Logitech has quietly released a new entry-level universal remote, the Harmony 510, for $US100. Looking quite similar to the Harmony 550, it offers basically the same features as the rest of the Harmony 500 with a slightly different button layout and a lower price. You should be able to find this online for less than the list price, so if you're in the market for one of the more basic Harmony remotes, this might be a good bet. [CNET]

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Remote controls might not be the sexiest of gadgets to overhaul, but Panasonic's done a pretty neat job with this recent revamp. The company demoed a touch-sensitive remote at CEATEC, which features a touchpad on each end of the device and a crowd of buttons in the middle. Instead of using a touchscreen like many of its high-end ilk, the EZ Touch Remote superimposes an image of a traditional remote control on the television screen.

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Product unboxings are generally sterile affairs, boiled down to Hollywoodesque over-simplicity, ignoring blister packs and steel-impervious plastic for magically opened, perfectly photographed gadgets. Well, here's a real unboxing made for the rest of us. And to the average male Giz reader, the clip evokes the same vicarious pain of watching a guy get kicked in the stones. [via TUAW]

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It's been a long while since we mentioned Philips range of Pronto home-control remote systems, but Philips hasn't forgotten them: it's been making the mega-remotes even more mega with the upcoming TSU9800. With a bigger touchscreen (6.4-inches, folks), and an dock that also does ambient lighting, it can also be mounted on the wall of your swanky Wi-Fi-enabled remote-controlled house to let you switch on "audio/video servers" for which it gives "feedback information such as album/DVD art and song information." Philips has also updated the software used to program the remote through a PC, and now ProntoEdit Professional 2.0 lets you drag and drop design your configurations and user interfaces for the 9800. Swish indeed: which is why it's due to cost US$2,400 when it's out in September. Press release below.

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The idea of controlling your DVR via your iPhone is nothing new, but this MythTV iPhone remote allows Linux DVR users to get in on the fun of using their phones as visual remotes. It's got a real-time program guide so you can easily set recordings, plus the standard channel and volume buttons to flip around channels with. The only thing we have to complain about is that the UI is fairly ugly and not refined at all, but it's bearable. Unfortunately all of us here use either TiVo or Media Center or the cheap set-top-box provided from our Cable company, so we can't test it out. Let us know how it works for you. [eHomeUpgrade]

CamTim is a hack that'll let you use any digital camera with a remote control for time-lapse photography. It's not super-easy, but it won't make you cry (probably). It's basically a board you program to buzz the camera's remote button at whatever interval you want. Using a ZigBee module, you can also set it up to run wirelessly, which is pretty handy for long-term spying... on birds. [ZigGrid via MAKE]

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This story from the Washington Times seems more ridiculous than ridiculously awesome, but the base of it is that some official in the Department of Homeland Security has "expressed great interest" in a wrist bracelet that can be remotely activated to stun the wearer. It works by taking the place of a boarding pass, which you then wear on your wrist so the flight attendants can know who you are, where you are, and even shock you if you're misbehaving. What makes this thing completely absurd is the diagram after the jump. A man threatens a crew member with a knife. The crew member shocks the man into submission, then SHOCKS EVERYONE ELSE as punishment for sitting passively by while he was being threatened.

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Jason Kline's gesture-based remote looks cool, but might not be practical for everyday usage. You adjust the volume with the left knob and the channel with the right, but there's no place to enter in buttons. It does allow you to keep going with the knob turning concept of old time TVs while still allowing you to be lazy on the couch. Not that we'd ever use it, but it might be a decent concept for octogenarians who still miss the old days. [Yanko Design]

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TiVoremote, the iPhone / iPod touch Telnet TiVo Remote app, was finally updated a few weeks ago with an ooey gooey GUI, and some really useful new features. Now at version 0.23, the app can now detect TiVos on your home network, allowing for easy selection of the TiVo you want to control. What's even better is the app now has the ability to download the Now Playing list data from the TiVo, allowing the iPhone to show what's been recorded and display each recordings data info. The app can also use the NPL data to start playing the recordings automatically. So if you've got a Jailbroken iPhone / iPod touch, and a Series 3 TiVo, I would suggest giving the app a try, it's surprisingly useful. [TiVoRemote]

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If I need to spend a hundred words explaining to you just why the US$18 Channel Changer Ray Gun is worth your time, then you really shouldn't be reading Gizmodo at all. Seriously, do yourself a favour. Unplug your computer and—very carefully—carry it to the trash can and—gently—drop it in. And when you're finished doing that, toss in any aspirations you had for this life, too. Because you are obviously a worthless human being. Sorry, I don't make the rules; I just call 'em as I see 'em. [Play via nerdapproved]

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