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Diet H2O_TSGK
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Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 3281 Location: Ireland (right, left, then second on the right) Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 13:30 Post subject:
Good gadgets |
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I don't think we have a particular thread on gadgets - you know, those things that make life so much more easier and that you couldn't live without or perhaps those gadgets you would love to own
Let's hear about the gadgets you love.
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Diet H2O_TSGK
TSGK Member
Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 3281 Location: Ireland (right, left, then second on the right) Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 13:47 Post subject:
Universal remote control |
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I've got a cable box, tv, bluray, DVD, Amplifier, and Hi-fi in my living room.
The amount of remote controls became unbearable so I invested in the Logitech Harmony One. It's a universal remot control that does work with pretty much anything. It has some clever features.
First, it's based on activities. Let's say I want to watch TV - the colour lcd screen shows 'watch tv' as an activity. I touch the lcd screen and the remote turns on both my cable box and tv. It then shows me the logos for the various tv channel and I can touch the screen to choose. If I then want to watch a dvd, at the press of a button, it will turn off the cable box, turn on the surround sound and tthe dvd player and select the appropriate input for the tv. Clever!
The remote connects to an online database via usb through the pc so there's plenty of support. It can of course 'learn' IR commands from the original remote control if you so want. It will also learn scripts so if you want to do something a bit more complicated (e.g. recording a progamme on hdd while viewing a dvd) you can input a sequence of instructions.
Finally, it docks into a nice recharger cradle. The remote itself is pleasing to the eye and ergonomic.
The only downside (aside from price) is that set-up can take quite a while. And it does take a bit of getting used to because you need to think of 'activities' rather than controlling independent devices. As a result the rest of your family might beat you up with it.
Here's a link: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/universal_remotes/devices/372&cl=roeu,en
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Last edited by Diet H2O_TSGK on Wed Feb 18, 2009 14:04; edited 1 time in total
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StonedCabbage
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Joined: 18 Jun 2006 Posts: 2273 Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom Country: Browser: Age: 37
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 13:57 Post subject:
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My Ipod Alarm clock, I wake up to a different song every morning. Its great!
Oh, and my external HDD, couldn't live without it.
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Diet H2O_TSGK
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Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 3281 Location: Ireland (right, left, then second on the right) Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 14:00 Post subject:
Wireless RF Remote Control Extender |
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The above univeral remote control is all well and good if you have line of sight. But what if your missus is sick and tired of all the equipment in the living room. What if she says, "Look, I just want to watch the TV! Why does this place look like a cockpit? Put all that stuff behind a cabinet!"
Well, you could point out to her that every time you want to control something you would have to open the cabinet door because the remote control is IR and requires line of sight. Experience has taught me that she'll probably comment on your fat arse needing some exercise.
Hmmmppf! we all know there must be a more complicated technological way of doing things, don't we?!
Well, Next Generation Home Products appear to have and amazing solution. Basically, they convert your IR (infra red) remote into an RF (radio frequency) emitter. This means you can don't need to point the RC (remote control) at anything, and that the signal will go through anything.
What's really brillaint about this is that the innovation is to do with the batteries. They supply you with a slightly smaller sized rechargeable battery which you then place into a sheath. This increase the size to a normal AA size battery which will then fit your remote control. Ingeniously, the sheath picks up on the internal RF signals in the RC and emits these signals as RF and sends them to a small hub in your cabinet. This hub then converts the signal back to IR. The hub sits in front of your components or if space is an issue else you can attach a small extender to it which can be placed accordingly.
I just love the concept of it.If I get it I'll let you know how it works.
Link is here: http://estore.websitepros.com/1373698/Detail.bok?no=8
Review is here: http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/remote-controls/wireless-rf-remote-control-extender
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Diet H2O_TSGK
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Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 3281 Location: Ireland (right, left, then second on the right) Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 14:03 Post subject:
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StonedCabbage wrote: |
My Ipod Alarm clock, I wake up to a different song every morning. Its great!
