I can’t find the remote to my DVD player. There have also been numerous times where couch pillows have gone flying in search of the TiVo remote (only to find it mysteriously on the bookshelf in the office.) My stereo system has a remote control that’s smaller than a deck of cards and had virtually no chance of being around after the first two months. Thanks goodness for Logitech and their amazing Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote.
About the Logitech Harmony One
With remotes for the TV, cable box, surround sound, DVD player, stereo and all your other living room gadgets, things can get pretty cluttered. This holiday season, stop searching for all your remotes and find out how one touch simplicity changes everything with the Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote.
With a full color touch screen, control of up to 15 devices and one-touch “activity” controls, this is the only remote you will ever need. The “activity” feature lets you create custom settings across devices, where you can select “Watch TV” or “Play PS3,” and Harmony will turn all the right devices on in the right order. Harmony works with over 225,000 devices and is rechargeable so you’ll never have to search for batteries to watch TV again. Whether you’re shopping for a gadget guru or simply a TV-lover, the Harmony One is the perfect addition to every living room.
The Review
Now, when I first think of universal remotes, I think of big, clunky remotes that have big numbers and maybe a 50% chance that the remote will actually work with all of the components in my house. If it could control the TV, it couldn’t control the stereo. If it could control the DVD player, there was NO WAY that it would be able to control my iPod speakers. Logitech’s Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote truly is the leader in remote technology. With touch screen functionality and the ability to program different activities that will automatically set every component how you want, it is unmatched when it comes to complete and utter remote control AWESOMENESS.
The Logitech Harmony One comes with a charging station, a USB cable, and an installation CD for setting up your remote. To set-up your remote, you simply plug your remote into the computer via the USB cable. When you run the installation CD, it will install the Logitech Harmony Remote Software. FYI, the software is Mac compatible as well, so it should work for all computers. Simply create your account and then start adding devices.
To add a device, you select the type of device (such as Television, Game Console, etc.) then the manufacturer and model. With a database of over 225,000 devices, you’re virtually guaranteed to be able to find your device listed. However if it isn’t listed, you are still able to manually program your remote by syncing it with your old remote control and having it “learn” your old remote’s signal. Amazing. There will be a verification process where you click matching buttons to make sure that all of your buttons work properly.
After you have your devices added, then you’ll want to program your activities. First you select the type of activity, such as Watch Television. It will step you through a series of questions to determine how you want your system set-up. You can select what settings the TV should be at (such as your input source) and can select the channel for the TiVo while also selecting the channel for the speakers. After everything is set-up properly, the remote will save your new activity for easy one press access to control all of the components. Here are my settings for “Watch TV” and you can see that it is turning on my TiVo, TV and speakers while turning everything else off. Then it sets the TiVo, TV and speakers to the right settings. All automatically.
Essentially, if you had to use three different remotes to get your television set-up just right, now all you have to do is press the “Watch TV” button on the touch screen. That’s right – TOUCH SCREEN. The screen is brightly lit, full color, and responds to the touch of a finger, allowing you to choose your activity, or even control the devices manually if needed.
After setting up all of your devices and activities, you can unplug from the computer and start using the remote. From one seat, I’ve been able to turn off my iPod speakers to watch TV, or turn off the DVD player and skip to the next song on the iPod. One seat, one remote, one touch screen press.
Another great benefit to the Logitech Harmony One is that the batteries are rechargeable and are easily recharged by placing the remote on the charging station. This not only gives it more juice, but also creates a dedicate spot for the remote, one of the best ways to reduce remote control loss.
Co-workers have talked to me about this remote, friends have oohed and aahed it, and I’ve already bought one myself. Really there is no better way to end this review other than with, “I love the Logitech Harmony One.” It is a truly amazing product that is the perfect gift for anyone who has multiple audio/visual devices in the home. It reduces clutter and remote control loss and make it a snap to quickly watch DVDs or turn off the TV to listen to the music – all with one remote. It’s MSRP is ~$250, but it’s currently on sale on Amazon for $160.99, so it’s a good time to buy it now to give to that special someone for the holidays. I sure hope my dad isn’t reading this post because this is what he’ll be getting.
P.S. Sorry for all the CAPS in this review, I’m just super excited about the product. I’m sure you understand. 
Logitech Online
- Visit the Logitech Website
- “Like” Logitech on Facebook
- Follow Logitech on Twitter
- Shop the Logitech Online Store or buy the Logitech Harmony One from Amazon
The WiC Project Logitech Harmony One Giveaway
The Prize:
One winner will receive their very own Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote!
To Enter:
- Visit www.logitech.com and leave a comment telling me which features you like the most about the Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote.
- For ONE bonus entry, follow Logitech on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter handle or “Like” Logitech on Facebook and leave a comment with your FB name. Feel free to drop a note telling them The WiC Project sent you.
- For ONE more bonus entry, subscribe to The WiC Project via reader or via email and/or “Like” The WiC Project on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know that you have.
For up to TWO Bonus Entries:
The Rules:
Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST, December 8, 2010.
Visit our Giveaway Rules page for general giveaway rules that also apply to this giveaway.
Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. Your experiences may be different. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a free product from the manufacturer or their representing PR agency to use and test for the purposes of this review. This did not affect the outcome of this review.
follow Logitech on Twitter @mrstinareynolds
My favorite feature is the touch screen!!
I follow you on Twitter noweesmom
I subscribed to your feed
I like that it has a guided online setup
You connect your Harmony remote to your computer and you’re guided through every step. If you hit a snag, customer support is ready to help.
email subscriber
I like that it is packed for simplicity and that it is well designed and fits to the hand well
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
follow them twitter
ardy22
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
subscribe to you via email
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
My favorite features are: Rechargeable, and the fact that the remote replaces 15 remotes!
wendym at cableone dot net
My favorite feature would be that it actually controls everything, rather than having a bunch of different remotes.
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