The futuristic new Bang & Olufsen Beovision 10 isn’t just a killer TV. It comes with one of the coolest remote controls we’ve ever seen, the Beo5. Which got us thinking about the most bonkers and brilliant remote controls ever. Here’s our definitive round-up for sofa jockeys everywhere.
Bang & Olufsen BeoTime
Even remote controls aren’t immune to the joys of convergence. The flute-alike Bang & Olufsen BeoTime, is a remote as well as an alarm clock. Don’t fancy being woken by beeps akin to a lorry backing up in your bedroom? Then set the BeoTime to turn on your B&O TV or soundsystem. If you’d rather just point it like a bizarre wand, you can. Just use the D-pad to adjust volume. And no, you can’t play jazz flute on it.Jumbo remote
Jumbo remote
Getting covered in crumbs and digging out your remote from the couch is a thing of the past with the jumbo remote. It’s massive. So big in fact, that it’s the width of our chest. But leaving aside our child-like body, this is perfect if you’re always losing your regular remote. It can even been programmed to play nice with DVD players, TVs and VCRs.
Wand Remote Control
Nab this magic wand remote and sate your mildly disturbing appetite for all things Harry Potter. It can be programmed with and gadget that can learn IR controls. Use it with an iPod dock to flick through tracks, swirl up the volume or pointing to pause. It doesn’t work with old school TeaMasters, but point it at your other half and they’ll make you a brew, for sure.
Bang & Olufsen Beo 5
The Beo5 is the best remote we’ve ever seen. Packing a touchscreen and key circle, it displays channel logos and works just like SurePress on the BlackBerry Storm. Tap it and it’ll register your pokes before clicking when you press down. It’s utter genius. But at 500 notes, only disgraced City workers need apply.
PS3 Motion Control
Shown off at E3 this year, PS3 Motion Control is Sony’s super accurate answer to the Wii remote. But aside from letting you point and throw and get involved in other motion-based mayhem, it also has a bulb n the end that makes it look far more bizarre than Ninty’s effort. Worth nabbing for that alone, we say.
Pultius TV remote
Another classic from the Art Lebedev school of bonkers design. The Pultius is nearly half a metre long and can control a whacking 399 channels. Just tap the 100, 200 or 300 buttons down he bottom, pick from a number between 1 and 99 and you’re away. Just don’t ask about channels about 399, ok?
Panasonic Gel Remote
Perfect for suggestible types, the Panasonic Gel Remote is a flaccid controller that gets stiffer once you wrap your digits round it. It’s body pulsates when it’s in sleep mode. Touch it and it’ll get hard and ready for action. It looks terrifying, not something you can normally say about a remote, that’s for sure.
LG Magic Motion Remote Control
LG is clearly in love with the Nintendo Wii. Which is why it’s planning its own lookalike, the Magic Motion Remote Control, which will take care of its new TVs. You get a cursor on screen to control channels and volume, with LG promising it’ll be yours from 2010.
Tiscali Minimote
One for the kids. And we don’t mean in a trendy way. Just for tots who can’t get enough of the In The Night Garden and the like. The Tiscali Minimote works just like a regular controller, but will only let users flick through kids channels and on-demand content. Meaning your 8-year-old can’t watch grown up shows while you’re out of the room.
Your hands
If you don’t want a fancy remote, than you can always use your own mitts. Controlling gadgets with your own ham hands is getting closer, with Project Natal leading the way. Drive cars, strafe bystanders and whack balls all by waving your arms like an eject.
