07.17.2006 — Maybe you’ve seen the M2010 hybrid desktop/mobile computer that is one of the funkier machines to come out of Dell.

What you probably haven’t seen is the awesome universal remote that comes with the Media Center Edition (MCE) computer.

The Premium Remote Control that comes with the M2010 receives metadata from the MCE so users can browse their music libraries, searching for artists, songs, genres, playlists, the usual. Just click to play. It even works when the M2010 is closed up and stowed away.

At last, you don’t have to turn on the TV just to play a song. You can’t say the same about other types of media, though. At least for now, the metadata on the Dell remote is limited to audio—no electronic program guides, no searching for video files, but that’s OK with me.

To be sure, there are other remotes that grab metadata from a computer (Philips RC9800i and UEI’s NevoSL, for example), but none that is specifically made for Media Center Edition.

"There is nothing out there with two-way metadata that has the Media Center logo," says Steven Rodgers, development engineer for TV tuners and MCE remote controls for Dell.

Today’s other two-way remotes for PCs are WiFi-driven, meaning they take a moment to wake up and connect to the network, and their batteries may drain quickly. So, they must have companion docking stations, which adds to the cost and can reduce the flexibility of the units. Plus, these units are regular old A/V remotes, first and foremost, not PC/MCE controllers.

Dell responds with a device co-developed by Gyration, best known for its traditional wireless mice and unique optical motion-sensing mice—just hold down a button, move the device through the air, and the cursor follows.

Indeed, the Dell remote includes the gyroscopic mouse technology for navigating through the desktop, or skipping quickly to menu items without having to right/left/up/down click across the screen.

Instead of using WiFi for communicating with the MCE, Dell uses wireless USB (courtesy of Cypress Semiconductor), matching the radio in the remote to a wireless USB chipset in the MCE. The company says the RF signals are good for about 30 feet and that four AAA batteries should power the remote for about four to six months, even when you consider the use of the LCD screen and its backlighting option.

The remote is "universal" only inasmuch as Microsoft requires it for the MCE logo. It can operate a television set and learn commands, but is primarily meant to operate a TV for use with an MCE.

Sadly, for those of us who don’t want to spring for a $4,000 Dell computer, we’re out of luck. The remote is meant only for the M2010, which has the wireless USB communicator built in. No dongle is in the works for now, according to the Dell folks I spoke with. And they wouldn’t say if Gyration has plans to market its own generic version.

For such a nifty, much-needed accessory, why doesn’t Dell couple the remote with a dongle and sell it as a high-margin accessory for its other MCEs? Matt Jorgensen, consumer notebooks marketing manager, says it simply wasn’t the motivation behind the product. It was the M2010 that inspired the team to develop the remote in the first place.

"We needed a cool system to justify the remote," he says. "We set out to break the rules at Dell, to come out with a design that people wouldn’t expect from us, to stretch the imagination. ... We wanted the remote to be as impressive as the computer."

The computer is impressive indeed, with its 20-inch screen, removable keyboard, and fold-up form factor. It’s way too big to use on an airplane, but it packs up nicely for a trip to the cabin, or for the commute from dorm room to home.

While the removable wireless keyboard integrates nicely into the design, Dell didn’t make a handy slot for the remote, so users will have to tote it separately. Also omitted from this high-end MCE is a TV tuner, but Dell sells an external tuner separately.

What it doesn’t sell separately is the remote, so Dell hasn’t attached a retail price to that product.

Perhaps Dell will see the light, as Sony did when it decided to unbundle its MCE-compatible DVD changer from its own XL1 MCE.