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One For All Kameleon
Better Satellite
Summer 2003
Traditionally, programmable touch-screen universal remote controls can be
quite expensive. The Kameleon 6 is another touch-screen remote,
but with the low cost and ease of use of a push-button control.
It can control up to six devices, and is programmed with
infrared control codes for a library of thousands.
The Kameleon has a tactile, flat, multicolour display, which
changes its appearance slightly depending on which device
you're using, giving a different set of more appropriate
menus. It's also got a motion sensor to save power, the display
turning off after a few seconds and only coming back on when
it's moved.
Although the motion-activated display is a great idea in
principle, it's too sensitive, turning on when you jog the
table it's lying on, yet it often goes off to quickly while
you're reading a screen.
The handset itself looks sublime -- it's so slim and the
anodised aluminium body perfectly sets off the mostly blue
display. But the flipside is that because it's anodised aluminium
this makes it almost frictionless. You yearn for the rugged
grip of the Sky Digital handset as this one slides out of
the palm unless gripped tightly (so you have to operate it
two-handed) and slips off armchair handrests.
The Kameleon learns new codes and can be programmed with
macro commands for executing a sequence of instructions at
the press of one button. The code library can even be upgraded
using its acoustic modem, via the phone, or by downloading sound files to
your PC and playing them through your speakers.
The menus for each device are often only subtly different.
You can have the TV with or without text controls, or with
menu arrows; transport controls appear for the VCR, DVD and
CD, and Sat mode has text controls, menu arrows or transport
controls for PVRs like Sky Plus.
Trouble is, as with all push button universal remotes, it's
not obvious which buttons have been mapped to which keys,
and with thousands of codes they obviously can't give a detailed
guide, although the instruction booklet is as helpful as
it can be.
It is just a lot to work out when you've got used to one
handset, and though the Sky buttons are easy enough to work
out, we were stumped by the options for our Yamaha audio
receiver, which itself has a very complicated remote. Nonetheless,
you can reprogram buttons, and it wasn't too hard to create
a configuration which worked much better than the one supplied.
The Kameleon 6 is a great development for universal remote
controls, and we can forgive errors in the code library,
but the beautiful design is also grossly impractical. We'll
look forward to the mark 2.
Features
Controls up to six devices, motion activated luminous screen,
macro keys, learning mode, upgradeable code library.
Contact
One For All, 0031 58 488 80 00
www.oneforall.com
Rating
Three out of five
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