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User reviews for the Radio Shack 15-2133 Kameleon from Radio Shack.
Radio Shack 15-2133 Kameleon
RatingsReviewsMSRP (USD)
Average: 3.82/5.00
Median: 4.33/5.00
100$59
This sleek six-device remote features a brand new technology that only illuminates the commands available for the selected device on its colored touch-sensitive panel. Includes learning capabilities and basic macros.
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the Radio Shack 15-2133 Kameleon remote.
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Written by K. Brown from Washington, D.C..
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 16 made on Sunday January 5, 2003 at 1:35 PM.
Strengths:Outstanding design
Cool Looks
Great Customer Support
Reasonable Price
Devices Supported
Weaknesses:Limited Learning Functionality
Limited Macros
Goes into Power Saving Mode too Quickly
Review:I purchased the Kameleon after seeing it in the Radio Shack circular and reading several reviews online. Even though some of the reviews were critical, I really wanted an LCD remote for my home theater and didn't want to spend too much for it. I figured I'd give the Kameleon a try.

I easily set up my Sony TV and Magnovox VCR, but the codes for the Sony receiver didn't work, and there was no support for my Cyberhome DVD. I called the Radio Shack 800 number the next day, and they provided the code upgrade to support the Sony Receiver (Model 435). The Cyberhome DVD was supported without an upgrade, but the code was not in the instruction manual. Cyberhome support was impressive because they claim they do not support any Universal remote. I was extremely satisfied with the effective and friendly support from the Radio Shack support center.

I checked out the "One for All" European support website for the Kameleon, and I wonder when (or if) there will be a similar site for the Radio Shack model. Curiously, I looked up my Cyberhome DVD on the European site and found the same code that the Radio Shack operator provided.

I'd recommend the Kameleon to anyone looking for a reasonably priced remote with basic functionality and lots of style. I'm considering getting another for my other TV/DVD/VCR/Amp.
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Written by Doug Cooper from New Mexico.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 15 made on Saturday January 4, 2003 at 11:51 PM.
Strengths:Great design, lighting, simplicity of operation.
Priced right.
Weaknesses:The back of the remote looks expensive, the front, especially the lighting (as others have said) looks a little cheap in the daylight.
Review:I saw this remote in a European magazine under the One for All brand. I researched on the internet, and found that it was being sold here by Radio Shack (the demo that UEI has on their website really sold me even though most of the people at RS didn't know anything about it.
This is meant as a secondary remote for the bedroom, but after having used it for about a month, I love it so much I am hoping they enhance this technology into a higher tech version with combination hard buttons, and customizable buttons.

By the way, one of the things I was concerned about was the durability. I accidently dropped it onto a coffee table from about three feet and it still works great.
Wonderful remote for the price.
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Written by Dante R from California, USA.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 14 made on Saturday January 4, 2003 at 7:17 PM.
Strengths:+ Easy Programability
+ Easy Upgradablility
+ Cost vrs Features
+ Display Animation (looks Cool)
+ Instant "ON" display
Weaknesses:- Screwdriver needed for battery replacement.
- Size (Slinderness makes akward to hold)
- Buzzing (Minor, but noticable in quiet environment)
- Inability to access all buttons in DVD mode without using "Screen" button.
- Only SIX devices.
Review:This remote was purchased for me as a gift, on the spot. I found it to be very simple to program, and though I did not need to call the 800 number for upgrade, it is a nice feature. The buzzing that everyone is talking about is a high electrical noise that is easy to tune out and is not noticable when watching TV, unless you place it near your ear.
I really like the motion sensitive "on" feature. Most LCD remotes need you to press a button and are usually hard to read without the back light. I would not recommend this remote to cronic channel surfers as the battery life could be shortened though constant active display. (look at how many batteries it uses; 4-AAA)
Overall: A great inexpensive remote for people who don't need ALL the features and buttons of the $100 + remotes. Simple interface and programmable buttons, macros and learning capibilities make this remote a excellent value ant $60.
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Written by Christian Prezgay from Brea, CA.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 13 made on Thursday January 2, 2003 at 6:11 PM.
Strengths:Handles all my remote needs.
Wow! factor with friends.
Easy to program.
Weaknesses:That annoying hum!
On my Satellite & DVD, there are two sets of buttons, and only one shows up at a time.
Review:I've had this for about two weeks. It does a great job handling my Denon receiver, Phillips big-screen, Apex DVD, RCA Ultimate TV (Directv w/pvr), and JVC VHS.

It is easy as heck to program, and I was up and running in about 10 minutes. It would be the prefect remote except a few things:

1. That Hum!

2. because buttons turn off, then on when you handle the remote, I can't keep it held in my hand while I'm watching something.

