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Logitech Harmony 1000 review roundup
The Harmony line for Logitech has continued to please, and based on the reviews of the latest addition to the family, the 1000 is no different. The reviews raved about the performance for the price and we can see why: $499 for a touch screen remote certainly sets it apart from its competitors. Remote Shoppe points out that the Harmony 1000 is also much easier to program than other touch screen remotes and that Photoshop skills are not required to produce a great looking interface, but while the Harmony 1000 is easy to program, it also isn't as customizable as those other touch screen remotes. CNET warns that if you are used to a wand style remote, that the horizontal nature of the Harmony 1000 takes some getting used to. The worst part seems to be battery life, CNET forgot to dock it one night, only to find it was dead the next day when they were ready to use it.Read - CNET (7.7/10)Read - Remote Shoppe
Hands-on with a bunch of SideShow remotes
Throw out your Harmony, kick your Pronto to the curb, and say goodbye to the old One4All: SideShow-powered remotes are about to take the home theater by storm. Much more than hunks of plastic and silicon used to control your gear, these remotes offer all sorts of widgety-goodness, delivering stock quotes, RSS feeds, and even an electronic program guide right to the palm of your hand (because, you know, using the guide on your TV is so 2006). We got to peep several upcoming models from Microsoft, Interlink, Sixik, and some unnamed manufacturer (the branding was taped over, but we suspect LG is the culprit here), and have been converted to true, unwavering SideShow disciples. Most of these bad boys will be released around the same time as Vista, so start saving your pennies and preparing your current remote for its inevitable disposal. Hands-on pictures are in the gallery below, and if we do say so ourselves, we make a mighty fine hand model (as do the cheerful booth reps who helped us out with some of the more challenging shots). Hands-on with a bunch of SideShow remotes
Philips launches a handful of Vista MCE-compatible remotes
While we've already seen a few Windows Vista Media Center Edition remotes, Philips has just rolled out a whole host of its own along with assorted USB receivers. These range from a more standard style remote (RC1974501/00) with the huge number of buttons up and down to its slightly upgraded counterpart, the RC1974502/00, which appears to be the same, except with backlighting on the keys. The third version of the family, the RC1974603/00 also has backlighting, but adds "advanced IR learning," although we're not really sure what makes it more advanced than a remote with standard IR learning. However, the top model of the family includes an RF receiver and transmitter, just in case you need that extra range. Beyond that, there's also some PC-card remotes that'll jack in with your laptop, but the best one out of all of them is the TINO SRM7500/xx -- this larger model comes with its own built-in LCD so that you can navigate and control music playback without turning on the screen of your home entertainment center. Plus, its got them learnin' smarts too, so it can show those other remotes who's boss. Philips neglected to mention how much any of this stuff will cost, nor when it will be released; until we find out, we'll just have to settle for our more traditional channel-changing wands.[Via Zatz Not Funny, image courtesy PVR Wire]
