Regular old remote controls, with their many physical buttons and rectangular shape, made sense at one point. In a world with simple VCRs and 30 channels of cable, you didn’t need anything more than that. But now, when people have a dozen different devices hooked up to their televisions and over 1,000 channels to flip through, we need something a little more sophisticated to make using it all easy and convenient.

The new Logitech Harmony Remote 1000 Advanced Universal Remote can handle even the most complicated home theater setups with aplomb. Rather than a vast array of buttons, it’s got a 3.5-inch touchscreen. It’ll control all of your devices, up to 15 at a time, and it supports over 175,000 different models, ensuring that it’ll work with your entire setup. Using macros, you can set a single button to turn on your TV, your receiver, and your Blu-ray player, routing everything properly through each other to watch a movie. It makes using your setup easier, making you wonder why you ever dealt with buttons before.

Rachelle Friedman’s Keynote at Downtown Digital

Digital Downtown is a harbinger of all things tech. Held in the lovely Winter Garden lobby at the World Financial Center, tech industry leaders such as Toshiba, LG, Hitachi, Sharp and Pioneer just to name a few were there to show off their wares and what they had in stock for the future.

Digital Downtown was brought to us by North American publishing, Martin Porter and Associates and The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). The CEA is perhaps best known for being the organizer of the highly regarded, International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) annually in Las Vegas.

Kicking off the festivities was J&R co-founder and CEO, Rachelle Friedman who delivered a touching keynote speech. She talked about how J&R was able to persevere and bounce back after the horrific terrorist attacks on 9-11. The luminous presence of J&R in downtown Manhattan can make people forget that it was once just a 300 sq ft storefront that sold Vinyl LP’s. J&R has grown tremendously over the years, and while the storefront has ballooned to 300,000 sq ft, the enjoyable shopping experience has remained the same. At its heart, J&R is still and will always be a Mom and Pop shop that delivers a one-stop shopping hub for consumer electronics with customer service and support that is second to none.

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Will there be a 3G iPhone? Will it have GPS? Will there be a new type of Ultra Mobile Tablet, a double sized iPhone with touch pad typing and video conferencing? Will you be able to login to your home or office Mac from your phone? Will there be some sort of integrated TV / iTunes home and mobile entertainment service which will give you everything you want to see and hear anywhere you are on any device you have? (Well, ok, nobody’s predicting that). Predictions have been flying and by the end of the day, we’ll all know, but how do you become the first on you block or in your office to find out?

Apple CEO, Steve Jobs will be making the keynote address today at 1pm EDT/10am PDT today, kicking off WWDC08, Apple’s four day developer conference at Moscone Center, San Francisco.

There will be no live video or audio coverage, so where do you tune in to be among the first to know what Steve Jobs announces today?

Scribble - live blogging coverage of WWDC08 Is aggregating Live bloggers on a new, perhaps powerful tool made just for events like this. You can view the postings in helpful reverse chronological order by logging in using a Facebook or openID login.

Summize’s page tracking WWDC or Apple or iPhone or Steve Jobs might prove to be a good place to read. It should contain tweets from those live tweeting in the WWDC audience, as well as those watching other news sources.

Or Leo Laport & friends will be gathering everything he can together at TWIT.TV.

Sure, if you’re interested in scanning in and digitizing your old photographs onto your computer for archiving and organization, you could get a stand alone scanner. There are plenty out there that’ll all do the job well. But what about the space that it would take up? Stand alone scanners are hefty objects that would occupy a sizable plot of desk real estate. Is it really worth it?

Instead, why not just combine the scanner with an object already on your desk? This KeyScan KS810 Color Document Scanner integrated in a PC Keyboard somehow manages to cram a color scanner into a keyboard, allowing you to scan photos and documents inside a peripheral you already have. It’s a brilliant idea, one that doesn’t skimp on quality on either device. You get a high quality scanner that’ll bring your photos into the digital age, along with a keyboard that’s just as good as any keyboard on the market. You can’t go wrong.

To see more features of the Keyscan KS810, check our our demo video.

There are few drunken activities more loved and more hated than karaoke. It’s loved by people when they’re very drunk or are trained singers (although this latter group is definitely the most annoying variety of karaoke singer) while it’s hated by the sober and the tone-deaf. But one thing that you can’t disagree with is the fact that karaoke always makes parties a bit more interesting. And really, what could be wrong with that?

