Philips debuted a new touchscreen remote control that promises to provide easy control over legacy and networked audio and video devices. The RC9800i can do more than just control devices. Because it has an integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b) adapter it can access and distribute music, movies and photos from the PC or Internet to any Wi-Fi enabled electronics throughout the home too. For instance, TV listings can be accessed straight from the Internet via the Electronic Program Guide at the touch of a button.

The remote is said to be easy to install, connecting seamlessly to equipment. It recognizes the brand of the equipment you’re connecting by learning the functions of the original remote and frequently used functions are combined into activities to make operation easier. Keeping the RC9800i up to date is also fairly simple, just upload the latest software and download new applications or subscribe to services wirelessly.

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