Oh, and my external HDD, couldn't live without it. |
Links please!!! - and does it work with other players?
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The Borg_TSGK
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Joined: 13 Mar 2007 Posts: 2756 Location: Suffolk, England Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 15:15 Post subject:
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I brought a gadget for this problem it has one IR reciever that sits out side of the cabinet then has several small leads coming from this with a small emitter at the end of each lead. Put these in front of the IR reciever on each piece of equipment thus all equipment work, doesn't matter which remote control you use.
Why do women want these lovely pieces of equipment hidden away. Much thought is put into the look of a DVD or HIFI and all the damn women want you to do is hide it away Where as we blokes want to show them off to our friends and thus have good discussions about the merits and bad points
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Controllerboy_TSGK
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Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 1025 Location: Ingelmunster, West of the Flanders, Flanders, Belgium Country: Browser: Age: 33
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 21:54 Post subject:
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Well, I don't really know what devices fit in your "gadgets" list... I don't spend too much money on food etc but spend more on electronic devices etcetera. So, I'd reckon my 5 mp3players, 6headphones, psp, cellphone and earbuds are the most amazing "gadgets" I own. However, pure gadgets, I have less. Sometimes, I buy them and sometimes I make them (www.instructables.com).
My newest gadget is the logitech freepulse bluetooth headphone, it's basically a headphone with a bluetooth transmitter dongle that fits on all devices with a 3.5mm female audio jack. The headphone receives the bluetooth signal and streams your music. Other devices, like my cellphone, that transmit music via bluetooth, work with the hadphone without the dongle thingy. Can't comment much more on it tho, I paid it today and in a few days I should get it sent to me.
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Xmeagol
Incontinent beast
Joined: 26 Oct 2006 Posts: 3612 Location: Oh my god look behind you it's an evil combine advisor with a raging erection oh my god. Country: Browser: Age: 702
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 22:26 Post subject:
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Steam is the only one i need
that and my laser cig lighter, it's amazing
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Diet H2O_TSGK
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Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 3281 Location: Ireland (right, left, then second on the right) Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 23:09 Post subject:
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controllerboy wrote: |
Well, I don't really know what devices fit in your "gadgets" list... I don't spend too much money on food etc but spend more on electronic devices etcetera. So, I'd reckon my 5 mp3players, 6headphones, psp, cellphone and earbuds are the most amazing "gadgets" I own. However, pure gadgets, I have less. Sometimes, I buy them and sometimes I make them (www.instructables.com).
My newest gadget is the logitech freepulse bluetooth headphone, it's basically a headphone with a bluetooth transmitter dongle that fits on all devices with a 3.5mm female audio jack. The headphone receives the bluetooth signal and streams your music. Other devices, like my cellphone, that transmit music via bluetooth, work with the hadphone without the dongle thingy. Can't comment much more on it tho, I paid it today and in a few days I should get it sent to me. |
I like that
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Diet H2O_TSGK
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Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 3281 Location: Ireland (right, left, then second on the right) Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 23:13 Post subject:
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Switching between speakers and headphone annoys me! So I've ordered this :
"Tired of fumbling with plugs and wires when you want to use your headset instead of your speakers? Plantronics has a new addition to the .Audio line of Analog PC headsets, microphones and accessories. The .Audio PC headset speaker switch offers a convenient desktop solution that allows you to easily switch between your speakers and headset at the touch of a button. One-time installation takes only seconds. Plug it into the sound card and add dual functionality between the speakers and headset. The device is compatible with both PC and Mac computers that have a sound card."
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Controllerboy_TSGK
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Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 1025 Location: Ingelmunster, West of the Flanders, Flanders, Belgium Country: Browser: Age: 33
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 23:21 Post subject:
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Hope low-quality components don't downgrade your sound quality but if you don't really care about it or your pc doesn't have a high quality sound card, it seems a pretty convienient thing to me I have my pc connected to a stereo where I can choose which of my speakers and which of my connected headphones work so yeah
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The Borg_TSGK
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Joined: 13 Mar 2007 Posts: 2756 Location: Suffolk, England Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 23:43 Post subject:
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The Creative 7.1 surround sound speakers system has a wired volume crontroller which you place on your desk next to your keyboard/mouse. This also has a headphone socket, which when you plug in your headphones, it turns the speakers off.
