With the steadily growing stream of eco-friendly gadgets, it was only a matter of time before the good ol’ wind-up mechanism should find its way into the remote controls.
Wind Up Remote Control not only lets you survey and control your multimedia empire from the sofa armed with just one for all remote controls, this handy device is a completely battery free remote control so there are no batteries to replace, ever! Yes, all you have to do is wind up a built-in generator using the easy-to-use dial on the wind up remote control – 30 full turns is enough to provide a full charge, which should last you about a week.
It’s quick, easy and works with a huge variety of devices on hundreds of brands, including Samsung, Sony, Phillips, Panasonic – use remote codes to synch everything to your universal remote.
The Wind-Up Remote Control is available from Gizoo for £19.95 (about $39 USD).
20 Comments
Nice option
I think that this technology should be shared(free). And all brands of remotes em this kind of things, should obligatory use this technology. Think… if all remote batteries was gone… That’s means millions and millions batteries, nature say thanks.. 🙂
Yeah, lmnd.
Because it would *really* help encourage innovation if companies that develop useful new technologies were immediately forced to give the technology away for free, thus removing the profit incentive.
*eyeroll*
The sad part is, the people who are glued to the TV the most are the ones who are too lazy to wind the crank….
It really is a neat little gadget though. I love these wind up mechanisms.
Doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. Every wind up device I’ve used, such as flashlights, emergency radios, etc. holds next to no power and has to constantly be cranked. Seems like it’s novelty would wear out quick, and people would end up using the old battery powered remote anyway.
Good idea, but I think it’s a failed application. The ergonomics of that dial are quite poor, and twisting that 30 times would be extremely uncomfortable. As well, the overall functions of that remote seem extremely basic and generic, meaning it’s a fail for most modern devices with their more advanced needs. It’d never be able to replace my Time Warner universal remote, for instance.
Still, Heather, you mention constant cranking, but they’re claiming 30 twists gives you a week’s worth of power. And that’s pretty reasonable. Remotes are much lower-drain devices than flashlights and emergency radios. They only output power to a tiny LED (or two) to blink a few times for less than a quarter of a second. So a charge would last one of these drastically longer than a steady (and bright) flashlight beam, or a device that needs to output sounds constantly. That’s why this would work much better than those devices. Honestly, I think if the dial didn’t look so uncomfortable and if it actually COULD replace all you remotes as well as other universals, people wouldn’t get sick of it.
Sure would be nice not to have to search frantically for a pair of batteries when my remote dies, especially now that most devices are so badly gimped without one. Maybe we’ll see a better version down the line and I’d consider it.
Blake, you ARE a lazy crank and Heather…you can bite me. I think it’s a great idea and even if only a handful of people ever use it, the planet is better off for having such inventions
This is actually a great device. I own one, and it barely ever needs charging, even with fairly heavy use. And to charge mine you only need to crank it maybe 10-15 times. If you’re looking to buy a universal remote anyway, I’d go with this.
Doesn’t seem like that great of an idea… Remotes dont’ even use that many batteries anyways. When was the last time you replaced your tv remote batteries? i haven’t replaced mine in years. I bet it harms the environment more to make the wind/generator portion of the remote than it does to produce a set of batteries. If you really want to help the environment, recycle those batteries when they’re dead.
The price is the main factor for me. Why would I pay $40 for a remote that has only basic functions? As said before, you barely ever have to change batteries on a remote control, and batteries are cheap enough anyway that it’ll probably save you more money (and time) in the long run to just buy a conventional remote. The remote control needs better innovations much more, like a page button.
That said, I am pretty fond of those wind-up flashlights. I got one for my car and it’s great to know that you have a reliable flashlight for when you need it most.
Wind-up conveniences have a lot of potential, but it has to be somewhere that we’d really want to use it for. Maybe a wind-up iPod/phone charger?
Paul, check out this Wind-Up iPod and Phone Charger with Flashlight.
Thanks a lot for all your comments folks!
ahahaha, it’s like it was made for me. Cool!
Hey maybe this isn’t for everyone but it’s still a great idea. Maybe electronic companies can incorporate this into their products and you can decide if you want them or not, kind of like ‘paper or plastic’ at the grocery store. Some might choose the wind-up remote, some the traditional battery powered one. I would go for the wind-up but then again that’s just me.
Universal’s aren’t working for me yet (Vizio has some problems with them) but I like the wind up factor on these gadgets.
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Chantal, please follow the link in the news above for purchase info concerning the Wind-Up Remote Control.
I HATE this remote. We’ve had one for a while, and though it seems practical, it isn’t in the least. It takes about 40 spins to change the channel. You have to sit directly in front of the TV for it to work, not off to the side or across the room. Overall, frustrating
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the wind-up remote control, Brittany! Sorry to hear it didn’t work the way you had hoped.
So do you have to reprogram it every week, as well?
That’s a very good question, Corey. Let’s hope there’s a backup battery inside.