My Dream Remote Control

Your computer is faster and more powerful than ever. Your car gets satellite radio and guides you via touchscreen GPS. Your phone takes pictures and lets you play incredible video games. Your TV is bigger and thinner. All that, and your remote controls still suck.

Sometimes it seems as though everything is evolving, except for remotes. Sure, there are lots more universal and programmable models these days, but aside from the Sony Navitus and the Pronto series of remotes, things seem pretty stagnant.

What I want in a remote:
* Rechargable - I don't mind sticking the remote in a dock every third night or whatever it takes. Just make it so I never have to buy batteries or deal with degraded performance when the batteries are low. If it's as easy as tossing it in a dock over night, I'll never have a dead remote, and I'll know where it is :)

* Ditch IrDA! Use something that isn't line of sight. Ideally, I'd like it to be Bluetooth. If all of the electronics manufacturers put Bluetooth in, there would be a whole boat load of new ways to use our gear. If we are ever going to switch, it has to start at the high end gear. Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, Sony - release combo remotes that do IrDA for the old stuff and Bluetooth for the new stuff. Yes, I know these aren't really "high end" brands. I don't care. They sell more than most and will have a bigger impact on the market.

* Color screens - These are cheap now. They are easy to read. They are fun to look at. Gimme gimme.

* Learning - I don't want a remote for each product. I want one. You can still give me the POS remote in the box, but don't expect me to use it.

* Durable - Put anti-scratch coatings on the screen at least. Trust me, this is possible.

* Downloadable commands and UIs - I want to let some guy that knows more than me do the hard work and then I'll download his remote sets. If you put Bluetooth in, you can do this wirelessly. Otherwise, use the Firewire or USB port that you put in the bottom for charging.

What I don't want

* WiFi - If I want to browse the web, I'll do that elsewhere, thanks.

* Lots of buttons - Give me the main functions. Leave the rest to soft buttons or put a nice jog wheel (think iPod) on it to allow selection of the rest.


Yes, I realize these will be expensive at first. However, look at what $150 buys you today. $150 is the target for first release. Let's see it happen.