My latest gadget is a MP4 player with 4gig memory. I load upto 4 audio books onto this and with this plugged into the hifi i have in my workshop, this gadget keeps me company all my working hours
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PureSlut_TSGK
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Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 202 Location: Location Location Country:
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 00:24 Post subject:
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Dunno if this can be called a gadget but it's really good.
I got sick of my wireless dropping off all the time so I bought these things that use the electrical wires in your house for your network.
Now I get full speed all of the time and no hassle of security.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150039
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Diet H2O_TSGK
TSGK Member
Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 3281 Location: Ireland (right, left, then second on the right) Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 00:36 Post subject:
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PureSlut_TSGK wrote: |
Dunno if this can be called a gadget but it's really good.
I got sick of my wireless dropping off all the time so I bought these things that use the electrical wires in your house for your network.
Now I get full speed all of the time and no hassle of security.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150039 |
Ahhh. I was wondering about them - so they actually work?!
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PureSlut_TSGK
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Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 202 Location: Location Location Country:
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 20:33 Post subject:
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They work great....better than I thought they would.
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Shimmy_TSGK
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Joined: 25 May 2006 Posts: 2444 Location: Dubai, 2 clicks away from Burj Khalifa Country: Browser: Age: 40
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 21:51 Post subject:
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the new generation of those can reach up to 200 mbps which is pretty sweet.
as for gadgets,i damaged my old laptop when i had my headphones plugged in and someone was walking into the room pulled the cord and damaged that port. I just got a phillips fm wireless headset. it's like the freepulse headphones but for indoor use. with 100m range so i can make sure that i can hear my music anywhere in my 2m by 2m room w00t w00t! 15 hours of music per charge,not bad
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Lawitz
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Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 2337 Country: Browser: Age: 34
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 18:38 Post subject:
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my portable entertainment stuff:
the sandisk clip is a very small and light mp3 player and despite its minimal size has a screen that can display lists like the bigger players do, so navigating your music is much easier. the sound quality is brilliant as well and all that for a very reasonable price. about 30-45€ depending on the size you buy.
the Archos 5 is a multifunctional device. it can do things like playing videos, browsing the web, act as a DVR station etc.
I bought it for the video playback. The 4.8" touchscreen display (which works brilliantly) is very sharp and has a resolution of 800x480. it plays back divx and xvid and a couple of other formats. the only downside I found is that the sound quality is very bad just like the previous model the 605. with normal earphones you may not notice much, but if you got some higher end ones you get a constant background hissing noise and the sound is much weaker than sandisk, creative and cowon for example. the archos comes in 3 sizes (60gb, 120gb, 250gb). I bought the 120gb model because I found it was the best bang for the buck since it only cost 20€ more than the 60gb one. it isn´t cheap, but the price is acceptable at about 280€ for the 120gb model.
The Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pro earphones are the best in-ear ones if you want to have a great sound experience without spending a forture (you can pay up to 1100€ for the top model, the 5 Pro goes for about 150€). they sound so great that they still amaze me each time I listen to something with them, it´s such a joy to listen to music with these. the cable is replaceable (usually breaks after about 6 months of use with most ear phones, replaced my cable once after 4 months or so) so you won´t have to buy new earphones again. I bought ear foams from "Comply" for them, those are comfortable ear pieces, the standard silicone ones make your ears hurt.
then I have a psp which I bought to realize my old dream of running final fantasy games on the go
As a watch I have a Laks Memory watch, it has a built in 32mb usb memory. it´s available up to 1gb. I got mine for free when I ordered my internet. I use it to transport some documents with me. for anything bigger I can use my archos or regular usb memory stick.
about the speaker to headphones thing: I just put in a Y-adapter to the front speaker port on my soundcard so both the speakers and the headphones work at the same time. if I want to listen with my headphones I just put them on, if I want to switch to the speakers I just turn on the speakers, I dont see a problem with the headphones still working as well. the soundcard is set to 5.1 which only causes a problem if you have a movie with 5.1 because then you only hear the front speakers sound if you listen with your headphones, so for those cases I just switch it to headphones in the menu.
