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Only Sony could make this TV remote and speaker hybrid
We love Sony's penchant for crazy products like the P clamshell Android tablet, and who can forget the Rolly music player slash robotic, LED flashing... thing? Judging by a new speaker, the company still has a whimsical side despite falling profits. The SRS-LSR100 pairs a TV remote with a wireless speaker, which receives a 2.4GHz signal from dongle attached to your TV or stereo. The idea is to bring the TV sound closer to you, whether you're in the living room, exercise room or kitchen. And since you're there, why not have a channel-changer?
Nintendo shows final Wii U Gamepad, TV remote app (update: video)
Looks like Nintendo didn't want to wait for its proper E3 press conference to spill some Wii U details early -- it just used its preview event to show the finished version of the Wii U controller, called the Gamepad, as well as a TV remote app. The Gamepad is decidedly wider than what we saw a year ago, with comfort clearly the top priority in other areas: the analog sticks have been moved further outwards and made clickable, while the back grip has been tweaked in the process. There's also no doubt as to where to interact with NFC gadgets, either, as a dedicated spot below the directional pad will take all your device-to-device taps. As for the remote, it looks to be a straightforward number pad navigator with a programming guide, all steering your TV through infrared. Between this and the Wii U Pro Controller, though, it's clear Nintendo hasn't been sitting still in the past year, and has some home theater ambitions in the process. We're curious as to what Nintendo is saving up for its bigger gala on Tuesday. Update: Join us past the break to view the webstream for yourself!
LG's Magic Remote enables voice control for its smart TVs
LG was quick to introduce Wii-style motion controls and pointing to its smart TV controllers, but its new Magic Remote also adds voice recognition, allowing you to enter search terms without ever contemplating the alphabet. In a radical move, it also conjures up a scroll wheel -- perhaps for no reason other than to spite Samsung's now dowdy-looking QWERTY rival. The fact that it can control your LG Cinema 3D TV without forcing you to star-jump is a happy bonus. There's a full PR after the break, although no sign yet of availability or pricing.
Logitech asks where all the lost TV remotes are eventually found
We already know how many remotes most of you have, but Logitech apparently found in its recent study that half of all living rooms have four or more remotes and as we all know, they're constantly getting lost. According to the study, nearly half the time they're just buried deep within the recesses of the couch, while the bathroom and dresser drawer tied for the next most common places for a remote to end up at eight percent. In the fridge and outside rounded out the top five so now we're wondering, where's the weirdest place you've ever found your remote control hiding out?
Samsung's new dual-sided QWERTY remote for Smart TVs revealed by the FCC
We didn't spot this one at CES where the phone-like RMC30D and standard remotes were the only options, but it looks like Samsung has an alternative Bluetooth remote planned for its Smart TVs (but not any Google TV products judging by that Yahoo! button on the remote side) that features standard buttons on one side and a full QWERTY keyboard on the other, much like the Boxee Box's remote. Judging by the ruler in the remarkably unflattering FCC photos, this one appears to be a bit larger and it's not immediately clear what that display on the QWERTY side is for. Obviously, if there's any chance users will be logging into their various Twitter or Comcast/Time Warner accounts on the TV they'll need something better than T9 to do it, but we'll have to wait to get our hands on this one to know if it's an improvement. Check the gallery for a few more pictures, we'd expect some kind of announcement on the RMC-QTD1 before Samsung's 2011 line of TVs hit stores. %Gallery-115269%
Speakal Doctor Who TARDIS speaker prototype hands-on
Hardcore Doctor Who fans might argue that the faulty chameleon circuit is to be blamed here, but really, this mini TARDIS is just a forthcoming Speakal iPod speaker dock that also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker and an IR remote control. As pictured above, the dock connector lies in a pull-out tray at the bottom-front of the device, with the stereo speaker drivers hidden behind the front windows. There's also a bass chamber inside the box, and we could see the opening through the back windows, along with the volume dial and power switch at the bottom. We were told that the final product will actually be slightly smaller than this prototype, and the lamp at the top will also have an IR emitter installed, which can control your TV via an iOS app (presumably via Bluetooth). Anyhow, expect to see this blue box on the shelves for around $130 to $150 come April. %Gallery-113118%
Samsung's RMC30D universal Touch Control TV remote touts three-inch display, iPhone glam
You know that Touch Control TV remote that Sammy's throwing in with its 2011 line of HDTVs? Here it is in person, and dare we say it's one of the most striking factory remotes that we've ever seen. Hard to say without touching if it it really has the chops to go toe-to-toe with our favorite Harmony remotes, but it's definitely superior to anything that LG, Sharp and Sony are tossing in with their sets these days. The unpriced RMC30D itself has a three-inch touch panel on top, where you can control the settings on your television and any AV component nearby that you have programmed in. And before we go too far, let's go ahead and point out that it looks almost exactly like an iPhone 4. Now that we've addressed the elephant in the room, we'd like to point out that the AllShare function allows it to control and play content from DLNA sources, and users are encouraged to enjoy YouTube and Skype voice calls while they're kicking back with their best of buds. Naturally, a virtual QWERTY keyboard is available for searching, and while it's designed to play nice with the D7000 series and up, the "universal remote" tag gives us no reason to believe that this wouldn't work with other sets, too. We're keeping our ear to the ground for more -- we won't rest until we know if this thing uses IR or Bluetooth. For what it's worth, it'll start shipping at some point during 1H 2011. Update: Our original (Samsung-provided) image is evidently not at all what the final product will look like. Per Samsung's request, we have updated this post with the newer versions of the images. %Gallery-114454%
Philips Home Control's Dual is a QWERTY remote for attractive people
There are plenty of QWERTY remotes out there, trying to be all fancy and make operating your TV more like operating a computer. They think they're so clever, but they've all overlooked one important point: you're dead sexy. Do they really expect you to rock a remote that any old ugly person could buy at Sears and point at their more-than-an-inch-thick LCD? Philips understands, and its Home Control division is launching the Dual remote just for you. It's a pretty simple execution, with a minimal remote on one side and the full QWERTY on the flip. It's a little hard to tell from the presser, but it sounds like there's an optical track pad hidden somewhere on here as well. We also don't have any mention of release date or price, but do details like that really matter? No, they don't. Because this remote's sexy. And you're sexy. Problem = solved.
