Select a Product One For All: Kameleon 8 One For All: Kameleon 6 (Intl) One For All: Kameleon 4 (Intl) Radio Shack: Kameleon 8 in 1 Radio Shack: Kameleon 6 in 1 Radio Shack: Kameleon 4 in 1 Kameleon C6 Kenwood Touch Zone Remote Button Clutter Disappears The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Associated Press Tuesday, January 21, 2003 RadioShack's new "6-in-One" remote control goes beyond consolidating the clutter of remotes for multiple home entertainment devices. What separates this gizmo from its brethren is what users don't see -- buttons they don't need. But that doesn't mean they're not there. It's just that you see only the buttons that are applicable to the device you're using. If you're controlling the DVD player, the buttons for the television, stereo and other devices disappear. As it sits there, the face of the sleek device is just blank blue plastic without a raised button in sight. When you grab the remote, the underlying device selector buttons light up -- for the DVD player, stereo, television, cable box, etc. When you press one, the buttons for only that device appear. This so-called Kameleon technology comes from Universal Electronics Inc., the company that is also keeper of the codes that allow nearly all such programmable remotes to control home entertainment devices. The unit sells for $59 at RadioShack, the only U.S. retailer. The "6-in-One" manual lists all the codes you need to program it. Sony and Philips make several programmable remotes with capabilities such as touch-screen LCD displays, but those units also contain standard raised buttons -- dozens of them -- that never recede into the background. Some competitors' universal remotes can automatically detect various home entertainment devices without requiring users to enter codes. Other programmable remotes can control devices by beaming information to and from other remotes via infrared signals. The Home Theater Master MX-1000 ($289) from Universal Remote Control is one worthy, expensive competitor. Packed with multifunction features, it has a customizable LCD touch screen with a joystick to control up to 12 devices. It communicates directly with other remotes to learn their controls because it is preprogrammed with more than 1,000 device codes. Less-sophisticated Home Theater Master models sell for as little as $69 but have only hard buttons. None is as impressive as the "6-in-One." If you leave the remote untouched for a few seconds, it goes dark, but it lights back up again with the slightest movement. A small bit of animation activates on the icon for the device currently being used. The "6-in-One" also can be upgraded to learn the controls and codes for devices yet to come to market. It has an internal modem to receive code updates by phone. The company says this is done through magnetic coupling. The user need only describe to customer service what type of new device they've purchased, and UEI will beam the supporting code over the phone. All you'd have to do is hold the remote a few inches from the telephone receiver. Copyright 2003 Journal Sentinel Inc.