LG were the first to announce a voice activated remote control for their new Smart TV range, but now Samsung is saying they’ll be first to the market with a voice activated universal remote.It’s also tipped that Apple will introduce a similar product when they launch their new TV offering later this year using their Siri voice control technology.

The new device eliminates the need for buttons. Instead Samsung is using new trackball and voice technology to control their new TVs.

Samsung claim that they will launch their new remote early in the second half of 2012. What’s the bet that LG will launch theirs earlier after showing the device working at the recent CES show.

According to the Nikkei Tech-On blog, the volume and channel change buttons are part of the touchpad, while there’s a dedicated button for searching the internet and a microphone for changing channels, and more, through your voice.

At CES, LG showed their Google TV offering working with a new version of its motion-sensing magic remote complete with an onscreen Qwerty keyboard and voice control.