Where is my Apple remote control? Ask Sony!

In some quarters speculation has been running rampant about 'What is the hidden intent of the Mac mini?'. Some have pointed to the appearance of Mr Ando of Sony at MacWorld as being significant.

To my mind the missing ingredient of any truly distributed home entertainment system is the remote control. Using a remote to manipulate menus on your TV is just plain silly if you are trying to get music stored on your 'digital hub' to play on speakers in the kitchen. The remote needs to have a screen.

As well as a screen, it needs just a few controls to manipulate the menus - not a tabletPC, not a PDA with a stylus and not a mobile phone. Enter the gaming consoles. Who has user interaction with screen-based, domestic mobile devices sorted out better?

A Wi-Fi enabled PSP might be overkill but it would be a start. With a price in excess of $249 for the Wi-Fi option it also looks pricey, until you see what Sonos is all about and how much they charge for a remote (answer: $399).

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