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Shimmy_TSGK
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Joined: 25 May 2006 Posts: 2444 Location: Dubai, 2 clicks away from Burj Khalifa Country: Browser: Age: 40
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 20:29 Post subject:
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nice lawitz, I was shopping for earphones cuz my shure e2c's have died after 3 years of service. They were awesome. I was about to invest into getting the Pro 5s but went for the Shure se210. They are so nice! I really likes them .
The break away cable is a really handy feature on the Pro 5s. I wish shure would have such a system The good thing about them is that they come with a short cable,and an extension. It's pretty handy if you use a small mp3 device that hangs on your coat or something.
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StonedCabbage
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Joined: 18 Jun 2006 Posts: 2273 Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom Country: Browser: Age: 37
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 20:35 Post subject:
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Diet H2O_TSGK wrote: |
StonedCabbage wrote: |
My Ipod Alarm clock, I wake up to a different song every morning. Its great!
Oh, and my external HDD, couldn't live without it. |
Links please!!! - and does it work with other players? |
Bad picture but best I can find. Theres loads like it on market however i like this one for its simplicity.
2 Alarms (Option of Ipod, Radio or your normal Beep Beep).
The sound is great on it and goes quite loud while maintaining quality.
Only downside the backlight is really light and theres no option to Dim it or turn it off however easily rectified at night by sticking my wallet in front of it.
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Controllerboy_TSGK
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Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 1025 Location: Ingelmunster, West of the Flanders, Flanders, Belgium Country: Browser: Age: 33
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 20:39 Post subject:
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Good one on the sansa clip, I bought my girlfriend one for christmas and often borrow it from her, best sounding mp3 player for that little money for sure
EDIT: here's my current rig
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Diet H2O_TSGK
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Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 3281 Location: Ireland (right, left, then second on the right) Country: Age: 52
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 17:24 Post subject:
new gadget |
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Just bought the logitech squeezebox duet. It streams music from you PC to any hifi. Nifty remote control like an ipod.
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/speakers-audio/wireless-music-systems/devices/3817
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Oughrlye
Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 3 Country:
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 06:30 Post subject:
Re: Universal remote control |
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Diet H2O_TSGK wrote: |
I've got a cable box, tv, bluray, DVD, Amplifier, and Hi-fi in my living room.
The amount of remote controls became unbearable so I invested in the Logitech Harmony One. It's a universal remot control that does work with pretty much anything. It has some clever features.
First, it's based on activities. Let's say I want to watch TV - the colour lcd screen shows 'watch tv' as an activity. I touch the lcd screen and the remote turns on both my cable box and tv. It then shows me the logos for the various tv channel and I can touch the screen to choose. If I then want to watch a dvd, at the press of a button, it will turn off the cable box, turn on the surround sound and tthe dvd player and select the appropriate input for the tv. Clever!
The remote connects to an online database via usb through the pc so there's plenty of support. It can of course 'learn' IR commands from the original remote control if you so want. It will also learn scripts so if you want to do something a bit more complicated (e.g. recording a progamme on hdd while viewing a dvd) you can input a sequence of instructions.
Finally, it docks into a nice recharger speakers for sale cradle. The remote itself is pleasing to the eye and ergonomic.
The only downside (aside from price) is that set-up can take quite a while. And it does take a bit of getting used to because you need to think of 'activities' rather than controlling independent devices. As a result the rest of your family might beat you up with it.
Here's a link: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/universal_remotes/devices/372&cl=roeu,en |
In now days I can't live without my Ipad and our high quality sound system. I love listening music
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