If ergonomics and comfort just aren’t your thing, then I highly recommend considering the Cool.con the next time you’re looking for a new TV remote. It’s got an easy to use button layout, but the real appeal is the half-sphere underside which is covered in small metal spikes. In all seriousness I think it’s supposed to be some kind of pressure-point thing to do who knows what while you’re watching TV, but there’s a good chance it will also serve to discourage someone from snatching the remote away from you and trying to change the channel. About $13 from the FunShop.

[ Cool.con Remote ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

Re-enact the Battle of Britain in your living room with this 1/72 scale RC Spitfire MK XVI that has a wingspan of just 6 inches and an overall weight of 2.7 grams. The motor itself is just 4mm in size and spins an equally tiny 32mm propeller, and while the fuselage is made from foam, I’m pretty sure it will easily survive any crashes given the plane’s limited max airspeed.

With the fully proportional transmitter remote the 1/72 scale Spitfire is a bit steep at $149.99, but if you’ve already got Plantraco microflight planes in your fleet, you can buy the Spitfire by itself for $99.99.

[ Plantraco 1/72 Scale RC Spitfire ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]

If you’re constantly throwing things at your TV because the darn thing just doesn’t go loud enough for you, might I suggest this handy, yet unusual, universal remote control from ELPA. The design throws years and years of remote control ergonomics out the window, in favor of integrating a pop-up speaker in the lid. When used in conjunction with the included receiver unit connected to your TV, the remote’s speaker basically brings the sound to you. While it looks a bit odd at first, I don’t think it’s terrible idea, given developers have already found some unique uses for the speaker featured on the Wiimote.

The RC-25SP Universal Speaker Remote is available from ELPA for about $40.

[ ELPA Universal Remote With Built-in Speaker ] VIA [ Japan Today ]

Panasonic is showing off a new remote concept at their booth that uses a Wii-like controller with two distinct touch pads and a small collection of unlabeled buttons. The idea behind the remote is to put all of the button labels on-screen via an overlayed GUI so that you never need to look down at a complicated collection of buttons, and away from what you’re watching.

The remote is smart enough to know when it has been picked up, and can tell if you’re holding it in your right, left or even both hands so that you can use it as a traditional channel changing remote, or as a keyboard. It also has a built-in gyro allowing you to flick your way through a collection of photos, and the dual touch pads can even be used to perform ‘pinch zoom’ type functions, without the added cost of an actual multi-touch capable pad.

I particularly like that your fingers show up on-screen as a virtual representation, so you always know which buttons you’re currently hovering over, or are about to press. And if you’re using the remote to type on the virtual on-screen keyboard, you’ll see both fingers (or thumbs) moving independently. Sadly, the Easy Touch Remote Controller is just a concept at the moment, but from what I saw it’s a fully-working concept, so actually bringing this to the market is not out of the question.

Remember back in the day when small remote controlled cars could only drive forward and turn in reverse? Yeah, thankfully those days are long gone. The dNaNo series, from Japanese RC toy company Kyosho, are 1:43 scale miniature marvels of engineering. The cars are only about 4 inches long but they’re incredibly detailed and even feature fully proportional steering. On top of that, they can be outfitted with a small gyro device that will automatically sense sliding or slipping when cornering and automatically reduce the speed or counter steer depending on the situation. The controller can even be synced to your PC via USB allowing you to upload lap times and other performance data to the dNaNo server, and compare your times to others.

Here’s the kicker though. Since the dNaNo cars aren’t officially available in the U.S. just yet, they have to be imported through the dNaNoshop.com website. So the cars, which include everything from a Subaru STi to a Ferrari Enzo, each cost $239.95. And that’s without a battery pack or controller. The 2.4 GHz Starter Pack which includes a battery, charger and wireless controller is another $155.95. I think for the time being I’ll stick with the Bit Char-Gs I’ve got buried in a drawer somewhere.

[ Kyosho dNaNo RC Cars ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]

Luke first wrote about the H2GO hydrogen fuel cell car at the beginning of the year, but at that time there was no information on pricing or availability. Well here we are almost 9 months later and it looks like Hammacher Schlemmer now has the H2GO available, just in time for the gift-giving season. Besides the futuristic design, what sets the H2GO apart from other RC cars on the market is that it uses a bona-fide hydrogen fuel cell instead of AAs or other types of built-in rechargeable batteries. So instead of having to remember to buy batteries for Christmas morning, you just need to make sure you have plenty of tap water available.

The hydrogen used by the fuel cell is generated by the included fueling station which uses electrolysis to turn water into hydrogen and oxygen, and it itself is solar powered. The car is controlled by the Wiimote Nunchuck looking remote (which is probably the one component of the kit that does require a battery) and has a top speed of about 6MPH. You’ll get about 6 minutes of driving time after each 3 1/2 minute refueling, and the hydrogen fuel station will operate for about an hour after a 4-minute charge from its solar panel. At $149.95 it’s probably not the cheapest or even the most exciting remote control toy car on the market, but it will teach your kids about the exciting world of alternative fuels!

[ Hammacher - The First Remote Controlled Hydrogen Powered Car ]

Cheap, gray-market RC cars with built-in video cameras are nothing new, but what if they were to up the ante by also adding an infrared trigger and sensor to the car so you and your friends could play a little remote lasertag? Well I think that answer to that is clear. Awesome! And where can I get one? Well the where would be Chinavasion who are now selling this ‘Deluxe RC Sportscar’ that not only features a wireless video camera that will transmit an image to the 2.4 inch TFT LCD display on the remote, but also incorporates everything you’d need to play a game of lasertag minus the whole physical activity thing. Chinavasion is asking about $90 for the RC car, though as usual, the more you buy the cheaper it gets per unit.

[ Deluxe RC Sportscar with Video Camera ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]

By Evan Ackerman

The Hover-Q is the world’s smallest indoor infrared R/C hovercraft, a title that I imagine doesn’t get contested that often. It’s one of the coolest little R/C toys that I’ve seen in a while, with a real hovercraft-style flexible skirt lift system, a propulsion fan, and rudders for steering. The IR controller also acts as a charger, and you can get them on different frequencies to race two at once.

The whole point of hovercraft is to be able to travel on any kind of smooth terrain, whether it’s land or water. I’m not sure whether you can use a Hover-Q in the bathtub, but based on its operating principles, I don’t see why not. They’re $34 each, in blue, orange, red, or black.

[ Hover-Q ] VIA [ RFJ ]

There’s not a lot of info on these new flying toys from TOMY, but apparently the ‘QFO’ as they’re calling it was recently shown at the 2008 Tokyo Toy Show and is the next item in the company’s ‘Q-series’ of miniature remote control vehicles. They’re designed to be flown indoors using an infra-red remote control, and while you can’t actually steer them around a room in any capacity, they can fly to a height of about 26 feet. I’ve managed to dig up a video that DigInfo shot of the QFO in action, and I think the small form factor will be their biggest appeal.

The QFOs will probably be available come late September, and will come with a UFO body that can be attached for added effect.

[ DigInfo - TOMY "QFO" ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]

By Jonathan Kimak

Although it’s a minor thing in the grand scheme of life, the remote losing power can be rather annoying. And despite our pressing the buttons harder, the channels eventually stop changing and we go looking for some fresh batteries. Now there’s a battery-free remote control that eliminates the need to ever get off our butts ever again.

Online store Gizoo sells a universal remote control that uses wind-up power to charge itself. 30 twists is enough to power the device for a week. For the serious couch-potato that could qualify as a weekly work-out.

The pirce is £19.95 ($38 US).

[ Wind-up Universal Remote ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]