Harry Potter might be a dab hand at casting spells but we’ve yet to see him use his wand to switch off Holby City, series link EastEnders or mute Jeremy Kyle mid-rant. And that’s because the annoying little brat has only got a wand, not the Wand.

Utterly astounding, this beautifully crafted gizmo looks like the kind of thing you might find in Diagon Alley. The difference is you use it to control your telly, Sky, digibox, stereo or any other infra-red device via various abracadabra-ish gestures. Simply swish, whirl and flick to change channels, adjust volume and much more. Incredible! What Katie and Peter Did Next? *ZAP!* Who cares? Your swish really is its command.

Totally button-free, the Wand can ‘learn’ up to 13 infrared codes from your existing remote(s) and fling them into the ether when you perform one of 13 predefined gestures. It’s a kind of magic. Okay, it isn’t but making Vernon Kay vanish has never been such fun. Silencio Imbecilicus!

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The AMEX remote is stylish in look, and will control your multi-media system including music, photo, video and DVD titles. The RM-mp1 uses a touch pad mouse, a slick laser pointer, basic nav buttons and includes a wireless USB receiver. It looks like a cell phone, and with dimensions of just 104×38×12mm in size, it’s the size of one.

Are you tired of always losing the remote control and not being able to change the channels? InVoca will come to your rescue because you hardly ever have to move it around. It is a voice-activated and hands-free remote control that will listen for up to 54 commands from you. That means you can change the channel or adjust the volume all while leaving the remote on the table.
It comes with rechargeable batteries and a cradle which means you won’t ever have to worry about scrounging for batteries while watching your favorite show. You can also program the remote to recognize macros which means you can perform multiple steps in one simple voice command. If this sounds like a must-have for you then Brookstone is currently offering the InVoca for a reasonable $50.