Lately, Logitech's Harmony line has become a power player in the remote-control arena, thanks to the sleek design and ease of use of the company's universal remotes. Now Thomson's getting into the game through its Acoustic Research accessories brand with the Wi-Q remote control, a.k.a. the ARR2470. As you might guess from the name, the Wi-Q uses Wi-Fi to talk to your home network, enabling it to get program guides and even RSS news feeds that you can view (read: squint at) right on the LCD. Just like the Harmony, the Wi-Q lets you create activity-based "macros" — a single button labeled "Watch TV," for example, that turns on and sets up all the equipment you need for that activity — although unlike the Harmony, you never go to the Internet to do the programming. The design in made to emulate the modern lines of flat-panel TVs, with the black keys controlling activities on the LCD, and the grey ones for your system. It should be on sale in a few weeks for $299; a charging cradle is included. — Peter Pachal