He should know. Cosson was the original sales & marketing exec at Vudu, which followed a similar path. While OEMing its streaming media platform was Vudu’s ultimate goal, the company first launched hardware and software at retail.

GlideTV says Navigator is available worldwide from “select retailers” and directly from the manufacturer in the U.S. and Europe. There is no indication of who those retailers are. Presumably, they will be listed online when GlideTV.com goes live today. (Update: None listed on glidetv.com)

Suggested retail for the device, including base station and software, is $149.

Best Approach to HTPC Control?

The GlideTV Navigator and Hillcrest Loop are nice and simple, but are they the most effective devices for navigating home theater PCs?

I’m skeptical.

For operating my own S1Digital Windows Media Center, I prefer more full-featured HID-enabled controllers such as the Gyration Air Remote and Logitech DiNovo.

These products add keyboards, numbers, A/V control, and other functions to the PC navigation features, so you don’t need multiple remote controls.

I use all of these functions. The Gyration remote is my go-to controller for Windows Media Center. The DiNovo is my supplemental remote especially for the keyboard and some advanced Internet-oriented functionality. I use it every couple of weeks.

A minimalist remote will almost always require a secondary remote, so what’s the point?

We’ll see where Navigator takes us. As Cosson says, “[You] have a hint of where we’re going.”

GlideTV Keyboard

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Julie Jacobson - Editor-at-large, CE Pro

Julie Jacobson is co-founder of EH Publishing and currently spends most of her time writing for CE Pro, mostly in the areas of home automation, networked A/V and the business of home systems integration. She majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and has never taken a journalism class in her life. Julie is a washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player with the scars to prove it. Follow her on Twitter @juliejacobson.