Gyrating remote controls Windows XP

Gyration, creator of the gyroscopic mouse, has unveiled a wireless, motion-sensing remote control and mouse device that has been designed specifically for Windows XP Media Centre-based PCs.

The Gyration Media Centre Remote was created to replace the infrared remote control that is supplied as standard with Windows Media Centre (WMC) systems.

Standard remote-control units supplied with WMC systems require line-of-sight contact and, as with most remote-control units, have around 40 function buttons. The Gyration product contains a gyroscope that allows a user to simply wave the device in the air to control the mouse pointer, or even the volume, which increases the device's functionality while reducing its complexity.

The product is different because it communicates with the PC using radio frequency signals, which means that it can control a PC that is stored out-of-sight -- something that is not possible with infrared products.

"This is a vast improvement over traditional infrared remote controls," said Thomas Quinn, chief executive and cofounder of Gyration, in a statement. "In order to control their PCs, users need to simply wave their hand and click."

The WMC Remote comes with a software suite called GyroTools, which contains more than 80 tools, one being the ability to zoom in on text to make it easier to read

The product will be available in the UK and US later this year, and is expected to cost between £100 and £150.

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