3. I've already gone through the first set of batteries

Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Jon Rosen from Clifton, NJ.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 12 made on Wednesday January 1, 2003 at 5:52 PM.
Strengths:Interesting, easy-to-read interface.
macros and learning mode.
Setup easier than "typical" remotes.
Large, readable "keys".
Weaknesses:Only controls 6 devices.
Access to battery compartment requires a screwdriver.
"Buttons" displayed for each device aren't configurable.
No time or timer function
Review:What an interesting and capable remote control. The Kameleon is a new twist on an older interface concept. The remote displays only the buttons applicable to the device being controlled at a given moment. Several years ago, I purchased a Uniden remote that used a touch panel LCD display that allowed the user to configure a different display for each device. It was tedious to program, had a marginally readable display and went through batteries quickly. It now resides in an unknown carton. The Kameleon is a much more sophisticated and successful implementation of that concept. The display, when not in use, is simply blue, with no indication of its function. There is an internal vibration sensor that activates the remote when it is picked up or moved. I normally clutch a remote in my hand and that's not reasonable for the Kameleon since you would end up consuming a lot more power. It is possible to hold it without activating it, but that is a bit of an effort. Once activated, you are treated to a blue electroluminescent display of buttons that lasts for about 7 seconds after you are done using it. The plastic top has tactile feedback for the buttons. The feedback is useful, even though you still have to look at the remote in order to use it.

I bought this remote for a simple bedroom system consisting of a receiver, television and DVD player. The Kameleon controls up to 6 different devices: DVD, Audio, CD, VCR/Replay, TV, and Satellite/Cable. The instruction manual is clear and concise. I had no difficulty programming my devices, setting up volume punchthrough and creating a few macros. The Kameleon has 4 macro buttons. It also can "learn" keys from another remote. There are 2 display screens for each device, one for the main controls and another for menu options.

While programming the Kameleon wasn't difficult, I wish the designers found something more innovative than the typical Program Key plus sequences of numeric codes to program the device. Perhaps I'm spoiled by my Home Theater Master MX-500, which uses numeric codes only to identify a specific component.

Odds and Ends: The functions defined for each device are not user definable. However, keys can be redefined in learning mode. There are a couple of other interface niceties. The icon of the current device is animated, so you always know which component is being controlled. There is also an animated indicator to display when an IR signal is being displayed or received. There is a channel scan function. Beware, it will keep scanning until it is canceled (by pressing the "button" a second time). There should probably be a reasonable timeout for that feature. It has a slender profile, but is long. Sometimes 2 hands may be required to manipulate it. However, that is a reasonable tradeoff since the keys are large enough to be easy to read and to press. Some previous

Overall, the Kameleon is visually interesting, fun-to-use, and capable. At its suggested retail price of $59.95 at Radio Shack, it's a reasonable value. You can buy remotes that do as much, or more, at half the price, but none of them will give you the style and somewhat futuristic appearance of the Kameleon.
Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Brian Fitzpatrick from Atlanta, GA.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 11 made on Sunday December 29, 2002 at 11:22 PM.
Strengths:-Easy to read display
-Easy to use
-Relatively cheap
Weaknesses:-There is indeed an annoying hum
-Only get 6 devices to control
Review:I wanted to submit this review as I picked up the Kameleon and the Radio Shack 15-2107 at the same time and kept the one I liked best. Consider this a "side-by-side" comparison from someone who has owned them both and looked at the pro's and con's of each.

The Kameleon had a nice, easy to read display. The tactile response to a button push was also a plus, but you can't actually feel a particular button without looking at the remote. So for me, all in all, this negated any real usable gain of that feature.

I was able to get it up and going with all my devices, including Tivo and X10 without a call in for an update. I found that after looking at the two remotes, the update option over the telephone is a nice sounding sales pitch, but in the end is almost useless (except to help you find a code which you probably could have found anyway with search). You should be able to circle through with a search to find a suitable code which are universal across remotes.

Also, as others have mentioned, there is a hum with the Kameleon which happens any time the display is on. It is noticable, and it did get annoying.

I ended up keeping the 2107 and returning the Kameleon because of the following reasons:

(1) The 2107 had hard buttons for basic functionality such as volume, channel, mute, and macros which you can find without looking at the remote.

(2) The hum.. sorry, but this was annoying, especially when put side-by-side with the absolutely quiet 2107.

(3) The 2107 worked with every device I had, including Tivo and X10. Also, it controls eight devices versus 6 with the Kameleon, plus, it offers 4 additional screens you can custom build with buttons from the other 8 (ie. keep your DVD on one button, but also have a master screen which might combine your DVD, Tivo, and X10. Also, the Kameleon doesn't offer a default screen for X10, whereas the 2017 does. (You can still do X10 with Kameleon though)

(4) The 2107 seemed to have more buttons on the screen, which is especially helpful when you may want to "learn" a missing feature.

(5) The 2107 was a little more friendly with programming.. for example, when you plug in a device number in the Kameleon, you don't see a read-out whereas with the 2107 you do. This may seem small, but apply it across the board for most of the remote's features.

(6) They were both the same price. The 2107 seems to do everything the Kameleon does, plus more, minus the hum.

The Kameleon was good.. the 2107 was better.
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Written by Jeff S from Toronto, Canada.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 10 made on Sunday December 29, 2002 at 4:35 PM.
Strengths:Shows only the buttons needed.
Easy to setup.
So sweet.
Weaknesses:Cant change which buttons are shown in the differnent mode.
Review:I would suggest this remote to anyone. i was thinking of getting a Pronto, but the remote did eveything that i needed, and added the sheer coolness factor. It looks cool in both low light and lots o' light. My brother got it for me in NYC, in dont think its even available in Canada yet.
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