I'm the proud owner of a Logitech Harmony 688 Remote Control- it has brought an unparalleled level of usability to our home theater and returned matrimonial bliss to events such as oh, watching TV, a DVD, viewing photos, or listening to music in our main living space.  Dr. Phil should give away these remotes in a Father's Day special.

But now my 688 just got schooled by the new kid on the block- the Harmony 880.  A color screen, Alpha letters on the numeric keys for triple-tapping text in (such as a quick artist search in Media Center) and a rechargable battery all combine with a motion sensor that lights the remote up when you pick it up to create a near-perfect remote experience.

Why only near-perfect?  I don't see any mention of my requested "Child Lock" feature- the one where if your remote is left unattended where a child can get to it, they cannot start messing with it.  My son has successfully reprogrammed two other remotes in the house just by banging on the buttons.  I now have to use the volume key to change the channel.

Retailing for $249.00, this is a steep price to pay for a remote control.  The Logitech site says it's available at Best Buy but check first- it's not on BestBuy.com and I've seen spotty coverage in the past. But ask yourself- how important is my marriage?  How many years of future upgrades does this ensure because the vaunted, "No more gadgets, I can't control the ones you already have" argument goes out the window? PC World gives it 4 out of 5 stars.  Now if Oprah or Dr. Phil would endorse it, we'd all be set.