USB Multimedia Remote for PC

I’m a Mac user at home and a Windows user at work. There’s lots of things that I can do with my Mac at home that I can’t do at work. There also are a lot of things I take for granted on my Mac that I don’t necessarily think about or even have the opportunity to use on my work PC. One of those things is Front Row for the Mac and especially the little remote that allows me to browse my multimedia files with the touch of a button. I never realized there wasn’t anything similar available for the PC until today.

The USB multimedia remote is not a new invention, nor is it revolutionary for the PC. However, it is a device allows you to play music, flip through photos, watch movies and control Windows Media Center all from an inexpensive remote that fits neatly into your laptop PCMCIA Slot. It also has a range of 30 feet and support for Windows Vista, XP, 2000 and ME. All that for $30.

Features:

• Arrow, Enter, Back and Page keys to navigate Windows Media Center and give PowerPoint presentations.
• Volume Controls to crank the volume up and down in any Windows Program. E.g. PowerPoint, Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, Power DVD, Winamp, etc.
• Media Controls to Play, Pause, Fast Forward and Rewind videos, DVD, live and recorded TV, even music.
• Eliminate lost remotes by storing it inside your laptop (PCMCIA Slot), that way it is always available when you need it.
• The remote protrudes slightly from the slot, making it easy to pull out and use.
• Support user custom key setting
• Support Windows Vista, XP, 2000, ME
• Powered by Lithium battery (CR2025)
• Frequency: 2.4GHz
• Range: Up to 30 feets
• Dimensions: 85.8 x 54.2 x 5.0mm
• Weight: 19g

ASUS working on Tablet Mac

That’s the word on the street. The inside word. According to sources close to our friends over at Crave, Asus has admitted “on the q.t.” that they are working with Cupertino to develop a Mac Tablet computer. And considering that Asus makes iBooks, PowerBooks and MacBooks for MacHeads, this rumor could have some credibility. It just all depends on how solid the source is.

The talk is that the MacLet will have a multi-touch capability, essentially making it an iTouch on steroids, running on the Leopard or above and powered by a MacTel chipset. And since Cupertino has already filed a patent on something similar, the details seem to be up to snuff. But anyone who is completely obsessed with all things Jobs would know that the devil is in the details, and that the best rumors are those with a grain of truth to them.

Still, tablets are extremely popular with those in the medical and construction fields, and Apple has been quietly carving a niche for business applications for years. So, if a MacLet is in the cards for Cupertino, and this “Deep Throat” figure is on the level about Asus’ collaboration on it, we can expect some interesting keynotes down the road. But that’s true regardless.