Tech Page: The Everlasting Search for the Perfect Remote

TV Guide
By Joe Hutsko

June 2004

I don't want much. I just want it all in one remote. A remote that's very smart, so I don't have to teach it how to behave. One candidate recently caught my eye: Universal Electronics' ubercool One for All Kameleon 8 ($99.99; www.mykameleon.com).

The sleek design practically dares you not to touch, but the moment you do, the device turns on, buttons lighting up beneath a smooth blue surface.

A nice touch, or just touchy? Sitting on my computer desk, the Kameleon kept turning on from the mere vibration of my keyboard typing. A Universal Electronics rep suggested the RadioShack-branded 8-in-1 Kameleon ($79.99), a larger, less sensitive (and less attractive) model.

The setup process for either Kameleon is straightforward: Punch in the brand codes of your DVD player, TV, VCR and satellite or cable box. My particular cable box wasn't listed in the booklet of brand codes, so I switched the Kameleon to "learning mode," aimed it nose-to-nose at my old remote and began punching the keys that would teach the new dog old tricks.

Soon enoough, my Kameleon handled channel changing and volume control. Then came the snags. My old remote has a few buttons (those little triangles, squares and circles marked A, B and C that list shows by time, theme and title) that are not included on the Kameleon. Also, I was having trouble getting my Gateway DVD player and receiver in sync with the Kameleon.

I called Universal Electronics (800-950-7044) and was eventually instructed by the rep to hold the remote to the phone. A few electronic screeches later, the Kameleon was programmed, via the phone line, to match my player and receiver.

But I still couldn't get the A, B and C buttons working. Sensing my frustration, a Universal Electronics publicist had a RadioShack techie e-mail me another batch of codes to program manually. With that, the Kameleon worked fine. My aggravation vanished, but one thought didn't: Had it not been for publicist invention, I'd still be working on my ABC's..


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