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It’s either the perfect Father’s Day gift or the perfect excuse for initiating divorce proceedings: ESPN has announced the coming of its branded Ultimate Remote, a $299 universal remote control designed to give the sports fan quicker and easier access to games, stats and excuses not to engage in “honeydew” chores on weekends.

The ESPN press release doesn’t give a launch date, just that it will be available in time for the third Sunday in June and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com. But a list of cool-sounding features is there: Wi-Fi Internet access, text and email, quick setup that doesn’t require a nearby PC, the ability to let sports fans surf games on TV, surf team standings and info on the web, the ESPN logo at the top of the device, and the Sportscenter jingle (dah-dah-DAT, dah-dah-DAT) every time you press a button.

Okay, I made up that last feature. I’m not sure I want to give the ESPN marketing gurus any more ideas. As it stands, the Ultimate Remote has a better chance at success than the initial version of the ESPN-branded cell phone if only for the fact that sports fans have a much closer relationship with their TV’s and home theater systems than their phones on game days.

Read [ESPN Media Zone]

Maybe it was the pressure of wanting to release their product as early as possible, but the makers of the OLPC XO-1 laptop sure have a lot of explaining to do regarding the recent news about widespread keyboard failure on their computers. Apparently, a lot of users are finding that most of the keys on their keyboard have been acting a bit funny lately, with some having keys getting activated by presses on nearby keys, as well as a few that keep getting stuck after being hit one. Which is definitely bad news, especially for the intended target market of non-techies and first time computer users. 

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Since the company moved to Intel chips, Apple has been dropping new computers and models like hot-cakes.  Their newest (rumor) computer expected to hit the market is the new 15.4 inch MacBook, which will be produced by Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and ship in May 2007, sources say.  This is the first time Foxconn has produced any computers under the Apple brand-name, so with that comes the possibility for bugs and glitches.  Previously, Asustek was the sole supplier for Apple’s MacBook.

According to Vincent Chen, an analyst at Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia (CLSA) that was quoted in the Chinese paper Commercial Times last week, Foxconn will start producing one new MacBook to Apple by year-end, while orders with Asustek will decrease by 1/3 in 2007.

Foxconn and Asustek aren’t just competing for MacBook production, but Foxconn will also start delivering PlayStation 3 units to Sony in February 2007.

Read [DigiTimes]