B&O release oddball Beo5 remote control

I’ve said it before, I’m a bit of a Bang & Olufsen junkie.  Yes, I know there are “better” products out there if you’re rating sound higher than everything else, but let’s be realistic – appearance is a big deal.  Anyway, a new gadget from B&O is guaranteed to catch the eye, and their new Beo5 remote doesn’t do anything to disprove that fact. 

In a world where most manufacturers appear to leave their remote controls to the last minute, then simply heap a load of buttons onto a slab of grey plastic, B&O are overturning design convention and, well, normality with a construction that looks a bit like a stack of different licorice allsorts.  A full-colour touchscreen TFT crowns a half-sphere with volume and other controls, customised by your B&O network specialist (you don’t think you set these things up yourself, do you?) to cater to exactly your setup and exactly your needs.

B&O are proud of their dual-action buttons – called Sensi-Touch and Soft-Touch – which seemingly give an approximation of hover and click, and the whole thing uses a rechargeable battery and is made of luscious materials like stainless steel and a chemically-hardened touchscreen glass.

Priced at $560, the Beo5 should be available from authorised B&O retailers now.

B&O Beo5 Press Release (pdf)