Details are sketchy (but there’s lots to learn if you read the comments), but here’s another college student DIY project. Yes, I know it’s a little old, but it’s Sunday, and this is one of those “in case you missed it” things. Anyway, a college student mounted a snowboard on wheels, added a motor, wireless remote via a PS2 controller, and made a project that pretty much rocks. Just don’t expect to see it available commercially any time soon, because from what the builder says in the comments, it’s incredibly expensive to make. So enjoy the video, and I hope you had a good weekend. → Read More
Here’s a little DIY project for you Nikon shooters out there. Certain models of the Nikon DSLR support IR remotes, but to buy an actual “Nikon” brand remote from your local camera shoppe will set you back around $40. Why not build one yourself instead? → Read More
The Logitech Harmony 300 might be the last Harmony remote released for a while. It seems the Logitech has refreshed nearly the entire line with the 300 being the latest. It doesn’t offer anything new per se, but rather a simple universal remote with the Harmony magic sans LCD screen. This configuration might be kosher for some setups, but be careful if you have anything more than a cable box, TV, and DVD player. → Read More
It’s fairly easy to find exactly when most Americans started to get fat. All you have to do is go back to the 1950′s. Some would say this is due to our fast food lifestyle, people spending too much time in front of the TV instead of running from animals, or even possibly a plot by Colonel Sanders. I think it’s directly related to the invention of the remote control. Now, there’s even less reason to get up on the couch thanks to the latest invention: The Clicker. → Read More
After trying to find a way to remotely control their DSLRs, the clever hackers at HDRLabs couldn’t really find anything that would do what they wanted. So what did they do? Built a control of their own, using a Nintendo DS. HDRLabs went on to make the device available, for free. All you have to do is build one yourself. → Read More
Guys! Guys! There’s a killer deal on the Logitech Harmony 1100 remote! It’s the great big one with the touchscreen, and it came out at the beginning of this year so you know it’s still cool, and looks impressive with your A/V setup. Plus, it’s only $300, which is a whole lot cheaper then the $500 it normally goes for. Plus, when we reviewed in back in March, Matt really liked it. → Read More
For $19 you can get an Apple Remote that looks like an unibody MacBook Pro with black buttons and a different layout. Clearly the Internet has been waiting for this all morning. → Read More
There isn’t anything that impresses more than a touchscreen remote. Sure, the form factor is a little awkward at first, but damn are they sexy. When the Harmony 1000 remote debuted a few years ago, it carried an MSRP of $500. Now you can get the newer 1100 model for close to that or this one for only $147. I’d take this one. → Read More
You have to give it up to the Sony engineers and designers behind these two, new iPod docks. Both new audio systems are swanky as hell and the one pictured above with the large remote almost seems worthy of it’s $1000 USD price tag – almost. [PSGallery=7u6w02rpuf] → Read More
Missing a payment on a leased car might get a whole lot dicier in the near future as more and more dealerships are equipping vehicles with devices capable of disabling vehicles remotely. Termed “electronic reposession,” drivers will be reminded to pay the car’s bill thanks to a non-stop series of annoying beeps if payment hasn’t been received within 24 hours of the due date. → Read More
Kid-less people do not understand a young child’s obsession with electronics. Being a cell phone or a remote, if their parent uses the device like crack, the kid wants a piece of the action. It’s not that they want to actually talk to someone or control the TV, but rather mimic what their parents are doing. I have my doubts that this DIY remote will actually hold a child’s attention, but give it a go. The project seems easy enough. Video of it in action after the jump. → Read More
New Ericsson-brand mobile 3G data modules apparently have something called a “kill pill” that’s capable of disabling a computer remotely in the instance that a customer doesn’t pay his or her bill or cancels a credit card used to pay on-contract monthly charges. → Read More
The Bryston BR2 Multifunction remote is an audiophiles wet dream-type remote. Those type fantasize of spending 500 bones on a 1980′s Zenith TV look alike remote to control their high-end audio equipment. No word if the remote sports RF type signals or universal brand controls, but it does come with a 20-year warranty; something I wish my $500 Monster Cable AVL300 remote had when it died the other day after 14 months of use. → Read More
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1919916&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1 If there was ever any question as to how many days we’d have to wait after the release of the first Android handset before someone would crack out an iTunes remote application, we’ve now got the answer: Zero. By reverse engineering the same Digital Audio Control Protocol (DACP) used by the official iPhone Remote app, a developer named Jeffrey Sharkey has already managed to whip up a fully featured Android solution, dubbing it TunesRemote. No modifications to iTunes are necessary – just pair your Android handset with your iTunes Library, and away you go. As you can see in the video up above, TunesRemote already supports browsing and switching through songs, song scrubbing, and album art. As an awesome little perk, it appears that you can use the Android notification bar to check which song is currently playing from any application, or quickly jump to TunesRemote in just a click or two. → Read More
I’m without an Apple TV but John Gruber of Daring Fireball fame has stumbled upon a new facet of the Remote app that no one else seems to have realized before. Apple doesn’t seem to be touting this little factoid either, but you can use your iPhone/iPod Touch instead of the janky on-screen non-QWERTY keyboard as your Apple TV keyboard. Wowzers. What you’re typing is reflected on-screen. That’s pretty neat. → Read More
PC Magazine reviewed the new ESPN Ultimate Remote and found it sorely lacking. The programming mode is the most problematic – it basically uses codes the way older universal remotes did – and even the magical powers of Wi-Fi don’t really add much to the package. The browser is WAP-only and seems redundant when you could just go grab a laptop and get the same information. They basically say that with so many other devices that could do the same thing with considerably more efficiency and style, which tack a poor implementation into a remote control? We’ll have a review unit in soon, so we’ll see if PC Mag is just smoking the rock. → Read More
[photopress:Logitech_Harmony_One.jpg,full,center] I’m a big fan of my Harmony 520 remote from Logitech, and was pretty impressed with its new Harmony One at CES, but I was only allowed a few moments with it, it was quite popular and Mossburg cut me off. Robert from About.com’s Home Theater blog has a pretty good and pretty fair review up now. If you’re a home theater nerd like me, this is the remote you’ve been waiting for, but it appears to be less than perfect. We’re working on getting our own review unit, and we’ll give it the CrunchGear treatment when we do. Logitech Harmony One Advance Universal Remote [About.com] → Read More
[photopress:diNovoMini_TOP_OPEN.jpg,full,center] Logitech just announced five new products including an impressively updated Harmony remote, the One, and a new Squeezebox. Take, for example, this weird thing. The diNovo Mini is a mini keyboard for gamers. It includes a little touchpad and works with most media center PCs. It uses Bluetooth 2.0 to connect to most desktops. $149.99 in January → Read More
The University of Tokyo has developed a robotic hand capable of transmitting feeling back to its human controller, in effect taking cybersex virtual reality and remote scientific exploration to a whole new level. Users wearing the glove will be able to sense the shape, temperature, and stiffness of objects. It’ll eventually be used to shop online and even shake people’s hands remotely. → Read More
