A universal remote is a great thing. Rather than having a remote for the TV, one for your Amp, one for your Blu-ray, one for your Xbox, and one for your cable box, you simply have one remote. The new Philips remote is called the SRT9320 and is mixes a touchscreen with normal keys.

If that set up sounds a lot like the fantastic Harmony One from Logitech to you, you are not alone. The Philips remote can control up to 20 devices and is programmable with learning modes and multimedia macros without needing to connect to a PC.

I will say that if the programming of the remote revolves around pressing the power button a zillion times until the remote discovers the code for your device or entering a bunch of numbers, I’ll take the PC programming capability. The remote will be available in Q1 2009 for $249. The Harmony One can be widely found for under $200 and unless the Philips remote really (really) impresses go for the Harmony One.

Via Philips