The battery contact things are probably corroded.

It looks OK -- a little crusty on the edges, but not terrible. Dr. Google suggests a stiff brush. Do you think that'll do anything?

Holy crap the Logitech Harmonys are SEXY remotes.

I only got a low end one. It controls all my devices with ease, and when I initially programmed it, and it lacked a feature (page up and page down keys while in the guide mode of my cable box), I went back to my computer (which programs the remote through USB) and said:

Yeah, I'm a little disappointed that my remote doesn't work quite the way I want it to.

and my remote said:

I'm sorry I didn't work exactly how you wanted. Now I do.

Damn.

More incredibly sexy features of the Harmony:

• With two simple questions at software startup after install -- how indimidated are you by computers, and how intimidated are you by your home theater system -- the remote autodetects the required level of user-friendliness and help needed in the user.

• There's a set of soft keys that let you pick an activity -- watch TV, watch a DVD, listen to a CD, listen to the radio -- and when you select that activity, the remote automatically puts all of the devices involved or not involved in that activity, into their proper state.

• When I select "Watch TV" the remote turns on the cable, the TV and the stereo, puts the TV and stereo into their proper input state, and sets the buttons of the remote so that the volume controls the volume of the stereo, the chanel changes the cable, and I don't (or more importantly, S doesn't) have to press a button on the remote to tell it which device it's talking to. It automatically knows.

• There is not just logical separation, but visual differentiation of the buttons. The buttons that scroll around and select things or change chanel and volume do not look like the ten-key pad, which do not look like the stop, play, ff, rw buttons. The groups of buttons are given completely different appearance and feel from each other.

All sorts of problems with Outlook today, even though I went around to all offices last week to download recommeded MS dst patches. Seems liek there was always one computer in every office that the patches did not prevent losing or gaining an hour with stored appointments. Think everything was fixed though. One trick - export appointments to a spreadsheet, do a mass adjustment, copy your file to a backup (just in case), delete all appointments, reimport the spreadsheet.

This is the part where I get to be glad I live in last remaning continental US state that does not change, huh?

I'm sorry I didn't work exactly how you wanted. Now I do.

That's hot.

Can it control a Tivo?

I'm sorry I didn't work exactly how you wanted. Now I do.

That's hot.

Uh huh.

Can it control a Tivo?

Yes.

It's able to hold data for up to, I think, fifteen devices (and this is just the 550, I don't know how unbelievably sexy the higher end ones are).

Also, the Logitech device library claims to be the biggest available, so they'll most likely have your brands. And they update all the time, apparently.

Can it control a Tivo?

Yes.

That is sexy. I want.

Actually, I think I want it for the livingroom where we have 4 remotes, but no Tivo (snarl).

The problem I have with universal remotes is that there always seems to be an obscure function on each of my other remotes that the universal can\'t handle. For example, my widescreen TV has picture-in-picture control buttons and an aspect ratio/zoom button.Can the Logitech handle weird-ass stuff like that?

Can it control a Tivo?

Yes.

swoon

It's okay to buy another device if its purpose is to rid me of excess devices I already have, right? I mean, that was my excuse for the Treo...