I thought I would throw my $.02 in here about the Palm w/ OmniRemote.

Now I have never owned or even played with the Pronto, so I have nothing to say about it. (except: Why do I have to register just to download the ProntoEdit software so I can see your CCF files?) I do have a couple questions about it though, what is the pixel width and length of the scrren, and how good is the backlight?

I have used an awful lot of other remotes though. I bought a used Palm Personal (~$75 on ebay) and the upgrade card (~$60 see www.shopper.com) and I'm using the OmniRemote software. I recommend the Palm Personal or higher because the older models do not have a backlight. There are two problems with this setup, one minor and one major. Minor first: as previously stated, I also wish the Macros could drop you on a specific screen as part of their calls. More seriously, the thing is highly directional. You can't necessarily see the screen while aiming at a component placed low to the ground.

On the other hand, you do not need to hold the unit upside down, and I do not recommend the IR adapter sold by Pacific Neotek. I do recommend a used palm III (~$140-150 on ebay), and the IR2RF widget at [Link: smarthome.com].

Given that, this is the best remote I've used. The configurability alone is worth it's weight in gold. (Not to mention that a Palm Pilot is extremely light.) Being able to clearly see what each button does and control all button layouts is phenomenal.

The Palm/Omniremote is better than: Theater Master SL8000 and SL9000, the Rotel RR990, the Sony RM AV-2000, and the interactive Sony LCD remote that comes with their higher end ES receivers, The One4All Home Director (and every other One4All that I know of), and the Marantz RC-2000 (in its all iterations).

Given that, I wanted to share two notes on setting up the software. First I found it tricky to program for my Fosgate THX pre/pro. You have to play with holding the button down throughout the training or just tapping it briefly during training. Also if you hold it continuously, try starting the button press before the training. I also had trouble programming it to control my Marantz AC-3 processor. Turns out I need to delete a file called "SerialIR Com" from the Palm's OS before it would work.

Lastly, I also noticed there has been some debate over whether or not you should also use it as an organizer. I chose not to, but I'd view it on a case by case basis. Once you decide it is a Remote as its primary function, you can fill up the memory with games and other fun stuff. Even TV can get a little dull sometimes. When that happens, I hit the Applications key, and jump into a game of: Frogger, Chess, Bridge, Solitaire, Tetris, Spades, Othello, Euchre, Checkers, Rummy, Galaga, Asteroids, Battleship, LodeRunner, Backgammon, etc. When I tire of those (or if it is a particularly long commercial break) I can pull up a document and read another installment of Sherlock Holmes and his adventures. Can the Pronto amuse you completely through an entire half time break? (See www.palmgear.com for the game software.)

I could not be more delighted with my Palm-as-a-Remote purchase.