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User reviews for the Radio Shack 15-2133 Kameleon from Radio Shack.
Ratings
Reviews
MSRP (USD)
Average: 3.82/5.00 Median: 4.33/5.00
100
$59
This sleek six-device remote features a brand new technology that only illuminates the commands available for the selected device on its colored touch-sensitive panel. Includes learning capabilities and basic macros.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 44 made on Saturday June 28, 2003 at 7:09 PM.
Strengths:
Operates all my equipment. Looks are awesome. Heavy Duty Constuction. Easy to Program with Codes.
Weaknesses:
Learning old remotes is difficult. Auto-Turn on is much to sensitive. Battery compartment cover is a pain to get on (Requires Screwdriver). Limitted MACO support (Not allowed for the device select buttons). Screen button is fun to watch but was not needed since there is no overlay of buttons. On time is too short.
Review:
This is a very very cool remote with awesome looks. Very bright display and well designed button layout. Unlike other remotes, this one did learn all my equipment except the Sony reciever Input selector. I was able to teach it, but it took several tries before it learned it properly. For $60 it is a great bargin.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 43 made on Monday June 23, 2003 at 1:51 PM.
Strengths:
Easy to "teach" codes to, looks nice in a dark room, Priced right.
Weaknesses:
Will NOT work with Dish Network's PVR 501 or 508 series of Recorders. Some of the buttons will program, others will not..a MAJOR disadvantage as this is why I bought it in the first place.
Review:
Great device for the money ($59) at Radio Shack 6/22/03. Totally bummed that it wont work with the Dish PVR series.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 42 made on Monday June 23, 2003 at 1:41 AM.
Strengths:
Sweet design! Pretty lights
Weaknesses:
Turns off quickly. Doesn't turn on most of the time with out hitting a button.
Review:
This thing rocks! I saw it reviewed on Tech Tv and was surprised Radio Shack had such a cool remote. I bought one and had my non-geek wife up and running in minutes. I am using it for my home theater 2 dvd players my big screen tv and my Xbox. It was easy to program. However! The instructions are not very clear when manually trying to program the buttons the way you need them.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 6-12 months.
Review 41 made on Wednesday June 11, 2003 at 3:43 PM.
Strengths:
- Lights up at night - better than backlighting - slim, easily fits on your hand - Simple display -- easy to spot what you need - Easily upgraded via the telephone - Quality construction
Weaknesses:
- X10 doesn't seem to work - Battery life is about 3-6 months and you need a screwdriver to replace them - Customer service only open during work hours -- not when I'm actually trying to use the remote
Review:
This remote was a breeze to set up with the exception of X10 home automation and my Onkyo THX receiver. The Power on/Standby function of the receiver wouldn't take no matter what I did with the remote. Learning stand by was easy. Power on could not be learned. All other devices worked just fine including: Panasonic DVD changer, Sony TV, RCA Satellite/Ultimate TV box, Sony CD Changer, and an older JVC SVHS VCR. The remote is worth the $60, hands down.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 40 made on Friday June 6, 2003 at 1:38 AM.
Strengths:
LOOKS GREAT!,LARGE EASILY VISIBLE NUMBERS,TACTILE FEEDBACK(TO AN EXTENT),SLIM AND LIGHT,LEARNING FUNCTION
Weaknesses:
HAVENT NOTICED ANY YET EXCEPT FOR THE LIGHT SENSITIVITY SETTING(IT COULD TURN ON WITH A LIGHT GUST OF WIND!)
