Written on May 26, 2008 – 8:52 am | by Bogdan Alex |
You somehow pulled it through and got yourself a cool home theatre system complete with HDTV, Blu-ray player and sound system. So now you have to operate 3 remotes, but you only have two hands. No problem, just spend some more money and get the latest universal remote.

TV Compass claims that their latest Wi-Fi-enabled zapper is the ultimate remote. The device was first spotted at CES back in January, and in order to launch the product, the company now partnered with ESPN, which also ensures exclusive media content. What better team-up, I’d ask. Thanks to ESPN’s support, sports-fans will be able to check out news and stats while they watch live games, as well as browse the EPG on the remote’s full-color 2.2-inch display.

There will be some other versions later on, but know that the ESPN remote is already on sale, priced at around $300. Although it may sound a bit expensive, imagine that you can control more than 24 devices, plus you get macros and on-device setup options, along with an xHTML browser with RSS and TV broadcast sync letting the remote’s display act as a second screen (useful for PiP fans). Customizability is facilitated through an option that allows you to store all the settings on the TV Compass servers. Looks like Logitech Harmony has some serious competition.

TV Compass also provide a micropayment client, compatible with PayPal, which would make pay-per-view selection a stroll in the park. TV Compass even started talks with other operators regarding more customized versions of the handset.