When I had a chance to review the Logitech 676 Harmony Remote back in 2005, I was totally impressed with the experience. It changed things in the Universal Remote Control world because it was easy to use, easy to setup, and most importantly, it had a very high approval factor with all the non-techies in the household. Most importantly, you can do it yourself without the help of an CEDIA Certified Engineer. Now that we’re in 2008, Logitech continues to be successful with their line of Harmony Remotes. Their latest remote, the Logitech Harmony ONE Advanced Universal Remote Control continues the tradition of easy to use and easy to setup for the modern home theatre.
When Logitech purchased the Harmony brand back in 2004, things really took off for the originally Canadian company. Logitech’s large network allowed the remote to reach a larger audience, and as a result, allowed Harmony to build up the heart of their product, which is their device database. As the userbase grew, so did the number of products that were contained in this database, making the programming of the Harmony remote easier and easier. The relationship with Logitech also gave Harmony access to advanced materials that allowed them to shed that somewhat “Toy Like” feel of their early products.
Compared to my old Logitech 676, the Logitech Harmony ONE is definitely looks all grown up. Let’s see what three years has done for the legendary Harmony product line.
Features
The new Harmony ONE features a number of strong selling points…
- One-touch access to your entertainment: Enjoy easy, one-touch access to the home-entertainment activities you love. Want to watch a DVD? One simple press of the touch screen and the Harmony One remote does the rest.
- Replaces up to 15 remotes: Reduce the clutter and complexity of your living room.
- Full-color touch screen: Gives you easy, one-touch access to any entertainment activity-such as watching a DVD, watching TV, listening to music, and more.
- Sculpted, backlighted buttons in logical zones: Allow you to find the right channel-even in the dark.
- Ergonomic design: Fits comfortably in your hand.
- Rechargeable design: Eliminates the worry about replacing batteries.
- Guided online setup: Helps you when you need it. You don’t have to be an expert. Helpful online setup software. Live customer support team.
- World’s largest A/V control database: Be confident your Harmony remote can control virtually any home-entertainment device you have today or buy tomorrow. Online database supports more than 225,000 devices from more than 5,000 brands – and the list grows larger every day.
The online database has definitely grown quite a bit. Part of this is due to the fact that the database is updated by its users. As new products are released, new codes are added to the database by these users. Logitech makes the process of programming these devices into the database easy, and makes subsequent users’ lives even more easy because the codes are now ready and waiting.
What’s In The Box?
The Logitech Harmony ONE comes to your home theatre packaged with a number of additional goodies which include..
- Charging cradle and power adapater
- Software and manuals
- Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery Pack
- USB Cable for programming the remote
- A polishing cloth for cleaning up that shiny exterior
It’s nice to see that Logitech thought of the neat freaks with the polishing cloth. Also inherited from Logitech’s 880 and 890 series remotes is the charging cradle that eliminates the need for keeping a fresh supply of AAA batteries.
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Shop Like a PRO!
First Impressions
The Logitech Harmony ONE is one sexy beast of a remote. The new ergomic design places the remote in your hand in such a way that you can migrate from section to section of the remote while maintaining a comfortable grip.
As you migrate from each section, your thumb ends up on grouped keys that have related functions. For example, the PVR functions are grouped in one section while the number keys are grouped seperated in another. I found that with a bit of practice, I could operate the remote totally without looking.
The new touchscreen is improved from previous remotes with better fonts and a much more logical layout. Instead of being some Frankenstein shoe horning of a touchscreen with tactile buttons, the screen compliments the functions of the fixed buttons. The screen also shows you things like time of day and battery life. When charging or connected to USB, the screen will also indicate that status. It even has a slideshow function, allowing you to upload your favourite pictures to the remote control, running it whenever it’s charging in the cradle.
Finally, the most noticeable feature of the Harmony ONE is the charging cradle. The remote drops in easily without fail. I tried dropping the remote into the charger crookedly and it always seemed to hook up to the charging contacts properly. This prevents those fits of cursing when the remote has no juice from someone’s careless charging habits. The cradle also features a user adjustable guide light for those times when you need to find the remote in the middle of the night. It can be dimmed or disabled altogether.
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Shop Like a PRO!
Some Assembly Required
The only thing one needs to do is pop in the battery and connect the charging cradle up to a wall socket. Like most rechargeable devices that are new, an overnight charge is recommended. This is crucial as the programming process does take a little bit of time away from the charging cradle and if the battery dies during a programming session, you’ll turn your Advanced Remote Control into a doorstop.
The charging cradle itself does have some customizations as you can route the power cable to come out the front or the back of the cradle depending on how neat you want to be. The cradle also has a “night light” that goes from full bright, to medium, to off. I usually leave it on because I hate fumbling for it, but if you keep the remote charging at the front of the room near your TV, I can see how the bright light could be annoying, so its nice to be able to dim it or turn it off altogether.
Setting Up The Harmony ONE Advanced Universal Remote Control
Like its predecessors, the Harmony ONE relies on that 225,000+ strong online database to allow it to control up to 15 different devices. But first, you need to install the included Harmony Remote Software from the included CD.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to create an account which allows you to register your remote and gain access to the online device database. You’ll be prompted to plug in your remote control at this point so that your remote can be registered properly. The software also gives you access to direct software upgrades and firmware upgrades for your remote control, improving functionality and adding new features when available. If you already have an account, you can simply login.
For previous Harmony Remote users, the upgrade process is very easy and you have your choice of either starting all over again with your new remote, or just replacing the remote control and having the new remote take over the duties of controlling your home theatre system from your old one.
