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Product

Review:

Logitech Harmony One

Reviewed by: Jason Gillard

          

I have reviewed two Harmony remotes in the past. They were the Harmony 720 and the Harmony 880.  I actually ended up liking the 720 more than the 880 which was more expensive.  So now Logitech has come out with the Harmony One.  This is a remote that has a full-colour touch screen.  It also has a new Ergonomic design.  Plus Logitech researchers spent a long time researching the perfect locations for all the buttons.  They sculpted the buttons in such a way making it easy for you to know what button you’re pressing in the dark.  Those are the new features of this remote.  But it still has all the great features that make a Harmony remote so easy to use.  You have the online database which has codes for over 225, 000 devices.  You can set up activities that activate with a touch of a button (or should I say screen in this case).  You can replace up to 15 remotes with this remote as well.

Now for those of you who have read my review on the 720, I liked pretty much everything about it, except for the charging cradle.  I am still using the 720 and I find it’s almost impossible to get it to charge now.  Now I can’t say that the Harmony One is better in this regard as that would require a lot more testing.  But I can say that the Harmony one remote seems to fit in its cradle a lot better.  The cradle is sculpted and the Harmony One seems to fit it like a glove.  So if this is the case, Logitech has fixed one of my biggest concerns.
       
 

I have never used a remote that used a touch screen before.  The screen is bright and looks very nice.  I was amazed at how sensitive it was.  Now if you don’t like the sensitivity you can actually change that right on the remote.  The colour touch screen is 2.2 inches in size.  Once you choose an activity on the touch screen all of the Harmony One’s sculpted buttons are enabled with their relevant functions.  Logitech says that the touch screen is built using an innovative capacitative technology; this makes the touch screen more responsive and more durable than other touch-screen technologies.  I have to say that after using the touch screen for a couple of weeks, I really like it.  It’s very responsive and for someone who hasn’t used the remote before, it makes it very easy for them to control the devices.

Now one other area that Logitech really focused on was making the remote very ergonomic.  The team working on the design of the remote had some criteria that they wanted to focus on.  The criteria was:

  • People’s thumbs must fall naturally on the most important part of the remote (the D-pad) when picking up and holding the device
  • Hands must be able to move easily up and down the remote to reach areas above and below the D-pad
  • People must be able to hold the remote comfortably for extended periods of time
  • The remote must feel stable and balanced in the hand

These are some lofty goals, but I feel that Logitech has succeeded in every area that they wanted to succeed in.  When you pick up the remote your fingers do naturally fall where the D-pad is located at.  I found it very easy to move up and down the remote. With the 880 I found the buttons were too slick and I would miss what I was trying to hit.  This was not a problem here. One of the buttons I use a lot is a 30 second skip on my PVR.  This button has a small bump on it making it very easy to find without having to look at the remote.  Great design!  The remote definitely feels really stable and balanced in your hand.  I have used it for extended periods and never had a problem with it.
   
 

I should also mention the software.  It really is easy to use.  They also make it easy to switch remotes.  All I had to do is click a button called replace remote and it took care of changing all the settings for me.  Also, if you have a couple of buttons that you use frequently and you want to add them to the touch screen, you add them to  the software and then update the remote! 

If you’re looking for a remote that’s easy to setup, comfortable to use, and will pretty much handle anything you throw at it, the Harmony One would be an excellent choice.  All I can say is this is one of the best remotes I have tested from Logitech.  To me it seems to have better build quality than the previous remotes I have tested and if the problem with charging has been fixed than this remote is tops in my book.

Highly Recommended.