The Globe and Mail

The importance of universal remote-control devices has risen in direct proportion to the number of single-purpose remotes that clutter our lives. But what we need now is a remote that's as easy to use as a single-purpose one.

Logitech's new Harmony One universal remote, introduced this week at CES 2008, is getting close to that ideal. At the least, it raises the bar for simplicity, function and intelligent design.

Logitech spent 20,000 hours researching remote controls, which sounds excessive. But the results are good: The unit is capable of replacing as many as 15 different remotes, with many fewer buttons to do it with.

This is serious equipment. It comes with computer software (Windows and Mac) and a USB cable so it can connect to a free service on the Internet that downloads the latest codes; this way, it will be able to handle any devices you might buy in the future. Setup is a matter of pumping manufacturers' names and model numbers of your components into your computer. Logitech's online database of more than 200,000 devices and 5,000 manufactures takes care of the rest.

That puts to rest the annoying business of punching in a bewildering series of numbers trying to find the code that works with each of your components.

It also comes with a docking station, which acts as a battery charger.

Its main reason for the low number of buttons is a 2.2-inch colour touch-screen to control various activities. This allowed Logitech to eliminate all but the 40 most important buttons; remote controls with no screens have to make do with more buttons. All you have to do is touch that part of the screen showing the desired activity (it uses capacitive technology, meaning it responds to the touch instead of pressure), and the remote takes care of the rest.

There is also an on-off button, which controls all the pre-programmed components. Moreover, the Harmony One tracks the power state and input settings on its own.

Mildly saddening, however, is the need for another spare outlet on the power bar; this certainly saves on buying batteries, but if you have a colour screen, you need the power. The screen itself is a little difficult to learn — you can't use it without looking away from the TV set, lest you miss the right command.

There is room for improvement here, but it is infinitely better than using three or four different remotes at once.

Digital photography raises the enticing illusion you can control your own pictures. What is often forgotten is the need to learn how to do this, and the need to get the right tools.

Photo-editing software from reputable makers, like Adobe and Corel, use "plug-in" programs to enhance the editing process. Alien Skin Software has produced a number of plug-in packages for the professional market but are simple enough to be used by enthusiasts (Windows and Mac).

The company has just updated two of its more successful plug-ins— Exposure 2 and Image Doctor 2. Exposure is an update of a film simulator, which can make a digital photo mimic one taken by a film camera loaded with one of a number of specific films, each with its own colour, contrast and grain biases (no two kinds of film reproduce photographs alike). Image Doctor 2 is an update of a picture-fixing suite to correct such things as dust and scratches, adjust skin tone or remove unwanted objects.

Both Exposure 2 and Image Doctor 2 are a little pricey as addenda for another program, but they add up to a dramatic toolkit for photo editing, still the most satisfying thing you do on a computer.