You may recognize the ZAGG name as the company who offers the full line of invisibleSHIELD protective films for notebooks and mobile phones. The film is fantastic and keeps your gadgets from getting scratched and marred. ZAGG has announced some details on a new product that is coming next year called the ZAGGbox.

The device serves several functions including storing, recording, and playing media. It can transcode video to a version for TV and for the iPod or iPhone at the same time. The device has a universal remote and can control other devices with an IR blaster.

Universal remotes are nothing new. You can find them everywhere and they’re usually overpriced and boring. Why not leave the clunky oversized remotes to the muggles. Remotes should practice magic, not tech science.

Like a magic wand that will change your channels. Like the Kymera Magic Wand. It can be flicked up or down to change the channel, or turned in a clockwise motion for volume up or down. It features a total of 13 “magical functions” on your TV in all. The wand is battery powered and they even throw in the batteries.

Logitech has been offering its line of universal Harmony remotes for a long time now and most all of them that I have used have been great. The only downside to the Harmony line is that the remotes tend to be expensive.

Logitech has announced a new Harmony 700 remote that is also one of the lower cost remotes in the line at $149.99. Despite being cheaper than the other remotes in the Harmony line, the 700 still has many of the same features. The device has a color screen that shows channel icons.

Sometimes you get sick of using all of those remotes. That’s what universal remotes are for. But in before today, if you wanted to use a universal remote with your PS3 you had to use an IR-to-Bluetooth adapter, like the Logitech Harmony for PS3. SMK has a different idea with Blu-Link.

This universal remote combines a Bluetooth PS3 controller with your typical infrared universal remote. It also features advanced learning (handy for figuring out button assignments from your other remotes) and has support for over 400 brands of standard and HDTV televisions and flatscreens, 150 VCRs, 200 Satellite Receiver models, 100 Cable TV Receiver brands, 50 DVR models and 200 home theater surround sound systems.

Altec Lansing has released the MIX IMT800 for the iPod and iPhone. It’s designed to resemble a retro boombox and features a built-in Universal Dock, horn-loaded silk dome tweeters, two mid range drivers, a 5.25” side-firing subwoofer, 5.25” tuned passive radiator and integrated digital FM radio.

It even gives you the choice of powering it using AC power or eight D batteries, which will give you some expensive portability. It also includes an LCD tracfor track listings, artist, album, and station, a seven-band graphic equalizer, dual top-mounted auxiliary inputs and a clip-on remote control.

Sony is offering up a drip-proof remote with the RM-PZ3SD universal remote control. So worry not, you can sit on the couch and spill your drink and be as sloppy as you like while flipping through channels with your pizza greased fingers.

The RM-PZ3SD is able to withstand all of your food and drink related abuse, just don’t completely drop it in your beverage and you should be alright. Plus the buttons look big enough that your grandmother can easily use it.

Sony has a new ALTUS audio product range for the iPod/iPhone. The “premium” ALT-SA31iR multi-room iPod package is comprised of an iPod / iPhone docking station and a pair of wireless speakers, along with an AM / FM tuner and an LCD-equipped S-AIR remote commander.

The AIR-SW10Ti iPod docking station adds a wireless subwoofer, while the ALT-SA32PC multi-room audio package has an S-AIR transmitter that connects to your PC via USB and a pair of wireless speakers. While the ALT-A33PC has an identical USB S-AIR transmitter, but also includes a universal receiver with analog audio inputs.

I have shed all my remote controls for my various components inside my entertainment center and have been using the Logitech Harmony One since it debuted. I will never go back to using the five or six separate remotes that the One replace on my coffee table.

As cool as the One is, the one catch was that the device wasn’t really intended to work components in other rooms. This is a big deal if you like to hide your gear away inside a closet or behind closed doors. Logitech has announced a new universal remote today called the Harmony 900. The 900 looks just like the One with the same design and button layout.

Hey you! Yeah you. Are you into snazzy remotes that cost a ton? URC would like you to drool over this one. The first universal remote control with haptic feedback. It’s URC’s new MX-5000 remote (along with the touchscreen MX-6000 above).

The remote features a 2.7-inch touchscreen, built-in WiFi, narrowband RF and IR. Heck, this thing can probably control a satellite. It also comes with a base station for various IR and RS-232 components and a built-in rechargeable battery and charging base.

This new remote from Monster looks like a vintage Sci-Fi prop. The bad kind. You can almost hear the cheesy sound effects and bad soundtrack. Which is why I think this is awesome. The Monster MCC AV50 Home Theater Controller will be available next month for $50.

It’s a “tabletop universal remote control” with a “Web-based setup.” That means it’s super huge and has a simple onscreen setup.

For some time, Playstation owners with IR-based universal remotes have had to use bulky IR-to-Bluetooth converters so that the pair can communicate. Then along came Logictech’s Harmony, allowing, making thing easier on PS3 owners. But now Logitech isn’t the only one getting in on the act.

You now have another option in the Rebel from wb_electronics. It pretty much does what the Harmony does, transforming IR signals from your universal remote into bluetooth signals for controlling PS3 function and making the Playstation3 an integrated part of your home entertainment system.

Before I started using my Logitech Harmony One universal remote, I had five different remotes for my entertainment center. What was worse was that my kids and my wife were simply dumbfounded when it came to changing from the satellite box to the PS3 or any other component. You can only tell someone how to do a three-step process so many times before you get irritated.

Thankfully, after the Harmony One landed in my hands I was able to shed all those remotes and use only the One for the most part. I still needed my PS3 controller or the Blu-ray remote to control my PS3 for watching movies, which was a pain. Recently Logitech announced a new adapter called the Harmony Adapter for PS3 that answered my wishes for one remote to rule them all in my home theater. Today we are going to look at the Harmony Adapter for PS3, read on for all the details.

It’s been a while since Epson launched an HTIB. About two years. So it’s about time for this. Today, they intro’d their next-generation Ensemble HD Home Cinema. It’s updated to include the PowerLite Home Cinema 6100 or Home Cinema 6500 UB.

Both will include a motorized 100-inch screen, surround sound, an AV controller with built-in DVD player, universal remote and nearly all components needed to install. What’s interesting is that there is no Blu-ray player, which is a no brainer. What were they thinking?

I talked about the Logitech Harmony 1100 universal remote control back in February when we learned that the slick tablet style remote would sell for about $500. Today we are going to take a hands on look at the Harmony 1100 and see if the touchscreen beauty is worth all that cash. If you are in need of a universal remote for your complex home theater and those cheap, checkout line remotes can’t handle your gear, this may be just the product you need. Read on for all of the details on the Logitech Harmony 1100.

Solar-powered gadgets are nothing new. But a solar powered home theater system? It’s appropriately named the “Guiltless Green Home Theater” and was manufactured from scratch by Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA). It’s the first of its kind and has some surprising specs.

For one thing it will give you up to 19 hours of video and audio playback even if the sun isn’t shining that day. They didn’t sacrifice quality either, with a Sharp projector, a 100″ Stewart Filmscreen, six SpeakerCraft in-wall speakers, an Integra AV receiver, Monster Cable wiring, Lutron lighting, and Universal Remote Control.