Review:
I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR A REMOTE TO CONTROL MY HOME THEATRE FOR A WHILE NOW,AFTER ACQUIRING A JBL CINEMA PRO-PACK 600II A FEW MONTHS AGO MY REMOTE CONTROL COLLECTION GREW TO 5.THE ONE THAT CAME WITH THE JBL UNIT WORKED PRETTY GOOD BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH, I STILL HAD TO USE MY OTHER ONES FOR 'SPECIAL FUNCTIONS'.BUT AFTER WALKING INTO A RADIO SHACK AND HAVING ONE OF THE REPS. SHOW ME THE 'KAMELEON',I KNEW ALL MY PROBLEMS WERE SOLVED.THE FIRST THING THAT CAUGHT MY EYE WAS THE VERY BRIGHTLY ILLUMINATED NUMBERS AND THEN AFTER THE GUY SHOWED IT TO ME AND I NOTICED THAT THE FACE ACTUALLY CHANGED DEPENDING ON THE FUNCTIONS, I WAS SOLD!THE LEARNING FUNCTION,AND THE UPGRADABILITY OVER THE PHONE WAS THE CHERRY ON TOP.SO FAR THE ONLY COMPLAINT THAT I HAVE IS THAT MY JBL DVD PLAYER AND MY RECIEVER HAVE SEPERATE SIGNALS FOR TURNING THEM ON AND OFF,SO I CAN MAKE THE 'POWER' BUTTON ON THE REMOTE EITHER TURN THEM ON OR OFF,BUT NOT BOTH,BUT IM SURE THAT IF I CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE IT CAN EASILY BE RESOLVED.OTHER THAN THAT ,EXCELLENT REMOTE FOR THE PRICE.(SIDENOTE)I ALSO THINK THAT IT WILL PROB. TAKE A LITTLE MORE BEATING THAN AN LCD SCREEN REMOTE
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 38 made on Wednesday May 28, 2003 at 9:01 AM.
Strengths:
Looks, learning capability, tactile feedback, solid construction, did I mention looks?
Weaknesses:
Battery life (I'm guessing here), backlight sensitivity (in some cases)
Review:
Well, I'd been looking at LCD remotes for a while now, but I just couldn't justify paying over $100 for a stupid remote control when I could get something that performs the same functions for $13 at Wal-mart. Then, I saw the Kameleon at Radio Shack...
I picked one up yesterday and I must say that I'm impressed.
Now, it has some of the same problems as any remote without "hard" keys. Mainly being that you have to look at the remote to find where you need to press for any given function. However, I think this is mainly a gripe of lazy people. After all, you once actually had to get out of your chair to turn up the volume, you know. Heaven forbid you have to actually turn your head to see the remote...
The tactile feedback is much better than a standard LCD remote, the backlight is beautiful, and the real test for me was that I was able to program the remote to handle my Sharper Image CD player which never has codes listed in the manuals of universal remotes.
I read somewhere where someone was complaining about the construction, but in my opinion, the remote is very solid. I can see where the soft plastic used for the touch surface might be easily gouged, but the remote itself is very solid as the majority of the body is anodized aluminum.
Some people have complained about backlight sensitivity, and I'm guessing that mine is somewhere in-between. It will occasionally "wake up" when it's sitting on the table, but it's not constantly oscillating on and off.
Some people have also complained about the buzzing when the remote is on, but I don't notice it unless I get the remote fairly close to my ears. I can't hear it at all when the TV or stereo is on.
The only real complaint I have is that I can't for the life of me figure out what the "screen" button is for. It seems to me that you can just have all of the icons present all the time and not bother with the 2 screens thing. For example, when you're controlling your DVD player, the first screen doesn't show the directional pad which is kind of important for navigating the menus which normally pop-up when you stick in a DVD. Then if you hit the "screen" button to show the D-pad, the play, pause, etc. buttons disappear. That seeems pretty stupid, especially since there is no reason why they can't all be visible at the same time.
Other than that, after using the remote for an evening, I have no complaints and I'm thinking that I'll definitely keep it. I'm guessing that the battery life won't be great, but that remains to be seen. Usually things that use AAA batteries along with inverters tend to suck the power, but we'll see...
All in all, a definite keeper. It's a little pricey, but it's looks put LCD remotes to shame and it controls all of my devices. Game over.
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