According to the witches and wizards at NEC Electronics and Onryoku Hatsuden, their new remote generates electricity when the users clicks on any button. They are planning to see the first production remotes in 2011. [Aiajin via Crunchgear]

The first remote, developed by Zenith Radio Corporation, and dubbed “Lazy Bones” wasn’t anything like the remotes of today. For a start, it was wired into the TV, which was one of the reasons it didn’t really take off. It was also a simple device that consisted of few buttons, only capable of cycling through stations by triggering a motorised knob. I can’t imagine calling a product “Lazy Bones” is exactly an effective marketing message either…

Fortunately, Zenith backed up the “Lazy Bones” with the “Flashmatic” in 1955. It was wireless, using a beam of light pointed at one of four sensors on the TV to turn the TV on or off, change channels or adjust volume. Unfortunately, the sensor on the TV wasn’t able to differentiate between the Flashmatic light source and any other light, making its performance unpredictable.

In 1956, Zenith introduced the “Space Commander” which used ultrasound frequencies to change the channel wirelessly. It was a huge improvement over previous remotes, and was able to adjust volume and change channels. It was so successful that it was the predominate form of remote control until the late 1970s. It did, however, seem to annoy dogs…

In the late ’70s, the remote went through a design revolution to the more complex systems we have today thanks to the introduction of Teletext services on the BBC. It was also the late ’70s that saw infrared remotes introduced.

History of TV is Giz AU’s month-long look back at the development of the world-changing medium and its influence on our daily lives.

[Pic credit: Jim Rees, source: Wikipedia]

Once your signals hit the receiver, you can support Windows, Linux, Mac or Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii (supposedly). Hard to tell whether or not it can actually do all of these things, since the website looks like one a kid would make for his dad’s business over the summer between Primary and High School, so we’ll have to see for ourselves to be sure. [EFO via The Gadgeteer via Oh Gizmo]

Each new Aurea will be bundled with this pod-style slider that we’re only telling you about because it’s a bit different than most. When closed, it’s reminiscent of a first-gen iPod. When open, it feels like a mobile phone aimed at tweens. And that ball at the top? No, that’s not a speaker intended for your ear. It’s the power button.

So we’re gonna need a modder to dig into this thing with some Skype hardware or at least our MP3 collection from 2001—shouldn’t be hard, it’s basically a 4-hour loop of Lady Marmalade. [Philips]

When using Logitech remotes, the point is to let the remote know every single appliance in your setup so you can focus on “activities”, such as watching TV, or playing your Xbox, or watching a Blu-ray on your PS3. That way your remote knows exactly which thing needs to be on—and which boxes don’t—for what you want to do. Since these activities are now tied to a separate physical button, you can just hit that button instead of scrolling through a list in order to get where you’re going. It saves a few seconds each time, but adds up over years of TV watching.

Other features on the 700 include a colour LCD screen, rechargeable AAs and compatibility with the standard Logitech remote setup program. It will be available in September. [Logitech]

Additional Features:

• Blu-Link offers advanced PS3 button shape and colours and dedicated buttons for Triangle, Circle, Square, X, Select, Home and Start, Blu-Ray DVD controls for Top Menu, Popup Menu, Angle, Audio Channel and Subtitle movie features
• Blu-Link is an “advanced learning” remote: learning button assignments from existing remotes; and user-configurable.
• Blu-Link’s non-volatile memory retains button assignments even when it’s 2 AA batteries have been removed
• Blu-Link supports more than 400 brands of standard and HDTV television and flatscreens, 150 VCR brands, 200 Satellite Receiver models, 100 Cable TV Receiver brands, 50 DVR models and 200 home theatre surround sound systems

The Blu-Link is available starting today with a price tag of $US50. Not a bad deal if you have like 20 remotes sitting on your coffee table. Consolidate! [SMK-Link]

A viewer selects a media program to view by use of a remote controller with networking capability.

Upon the viewer wishing to send a blog posting to a blog, the viewer determines whether a tag to be included in the blog posting is to be a pre-existing tag or a custom tag, wherein the blog posting comprises program information about the media program useful to identify the media program. If the tag is to be a pre-existing tag, the viewer selects the pre-existing tag from a plurality of pre-existing tags using the remote controller and if the tag is to be a custom tag, the viewer generates the custom tag using the remote controller.

If a protocol provided by the remote controller to send the blog posting to the blog allows a snapshot of the media program to be included in the blog posting, the remote controller takes the snapshot of the media program and includes it in the blog posting.

So, the device would let you blog or tweet and communicate with your followers about what you are watching via a networked remote control. Again, it’s only a patent at this point, but is this remote something you could see yourself using? [Patent via TechCrunch]

Yet Sony is marketing a RM-PZ3SD waterproof remote in spite of this fact, and putting it on sale in Japan next month for $US29.

Am I missing some key piece of market research? Does a large segment of the population, unbeknownst to me, have a pool in their living room? Are scuba divers sporting 52-inch Bravias on their backs, cursing at their inability to change the channel to Discovery HD while deep sea diving?

You know what would be great, Sony? If you just came out and said, “We have no unique ideas pertaining to a new line of remotes. So stick with what you’ve been using and things will probably be alright, barring an aquatic act of God that will probably destroy your TV and every other possession you hold dear anyway.” [Sony via New Launches]

The catalog did get one thing right though: A universal remote would make a great father’s day present…