Intel's smart TV remote will recognize you, tailor content to your wishes
It's all about how you hold it, apparently. Intel's Labs have churned out a proposal for a new user-identifying system to be embedded into remote controls. Given a bit of time to familiarize itself with particular users, this new motion sensor-equipped channel switcher is capable of correctly recognizing its holder just by the way he operates it. Taking accelerometer readings every 100 nanoseconds, the researchers were able to build a data set of idiosyncrasies about each person, which would then be applied the next time he picked up the remote. Alas, accuracy rates are still well short of 100 percent, but there's always hope for improving things and for now it's being suggested that the system could be employed to help with targeted advertising -- which is annoying anyway, whoever it may think you are.
Samsung's TV Remote app makes HDTVs do as your iPhone / iPad commands
No, it won't serve as a replacement for that sweet touchscreen remote Samsung showed off at CES and is shipping with its priciest 2010 HDTVs, but the company's new iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad app will let those devices stand in for standard remote functions. Of course, that's no big deal if physical buttons are more your thing, but it also enables gesture control and game controller functions for Samsung Apps, so if you have the hardware, there's really no reason not to bridge the gap with this free download. Hit the read link to go straight to iTunes for the program and a couple more pictures of what to expect. [Via I4U]
Verizon launches FiOS Mobile Remote app for Droid and Imagio
Controlling your TV from your phone isn't a new concept, but Verizon just made it a bit sexier. Verizon FiOS owners this week can nab a new FiOS Mobile Remote app for their Motorola Droid or HTC Imagio. The application emulates regular remote buttons, but also tosses in an icon-based favorites view of channels, in addition to an ability to sling photos from the phone to the big screen. The phone hooks into your FiOS box over your local WiFi, and requires you to download a widget for the set top box as well to get everything synced up. We're not exactly sure why this is limited to the Droid and Imagio right now -- we're sure the Droid Eris could handle the workload, for instance -- but Verizon does say that it's working on making additional handsets compatible in the future. Check out a video demo of the functionality after the break.
Wii-modeled TV remote modded for NES
Ingenious: the TV remote modeled after the Wiimote has become a game controller (more specifically an NES controller) again by way of some clever modding. Coupled with the NES controller turned TV remote, we have now restored balance in the cosmic gaming universe.We're still hoping one day some modern day Geppetto can turn one of these Wii-shaped TV remote into a real Wiimote. Continue reading for a video of the NES Wiimote in action.
Nintendo's Wiimote, like for your TV and stuff
The Wii controller's resemblance to a TV remote sure hasn't been lost on us -- hence the affectionate "Wiimote" moniker that most people have assigned to the unique little controller -- but it doesn't look like it's been lost on Nintendo either. They've just shipped Wiimotes of the channel changing variety to Platinum members of Nintendo Japan's Club Nintendo rewards program. Platinum members also received a wall calendar with artwork from main Nintendo franchises, but somehow we're guessing they'll be a bit more excited by this TV remote that fully apes the form of one of the most discussed game peripherals of all time. The excitable kids professional reviewers over at IGN are sure pumped. They've posted up an unboxing of their unit, along with the inevitable comparison shots with other gaming peripherals, TV remotes and slices of bread, etc. Of course, even with those snazzy Japanese labels for each button, we can't imagine this thing would be too incredibly useful as a TV/home theater remote, but it should do fine for fanboys in search of a little wrist conditioning to get in shape for the Wii launch. Keep reading for a couple more pics, or head on over to IGN for the full deal.
