What better way to kick off the new Sound Hounds forum then a review of the Harmony One remote control. After spending a month with the remote I have decided that i'm going to purchase the unit as its value has become apparent with my home entertainment centre. First off, lets have a quick look at its features of interest:
-Charging dock
-All buttons are back-lit
-Large touch screen LCD display
-Accelerometer
The charging dock is a significant plus, as others have reported the need to change batteries every two months. The rechargeable battery is a standard Li-ion battery. The back-lit keys, in combination with the accelerometer is a very nice touch; the remote responds to being interacted with and lights up to display all keys. The LCD can be programmed for favourite channels as seen here:
This is a nice feature although a weak link in the software doesn't allow the remote to add an 'enter' command when configuring the favourites on the touch screen. With my TV this is not very ideal as it requires this command to be at all responsive to input. Additionally, all graphic art needs to be configured by the user and this takes a deal of time. I will, however, give props to the developer of Square Eyes Icon Harmony http://www.iconharmony.com/icons/ for doing an incredible job and making this a straight-forward process.
An area which could see some improvement is Logitech embracing open-source development from the community to tweak the remote for total optimization. Logitech is well-know for the first-response support and basic setup assistance, however more difficult issues have resulted in less than ideal responses from Logitech and can be read about in RC Forums http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/forums.cgi which incidentally is something you should check out if your in the market for a remote control.
In my home, I've configured the remote so manage my receiver, television, and Plex media server http://www.plexapp.com/
The seamless integration with Plex has made this a must have for my setup. Additionally, a optional module for around $70 will allow it to communicate with my PS3's bluetooth interface. Detail to come....
