With Logitech's Harmony line attracting most of the universal-remote-control buzz these days, it's easy to forget there are still a few other players out there. One of them, the straightforwardly named Universal Remote Control, is injecting a little style into its typically blah-looking product line. With some nice curves and a full-color LCD, the MX-810 is a remote you won't feel ashamed to put on your coffee table. It controls up to 24 components and works in the RF band, meaning you don't have to point it at your gear for it to work (or even be in the same room for that matter).

The bad news: You'll need to hook it up to a PC to program it, which may or may not be a tedious task. URC provides a setup "wizard," though if it's like any other wizards we've used, it's probably not worthy of the name. It's hard to believe programming it would be any easier than using Harmony's excellent online system. Factor in the $400 asking price, and it's hard to make a case for the MX-810, unless you already have some URC gear or happen to be a custom installer. Still, it looks pretty, doesn't it? Check out another pic after the jump. — Peter Pachal

UPDATE: As URC's reps have dutifully pointed out, the MX-810 is being sold to installers only, so you really do have to be a custom installer to use one. No worries on the programming then, though of course that means this product will appeal only to people of a certain cachet.