If you get yourself hooked up with one of these Numark CDN25+G Professional Karaoke CD Players, you can be sure to always have a little dose of interesting for any party. The rack mountable setup lets you get two songs queued up at once, ensuring that the party keeps going without interruption. You simply hook it up to a display and pop in the CD+G disc of your choice and the lyrics will pop up in time with the music, allowing everyone to sing along as best they can. Sure, it won’t always be pretty, but isn’t that the point?

Attention, Blackberry addicts: your new object of desire has just been unveiled, and it’s by far the prettiest Blackberry yet. The Blackberry Bold is the new high-end offering from RIM, coming this summer to AT&T and its high speed 3G network with a T-Mobile version soon to follow.

What do you get for going Bold? Well, you get the same push email that has had you addicted for so long already. Couple that with internet access on a fast wireless connection and GPS location enhancement and your smartphone really lives up to its name. It’s got a beautiful, detailed 480 x 320 resolution screen with 65,000 colors that’ll show both text and photos with all the clarity you could ask for. There’s a 2 megapixel camera with a flash on board, and you can load it up with both music and video to entertain yourself on the go. All of this is crammed into probably the sleekest Blackberry ever, making it both brainy and beautiful. It’s everything you’ve been looking for in a Blackberry. Try to remain calm.

Home theatre setups are getting increasingly complex, with each device you add to your living room coming with its own remote control and needing its own input on your TV or receiver. It gets confusing just figuring out how to turn on the TV ot watch a show or a movie, let alone anything more complex. What’s one to do?

Well, this Philips TSU9200 Pronto Universal Remote Control aims to simplify the whole process. That’s because it can learn how to do complicated, multi-step tasks and set them at the push of a button. Want to watch a DVD? Hit the “Watch a DVD” button. Your Pronto Remote will turn on the TV, turn on the DVD player, turn on the receiver, set the inputs so the DVD player is going through your TV and surround sound, and hit play. All at the touch of one button. It makes sitting down and using your home theatre an easy, painless experience. And isn’t that the point?

Few things are more annoying than dealing with a weak or spotty cell signal. Firstly, it makes you drop calls in the middle of a conversation, which is obviously a pain. Secondly, it makes you miss calls completely with some calls going straight to voicemail even when you’re right by the phone, which can cause you to miss important calls. And lastly, it sucks up your battery life as your phone searches in vain for a decent signal at all times.

What’s one to do when they live or work in an area with mediocre cell coverage? Well, it’s time to take matters into your own hands. This Wi-Ex YX300-PCSCEL zBoost zP zPersonal for Personal Cell Zone will boost your cell signal in a six foot radius, making your desk a place where you can actually make and receive calls without dealing with the hassle of a weak signal. You’ll enjoy calls that don’t drop, calls that come right through to you, and a battery life that’s noticeably longer than before. And since it’s small, you can take it with you when you travel to make sure you always have decent coverage. Problem solved.

In case you missed it the first time it aired back in early January, the “What’s Age Got to Do with It?” episode of Dr. Phil will be reairing on June 25th. The episode featured tips on how to look younger, feel better and get healthy. And what better way to do all that than with the help of the latest gadgets?

Featured on the show were the 4GB Silver iPod Nano, a Belkin Neoprene Armband for 3G iPod Nano and a Belkin iPod FM Tunebase II, all provided courtesy of J&R.

So just how will these products help you get in shape? Well, you’ll have to tune into Dr. Phil to see!

Check your local listings for the time and station.

Ever wish that someone would design a truly waterproof iPod case? Well, wishes come true. Atlantic Inc. has designed the EGO iceBar2, a rugged waterproof case with speakers, designed for the iPod Nano.

When we say rugged, we really mean it. The iceBar2 is actually bulletproof! This tough little case is made of a clear polycarbonate material with reinforced corners and a shock-absorbing compartment for your Nano (second or third generation). A silicon O-ring is positioned along the seam to make sure water does not come in. Full-range neodymium speakers are built into the case. The headphone port is waterproof, but you need to supply your own waterproof headphones. A click-wheel membrane allows you access even in the water. Transparent plastic construction allows you to easily see the screen and controls.

The iceBar2 is waterproof, shockproof, and even bulletproof. So, if you’re looking for a really tough iPod case, look no further.