An upscale universal remote from Logitech. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. If your coffee table and sofa cushions are filled with remotes….for the TV, the cable box, the stereo, the DVD player and who knows what else….the use of a universal remote can simplify life. The Harmony line of remotes….acquired by Logitech a couple of years ago….can make tasks such as switching from watching a TV program to a DVD….as simple as pushing one button.. The remotes plug into the USB port of a PC ...for programming. It's a simple question and answer process….and once you're done, says Logitech's Nathan Papadopulos…

"You don't need to explain how it works to anybody. It's obvious. There's a button that says watch TV and if you want to watch TV you push that button and it does everything for you. It'll turn on the television, it'll turn on the set top box, it'll change the input on the television."

While some models sell for under a hundred dollars, the latest, the Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote….is priced at about 500. But, says Logitech, it competes with models costing twice as much…

" It's a rectangle shape that's more of a tablet type shape. And then there's also a touch screen and it's a three inch touch screen where you can actually have large icons on it as well."

It can control devices using both infrared and RF or radio frequency signals as well. Besides home theatre equipment…it can be expanded to control home appliances and lights. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.