So, I’m sitting here in the living room, keeping one eye on the TV while working on my laptop. Next to me are a remote for my receiver; one for my DirecTV dish; one for the DVD player; and one for the TV. That’s four remotes, and for my money, that’s three too many. It’s time for an all-in-one remote, and here’s what I’m thinking about getting:The Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote.

I know Logitech more from its computer peripherals, mostly mice (mouses?), of which I’ve owned many. I’ve always liked the company’s attention to detail.  As far as price goes, it’s one of the more reasonably-priced universal remotes on the market. It can control up to 12 components — more than enough for  anyone this side of Bill Gates.

Programming the remote can be done using instructions from an included CD or from the Logitech Website. Logitech even has an online wizard to help you with the programming chores. In all, the Harmony looks like a winner — and I know I’d surely rather use one remote than messing around with (and trying to keep track of) four!