capable with both Windows and OS X-based machines, and doubles as a mouse with integrated cursor control, scrolling, and two-button clicking capabilities, too. Of course, $79 may seem a bit high for a wireless substitute for your right index finger, but just put it on the corporate card and fuhgetaboutit. Check out another angle after the break.

Oh hey, that little fella looks familiar. Sure enough, the rechargeable Logitech MX Air Mouse we spied last month is getting real this morning. Touting Logitech's "Freespace" motion control, the Air Mouse combines MEMS sensors with DSP and 2.4GHz RF technology for both gestural motion-control and traditional laser mousing about. The Air Mouse attempts to bridge the gap between mouse and remote control with a touch-sensitive scroll-panel (instead of a scroll wheel) and dedicated pause/play and volume control buttons positioned down the center of the device. Push the volume button and flick the mouse right or left to increase or decrease the volume, respectively, at distances up to 30 feet away from your PC. Niiice. Better yet, it's shaped to impress when toted about in the trousers... gaRowl! Ships in the US and Europe for $150 sometime in August.

[Via Notebooks.com]

While Philips' latest universal remote lacks the genius design seen in the prototype book iteration, it's tough to deny the utility here. This universal remote may not sport the most luxurious button layout, but it does manage to control up to six devices and play nice with your iPod; moreover, the SJM3151's built-in LCD screen touts the ability to mimic your player's screen, so you can sneak a peek at what's on deck without squinting to see the faraway dock. Interestingly, this remote not only packs the infrared abilities we've come to expect, but it also speaks ZigBee in order to transmit signals "up to 300 feet." Of course, this multifaceted device won't run you cheap, as interested buyers will be asked to cough up $180 to procure one when it lands this fall.

A friendly tipster pointed us to this shot of the unreleased Logitech MX Air mouse. Not a lot of info on it, but apparently it does the cursor thing with a combination of an in-air gyration mouse and traditional desktop laser mouse tech. No Bluetooth for this one, Logitech is sticking with its RF dongle method, and purportedly plans to release it this summer. Our Wiimote isn't so sure it's ready to fork over the friendly skies so soon.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Fresh off its acquisition of Infrant Technologies, Netgear is unloading a bevy of new RAID NAS products, a host of small to mid-size business networking gear, and a newfound partnership with Avaya to provide VoIP to SMB customers. On the storage front, the four-bay ReadyNAS NV+ (desktop) and ReadyNAS 1100 (rackmount) devices support RAID 0/1/5 and X-RAID, automated backups and alerting, gigabit Ethernet, UPnP AV multimedia access, a number of USB ports, and room for up to four SATA drives. As for networking gear, the company is busting out its new WFS709TP ProSafe Smart Wireless Switch, WGL102 ProSafe 802.11g Light WAP, WAGL102 ProSafe Dual Band Light WAP, eight-port GS108T Gigabit Ethernet Smart Switch, 24-port GS724TP Smart PoE Switch, and a monstrous 48-port GS748TP Smart PoE Switch to finish things off. As if that wasn't enough to digest, Netgear is also partnering up with Avaya to provide "an IP telephony solution for small businesses with 20 users or less." The newfangled lineups will be available at varying times and prices, so be sure to visit the read link for specifics on each individual model.

[Via SmallNetBuilder]

Gone are the days where you sat impatiently in another room flipping through endless tracks just waiting to hear the lead-in from Forever Young, as even DLO is joining the LCD-equipped remote game with the HomeDock Music Remote. Similar to the KeySpan, EWOO, and Popalive iterations, this RF remote dons a sleek OLED display (shown after the jump) that mimics the menus and text on your iPod's screen so that you can flip through playlists, scroll through albums, and see what's currently playing all without having your eyes glued to your Apple. The device also comes with a docking stand that can connect to your home stereo or TV, and doubles as a charging station when plugged into an AC outlet. Still, you'd have to be mighty lazy or incredibly burdened with disposable income to make this one worth it, as DLO's charging a stiff $129.99 for the kit.

Utilizing RFID technology to defuse the threat of theft isn't a fresh idea, but NXP Semiconductors and Kestrel Wireless are looking to make good on the premise by cranking out an anti-theft solution that just might appear on the next DVD you buy. By combining NXP's RFID technology with Kestral's RFA (radio frequency activation), manufacturers could install a minuscule chip on the optical media at the beginning of the supply chain which would render it unplayable, but having it scanned at a checkout counter would enable a series of authentication checks to occur and eventually unlock the media for playback. While the scenario may sound convoluted, it could allow manufacturers to skimp on bulky, restrictive packaging, and moreover, it could be applied to other items in the consumer electronics universe in order to deter thieves from trying to swipe expensive handheld gizmos. Of course, we can already envision the complaints that are sure to arise from legitimate buyers bringing home a coaster if the activation process happens to fail, but apparently, both companies are already hard at work persuading studios to write 'em a check and get these things into stores.

[Via Physorg]