Whether you’re using a 20-year-old Zenith remote for the junk TV in your basement or a snazzy new touch screen remote that controls every gadget and gizmo in your entertainment cabinet, we’re willing to bet they share one similarity: they’re both boring rectangles. Manufacturers have been locked into that practical and formulaic design for decades, but one company, Savant, has broken out of the old four-corner routine with its circular Rosie contemporary remote control.
The Rosie has a perfectly rounded top profile, and curves around like a ball on the sides, giving it a shape designed to fit ergonomically in the palm of the hand. The top has been carved up intuitively, with a center directional pad taking up the majority of the surface, and seven customizable buttons ringing the circumference. Less obviously, the center also serves as a touch-sensitive scroll wheel for zipping through on-screen menus and navigating long lists of media on controlled devices.
Since most of the exterior buttons don’t have markings, they can be set to perform any function, giving the remote a high degree of control. For instance, you might program one button to turn on your Blu-ray player, television, amplifier and dim the lights, then press play.
The remote alone runs for $400, but it’s been designed to dovetail into the rest of the Rosie home control system, which can run up to $3,800. More information can be found at Savant’s Web site.
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