New users should grab a pad and a pencil and jot down all the model numbers of all the gear they want to control. Once you have all the proper brands and model numbers written down, you will need to add those devices into your account so that you can then work on assigning them to the different activities that you do with your home theatre like watch a DVD, play Xbox 360, or Watch TV. You will also want to note down which inputs on your TV and AV receiver that you use to get sound and picture for each activity.
Once you’ve got your devices entered in, all you need to do is just add in the devices that you use for each activity. The software will go through a series of questions to qualify each component and find out how things are hooked up in your system so that it can switch the right input on your TV set, set the right input on your AV receiver, and turn on the right source device. This is actually easier than it sounds as the Logitech software prompts you a lot to be sure of your selections, and gives you a chance to fine tune your programming if there are any issues with the activity setup.
Finally, just hit the update button, and the software zaps your remote control with the settings and you’re good to go. Now, all you need to do, is point the remote control at your home theatre system, hit the activity that you want from the touchscreen, and let’er rip. If things don’t rip, then you can go back in and easily fine tune things, or you can use the HELP button on the remote for a quick troubleshoot. Just be prepared for some fine tuning and you will be good to go.
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Shop Like a PRO!
What If My Device Isn’t Listed?
If your device isn’t listed, the world does not end. The Logitech software is setup to allow you to enter in the codes from that devices’ remote control through a series of prompts. You’ll be asked to point the sensor of your device remote to the butt end of the Harmony ONE where it will read the button presses and learn the codes. By doing this, you have also added a new device to the device database, making it easier for someone else next time. This community interactivity is what keeps the device database growing.
Customizing your Harmony ONE
The Harmony ONE does have a couple of customization options. For starters, you can upload pictures to it, allowing the Harmony to jump into a sort of screensaver slideshow mode when it is charging. The other customization options include the ability to choose different themes for the touchscreen. I personally found them fluffy features that really served no real purpose, but I’m sure you customization freaks will like them.
Harmony ONE in the Living Room
To be honest, there really isn’t much brand new compared to previous Harmony Remotes. The software just plain works, and programming and setup is just as easy as it was before. However, with a much larger database of devices, most users will find the setup even easier than before.
I found the Harmony ONE quite a bit quicker than my old Logitech Harmony 676 as I would find that there was a noticeable delay between when a button was pushed and when something happened. I also found the build quality and construction of the Harmony ONE was definitely much higher quality than previous remotes. The shiny new paint job also adds a feeling of sophistication to this product and they even give you a cloth to wipe it with.
Battery life is saved by a motion sensitive sensor that turns the screen off when not in use, but pops to life when picked up. You can hear the sensor when you shake the remote as it rattles inside the remote. The battery does seem to last for a few days before requiring a charge, but getting in the habit of charging it when not in use would be a better choice as you can’t simply replace the battery with an off the shelf solution in a pinch.
Speaking of buttons, one thing that I really love about the Harmony ONE is the improved layout of the buttons and the ergonomics. Since changing over from my original Harmony 676, I’ve found that I barely ever need to look at my Harmony ONE remote to control stuff. The texture of the buttons along with certain key buttons allow my hand to figure out where it is at all times. Where I used to need to use two hands to operate my original Harmony 676, I only need one hand with the Harmony ONE.
One thing that was a nice feature was the inclusion of a USB port cover. I know that this is a small thing, but when you haven’t used your USB port for sometime, it seems to get crammed with gunk. I remember having to often blow out the USB port on my Harmony 676 as it had no cover. Remember, there is no other way to program your remote, so if your USB port dies, there is no way to program it again, so the protection is definitely welcome.
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Shop Like a PRO!
Final Thoughts
The Logitech Harmony ONE Advanced Universal Remote Control is truly an advanced piece of equipment. In fact, it can be argued that it is more advanced than most people that will operate it. Once setup, the Harmony ONE truly does it all. When you do run into a problem, a simple press of the help button takes you through an interactve troubleshooter that will fix whatever problem ails you. Since I bought one for my parents, I have not gotten one single call from them about their home theatre system when I would use to hear from them every other week. Although you can simply set it up for someone, I do recommend that you let the intended user set it up themselves as much as possible as this will allow them to get to know their system better. It’s actually one of those rare devices that is quite empowering.
The Harmony ONE definitely takes ergonomics and build quality to the next level. The shiny black plastic and the fit and finish are a step above many of the original Harmony remotes. It doesn’t have that toy like feel anymore. The ergonomic setup of this device is a huge improvement over previous units. I am totally able to use this remote one handed and the comfortable textured backside prevents it from sliding out of your hand, even when you’ve been in the popcorn bucket with it. If it does get dirty, the included cloth is definitely a nice touch for cleaning it up and keeping it looking spiffy.
The buttons really provide for a very intuitive tactile response. The layout and the textures on key buttons really make it easy for me to use this remote in even pitch black darkness. Combined with the touch screen and the easily accessible extended settings, the need to grab the original remote controls is greatly reduced. In fact, I haven’t touched my pile of original remotes for a very long time, which speaks volumes for the usefulness of the Harmony ONE and its brethren.
Overall, the Harmony ONE remote is definitely one of those indispensible home threatre accessories that everyone should have, not just non-tech-saavy people. The more gear you own, the more useful this device will become, but even if you only have a few devices, being able to use one remote to control it all is definitely more convenient. Although this device is more of an evolution of an already great product, there is certianly no denying at how solid this product line has become. Editors’ Choice.
Pros
- Very Easy to Setup
- Excellent ergonomics; so good you can use it with one hand
- Rechargeable battery and cradle
- Huge database of devices that are constantly updated
- Intuitive touchscreen works well with the fixed buttons
Cons
- At over $249 US, it’s not cheap, but it sure is useful!
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
Discuss This Review in the Futurelooks Community Forums
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Shop Like a PRO!