controls

If the TV is the modern-day nanny, then the remote must at least be the part-time neighborhood sitter. That's why so many of versions have been created with children in mind, from kiddie clickers to remotes designed to make them go cold turkey.

Finally, someone has taken this concept to its logical extreme: the "Control-a-Kid" remote. To wit, according its description: "The Control-a-Kid remote has all the functions you will need to help keep those little monsters under control. Functions like stop sulking or tantrums, eat greens to do homework and more. What is even better … Read more

While the new Tivoli Wi-Fi radio streams Real Audio Internet radio via Ethernet or Wi-Fi and can even stream songs from a PC network, that doesn't help when it comes to your iPod.

The TuneStik for $60 from Digital Lifestyle Outfitters combines an FM transmitter and radio frequency remote control. It lets you wirelessly play and control your iPod through any radio within 40 feet.

For when you are not by your Tivoli and need to use the car, the TuneStik has a clip-on cradle to hold the remote to your steering wheel.

Is a 0.1 version release really worth looking at? I mean, don't these beta releases increase global warming by making my machine belch blue smoke? Maybe in some cases, but Vispa 0.1 is one program that gives you a clearer Vista.

It's a minuscule, butterfly-size program--weighing in at 63kb--but with a targeted punch to the heart of Windows Vista's control panel. In one simple interface, Vispa collates some of the most obscure Vista functions, heretofore accessible only through the Registry or in deep corners of the Control Panel. Not surprisingly, it's not for beginners, either.

… Read more

The household battle for dominance of the remote control is a launching pad for a thousand bad stand-up comedy routines--and even some more scholarly examinations. But the new Philips SRU8010 may be the first universal remote control that acknowledges gender viewing differences with prominently placed HIS and HERS buttons to access customized channel lineups. In fact, the SRU8010 can be programmed for up to six different users, each of whom can add more than 100 favorite channels to the remote's brilliant color screen--and the channels are all icon-based with the familiar network logos. The SRU8010 uses built-in wizards to … Read more

It's easy to hook up your iPod to any home audio system, but finding a good remote solution--one that doesn't require you to scurry from the sofa to the stereo every time you want to change a song--is a bit more of a challenge. Personally, I'm only interested in those that let me completely browse the iPod's music collection: the DLO HomeDock Music Remote, Belkin TuneSage 2, and Keyspan TuneView come to mind.

But why clutter the coffee table with yet another remote? That's where the Philips SJM3151 comes in. The remote does double duty … Read more

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective.

Case in point is the Sharp Shootin' Remote Control.

It's shaped like an old-school pistol. It changes channels. It emits a "bang" noise. End of story.

You also get a sheriff's badge with the price of admission.

The $15 remote is programmable with only one function from your existing remote, so it won't consolidate or replace the huge assortment of remotes cluttering your coffee table...but that's not really the point, is it?

Now, if it's functionality and consolidation you crave out of your remote … Read more

We're still waiting on the time machine, human teleportation, and commercially available flying cars. But scientists have been working hard, and now the Remote-Controlled Floating Serving Tray is ready for the world.

Hammacher Schlemmer's remote-controlled tray holds up to five cans (no room for a six-pack?) and a 16-ounce bowl of delicious, delicious snacks.

The piece de resistance--a remote control with 25 feet of range--lets the operator transport various refreshments to you aquatically. (Or, depending on how good a friend the operator is, float the snacks just out of reach and make you swim around and chase them.) … Read more

Just when we thought we'd found the best pool toy ever with the remote-controlled water cannon, another one comes along to run (or swim) circles around it. The "Remote-Controlled Omnidirectional Submarine" supposedly can "dive and surface like an actual naval submarine," including 360 progressive rolls.

The mini-sub can accomplish these mighty feats with three high-powered motors and can even see where it's going at night with its LED headlamps. Oh well, our cannon can still blow that puny yellow submarine out of the water. Tough luck, Caroline.

One of my favorite pieces on the show floor at ICFF, which is headquartered at NYC's Jacob Javits Convention Center through Tuesday (and on Tuesday it's open to the public) was this piece, which is actually a project made by Philadelphia University sophomore Gary Bugno as part of the school's industrial design program. It holds three remote controls. That's what it does. And it tells you what it does, too. It might not be quite as ingenious as Sheriff John "Wayne" Falcone's holster-like display of five remotes at once, but it's quite … Read more