If you are ever looking for the ultimate remote to replace all other remote controls, then you are reading the right article. Since its premier at last year’s CES (‘08), Logitech’s Harmony One Universal Remote has quickly become an editors’ favourite among high-end consumer products. Yet, with a clouded economy, Harmony One’s $250 price tag may seem a bit too much for a remote in the mainstream consumer market. Today, we will be looking at whether the Harmony One, with its advantages and disadvantage, is worth its price tag.




Build and Design (9.5/10)

The build quality of the Harmony One is exceptional. The front of the control is made of glossy plastic while the back is made of a smooth rubberized material for a comfortably controlled grip. In fact, this rubberized material can also be found on the Logitech G9 Gaming Mouse. The look of the Harmony One is dominated by the front acrylic glass panel, which houses a 2.2 inch multi-coloured LCD touch screen – the highlight of this product. The touch screen is sensitive and adds a nice modern and sophisticated look (and function) to the control.





The ergonomics of the unit are also well thought-out. With a two grip system, user can easily access the middle section (channels and volume) and the bottom section (media and number buttons) of the Harmony One. To access the touch screen, however, a second hand is required. All the buttons will light up (white) once you lift the remote or if it detects a motion. The brightness is set to a perfect level: not bright enough to lit up the whole room, but more than enough to see in the dark.

The cradle in which the Harmony One is charged rests on four rubber feet. A white light indicates the on/off status of the charger. The remote fits snugly inside the cradle and contact with the charger seems to be made pretty easily.




Software (8.5/10)

The Logitech Harmony Remote Software stores the profile of your unit online. The advantage of using an online database is that you can carry your profile across any machines over any distances. Even if your local computer failed and your hard drive, god forbid, got wiped out, you will still be able to access your stored profile. The disadvantage, of course, is that you won’t be able to set up your remote control if you don’t have internet access.

The software itself is pretty straight forward. Almost everything on the remote is customizable. Learning how to use the entire software will take you some time, but the process shouldn’t be too difficult.



Although Logitech advertises that the company has the A/V control profiles of more than 225,000 devices, many of the profiles in reality do not work. Despite showing that the profile exists in the database, getting the remote to work with one of Toshiba’s earlier HD DVD Player, for example, proved to be ineffective. Fortunately, one of the unique features of the remote and its software is that the One is able to “learn” from the original unit remote. All you have to do is to point your original remote to the tail of the Harmony One, and by pressing each button your new universal remote will sync and “learn” from the original one.

The only downside I can see is the scenario where you had lost the original remote to an exotic device, confirmed with Logitech’s online compatibility chart, bought the Harmony One, and comes home having to find out that the online profile somehow doesn’t fully or at all control your device.

Nonetheless, for most common DVD players and TVs from major brands, the profiles seem to be consistent.


In-Use (8/10)



Although the online profile allowed the Harmony One to do a fairly good job at controlling my Toshiba LCD TV, not all the functions on the original Toshiba remote were indicated. That said, after customization through the software, most buttons were set up correctly.

When EVERYTHING was set up, the remote was a bliss to use. All my devices responded happily to the control with small to no delay in the sequential start-up of each device. In controlling my DVD Player, the Harmony One exhibited a slight latency, which was soon fixed by the response time option in the Harmony software.

A major downfall of the Harmony One during my extensive testing was its disastrous performance towards nacho cheese-stained fingers. Seriously, grease and the Harmony One do not mix well together. If you are one of those who must have a bag of Cheetos while flipping through the channels, then I’d suggest that you stick with a $10 remote control.


Conclusion (8.5/10)


Not only is the Harmony One the best looking remote control I’ve seen so far, but its features and adaptability are simply astonishing. The highlight of the control is the fact that almost everything about it is customizable. As long as you still have your original remote, the Harmony One will pretty much include it in its data inventory. Unfortunately, the One works exclusively with IR (infrared) devices, and so, it will not work with units that utilize RF, Bluetooth, or Z-Wave technology.

So, in the end, it comes down to the question whether the Harmony One is worth its price tag. Here is my experience: When I held the Harmony One with its vibrant-coloured touch screen in my hands for the first time, I thought to myself that this little gem is worth all the money in the world. When I touched the “Watch DVD” button on the screen and my TV and DVD Player miraculously turned on, my amazement with its simplicity and effectiveness told me that the remote was worth every penny. After a week of using the Harmony One, however, my excitement has turned into expectation. The now spoiled me could never imagine myself spending $250 on a remote control.

For what it's worth, the Logitech Harmony One is simply a guilty pleasure.





Pros:

• Fully customizable
• Motion-detection to save power
• Rechargeable battery
• Stylish and comfortable ergonomics
• Great touch screen

Cons:

• Not all of the online profiles work
• Susceptible to oil and grease
• Expensive