remotes

Read your snail mail on the Web: Earth Class Mail

Editor's Note: RemoteControl mail has changed their name to "Earth Class Mail." The title and name mentions has been changed to reflect this, while the rest of the article remains in its original form.

Tired of opening letters and bills? There's a new service, Earth Class Mail, that will receive your postal mail for you, send you scans of the unopened letters and parcels, and then let you figure out what to do with your mail. Its options include physically forwarding the mail to you, recycling or shredding the mail, or opening it and scanning the … Read more

OMG! It's Robo-Shark!

I'm going to say it up front: this remote-controlled hammerhead shark does not serve any useful purpose whatsoever. It's only two feet long, so it's not very scary. It can only be controlled from up to 50 feet away, so it's not like you could really hide from it. And it can only dive in up to 8 feet of water.

So, basically, it's a glorified pool toy.

Nevertheless, I think this is awesome. I mean, a remote-controlled shark that swims around? And his eyes light up! And at $80, he only costs as much … Read more

Remote-controlled water cannon

Warm weather will be back before we know it, so it's not too soon to start thinking about water toys and beach gadgets. (For therapeutic distractions from the cold, if nothing else.)

This has got to be our favorite so far: a remote-controlled water cannon. Uber-Review suggests getting 10 of them to have a water war.

With backward, forward and spin movements, the water cannon can supposedly shoot streams as far as 10 feet. For our money, that's $129 well spent.

'Phaser' remote for lonely Saturday nights

Apparently, attraction to the opposite sex isn't nearly as important as it used to be. That's the only explanation we can fathom for the continuing trend of new Star Trek items on the market.

The latest date repellant is a $70 "Phaser Universal Remote Control," which claims to feature sound effects from the original series provided by Paramount. Alas, Red Ferret notes that it's already sold out. (What a surprise.)

But don't despair, Sparky. If you play your cards right, you might still be able to score a "Lightsaber Umbrella."

Sharp adds touchpad to the remote

This one definitely falls under the category of What Took Them So Long? Universal remotes have claimed (dubiously) to do everything under the sun, but they've gotten increasingly difficult to use by cramming in more keys and buttons, not to mention indecipherable commands.

Sharp has responded to that frustration with "the world's first remote controller with a touchpad," according to Gearfuse, for its updated line of Aquos TV-PCs. The design overhaul means 40 percent fewer buttons and computer-like navigation on the remote.

The new products appear to be available only in Japan for now, but we'… Read more

Get the door from anywhere on Earth

In the Digital Age, the postman never needs to ring twice. That's because of inventions like the "GSM Doorbell" from Dutch start-up Waleli, which will automatically call your mobile phone if you're not immediately available to greet visitors--and you can unlock the door remotely just by punching in a designated number.

As Gearlog points out, it's really more of a smart system that includes an intercom, electronic lock and SIM card for your handset. Waleli says the system, which works with any phone on an international GSM network, has already been on the market in … Read more

A secret remote to drive men crazy

Few things are more closely associated with domestic male behavior than control of the TV remote. Sad but true.

So if you really want to mess with the man of the house, consider the "Covert Clicker"--a tiny but devious universal device that Chip Chick says can work on 90 percent of all TV sets (and probably 99.9 percent of all men).

Change channels and mute stations at will with one of these in your pocket, with no one the wiser. But you'd better practice your poker face, for the consequences could be dire.

A remote for the front door

We can't count how many times we've wished for something like this. If car makers have long known the convenience of an electronic remote key, why haven't homebuilders figured out a similar concept for the front door?

Locca Access is one such remote system made by a U.K. company that can unlock your door from up to 50 meters away. (That's about 164 feet to us Yanks.) It can store up to 19 keys and promises to work even in a power outage, running on its own battery for 48 hours.

The kicker? Red Ferret … Read more

A remote just for the kids

Be honest: Can you work all the buttons on your TV remote? If your household is anything like ours, you may well have four or five of them to master.

A company called Fobis Technologies has distilled the functions to their simplest forms with their line of "Weemotes" aimed at children (not to be confused with the homonymous "Wiimote.") But we frankly think the concept--and perhaps these products--could well find a market among addled adult viewers like us as well.

The Weemote can be programmed for up to 10 channels, as Chip Chicklets notes, so it … Read more