Waterproof remote wins an award for PDT
So you happen to be leaning over the railing of your yacht and you dropped your remote control.
If it's the U2 Waterproof System Controller, you're in luck. It'll float.
And if you're lounging out in your pool this summer, you could still use that same remote.
It has about a 100-foot range that uses radio frequency and doesn't need line-of-site access to your audio video equipment.
The new remote was created by Lincolnshire-based Product Development Technologies Inc. (www.pdt.com) for its client, Shakopee, Minn.-based Remote Technologies Inc. It will be available by March.
The remote was honored last week in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show, where organizers gave it an Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Award in the best home theater accessories category.
"It's really a strong, simple form, but is larger than most remotes," said Tim J. Morton, PDT's industrial design manager who worked on the product. PDT's headquarters moves this week from Lincolnshire to Lake Zurich.
Last February, the PDT team started on the design, aiming to reduce the number of connecting seams and develop a waterproofing method that would keep it dry inside and allow it to float.
The final product is 9 inches long, 2½ inches wide and 1 inch deep. It weights about 7 ounces. It also has a high-contrast, customizable LCD display for graphics and text and can be viewed in sunlight.
Those getting a home entertainment center professionally installed by Remote Technologies (www.rticorp.com) could get the remote included in their package, Morton said.
A PDT spokeswoman put the price at about $500 if sold separately.
"We're looking at the high-end market for this remote," Morton said.
Surfing: Speaking of high-end products: Bang & Olufsen, the Danish provider of luxury home theaters and custom multi-room music systems, launched its latest LCD screen, the BeoVision 8, a 32-inch flat panel with an integrated center channel speaker and glare polarizer. It will cost $3,950 starting in February. Bang & Olufsen's U.S. headquarters is in Arlington Heights (www.bang-olufsen.com).
• Schaumburg-based Motorola Inc. introduced five more two-way radios. It said the new EM1000 and T9580RSAME radio series introduce features designed for emergency preparedness for the home. In addition, Motorola said its new FV300, SX600 and SX900 series provides compact designs. Prices range from $59.99 to $89.99 per pair. For details, see www.hellomoto.com.