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...Continued from Page 8.
Using small AAA batteries in a remote with such a power-hungry backlight might not have been the best combination – the manual cautions that battery life will vary from 3 to 12 months depending on usage and brightness level. This leads to an item that would have made a very useful addition to the Kameleon: a light sensor. The backlight needs to be set bright so that the remote is even visible in daylight, but in a darkened theater that same level is like switching on a flashlight. A light sensor could automatically adjust brightness levels from low to high, depending on ambient conditions. No “low battery” indicator is included.
Most of the Kameleon’s buttons are big, well spaced and feature high-contrast easy-to-read designs ideal for both young and old. After extended use a few keys felt too close to the bezel – particularly the four “M” buttons at the bottom. Over the long run case durability should be excellent thanks to high quality parts and construction, but the Kameleon’s flexible plastic touch surface has yet to prove itself. Only time will tell how well it reacts to years of finger wear, scratches and minor coffee spills. The 15-2133 includes a 90 day warranty, typical for this price range.
Animatics...
Unlike iconic touchscreen or hard buttoned remote controls, the 15-2133 actually uses animation – and effectively at that! For instance, the currently selected device is indicated by little moving parts – lines scroll down a television, the spools in a VCR tape rotate, a disc spins, a satellite transmits signals, and music notes play. For devices with transport controls, the circular 5-way menu design changes to indicate what the media is doing: press [PLAY] and a design spins around slowly; press [PAUSE] and it stops; press [REWIND] and it moves backwards quickly. Or, press [SELECT] in the 5-way menu controls and lines radiate outwards.
Most device types make use of a [SCREEN] button that switches to a second layout of buttons. The problem is that the 15-2133 doesn’t actually feature additional buttons for any of the built-in device types: the [SCREEN] button’s sole purpose is to reveal the 5-way menu controls, while hiding other buttons (pressing [MENU] or [GUIDE] will also do this). Since the remote’s layout is already quite spacious and logical, this “feature” feels completely pointless, and I’d much rather have the full menu controls in view at all times.
Ostensibly the call for two screens was necessitated by the transport’s moving graphics, but the earlier “One For All Kameleon 6” released in Europe found a way to do both at once. Or, perhaps this was done to make the remote simpler to use... (As a side note, the European model’s DBS/DVR device features a total of three screens of controls, with four “new” buttons.)
The fuzzy blue factor!
And now for one of my favorite portions of all – the Menacing Thick Fluffy Blanket (MTFB)! Every remote we review eventually goes through this arduous trial, where real-world infrared transmission performance is tested and scored. We take a single infrared command for a known-well-performing infrared receiver – in this case the “Mute” command for a Sony amplifier – and test it from a standardized distance and angle through various layers of a laboratory-grade fuzzy blue blanket.
The 15-2133 sports dual infrared emitters, located on each side at the top. Each emitter is finished neatly with a small protective plastic shield. Would these diminutive emitters possess enough power to make a real impact on our test?
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