If your house is anything like mine, you probably have way too many remote controls. Every new device you hook up has its own remote. First you have a TV remote, then you add in a blu-ray player remote, surround sound remote and then any other devices you have will add even more remotes. Before you know it, you have a stack of remotes that you have to dig through just to issue a simple command. What if I told you that there is a better way to control your home entertainment system? Allow me to introduce you to the Logitech Harmony Touch remote. The Harmony Touch is a headache free experience that will really make your home media experience easier. Lets check out more information about it.
Features
If you look at Logitech’s website, they say that the Harmony Touch is not a remote but a “one touch wonder that’s redefining ultimate control over your home entertainment”. Well, that’s half true. The Harmony Touch is a remote, but it is probably the ultimate remote you have always dreamed of. There is a touchscreen that is used to quickly swipe through customizable channel icons of your favorite and most watched channels, back-lit buttons and rechargeable battery with included charger .
The touchscreen is awesome. You program your remote so that it offers you options such as “Watch TV” or “Watch a Movie”. When you select “Watch TV”, it will automatically make sure that your television, surround sound and cable/satellite box are turned on and ready to go. Tired of watching TV and want to play some XBox 360? Click your pre-programmed “Play XBox” button and your television will switch to the appropriate input signal and your XBox 360 will power up.
Besides for the ability to easily switch between pre-programmed modes, another great function of the touchscreen is the favorite channel list. The favorite channel list allows you to customize it with not just a list of channels that you watch most often, but small icons of the channels that make them easily recognizable and easy to navigate.
The included charging station is a great addition to the Harmony Touch. The remote has great battery life and seems to go several days with no problem at all. When your remote needs to be charged, you will know from the on-screen battery indicator, just slip it into the charging station overnight and you will be fully charged and good to go the next morning. It is a nice addition to not have to worry about buying anymore batteries for your remote again.
Ease of Use
Somehow, the people at Logitech were able to make this awesomely powerful remote, yet keep it simple enough for anyone to be able to use. The Logitech Harmony Touch is less confusing than my satellite box remote. This is where a lot of the pre-programmed modes come into play. When you select “Watch TV” on the remote, it will make sure that everything you need to watch TV is on, on the correct setting, and working for you. If something is not working, you can press the “?” button on the remote and it will help you correct the problem.
I have a 4 year-old son that has absolutely fallen in love with the Harmony Touch. This is due primarily to the ease of which the remote allows you to select the channel you wish to watch. The touchscreen on the remote will display the icons for channels that you program as favorites. This means, that my son does not need to be able to read the channel name, or remember the channel number, because he recognizes the Disney Junior logo or the Nick Jr. logo and simply touching the channel icon will change the channel on your TV.
Compatibility & Set-up
If you have a device in your home that works with a remote control, the odds are very good that it will work with the Harmony Touch. Logitech advertises that the Harmony Touch is compatible with over 225,000 home entertainment devices from over 5,000 brand names. I was able to set-up every device I attempted to the device with no problem at all. The only issue I had was with the PlayStation 3, and that is because you have to use an adapter that is sold separately. This has to do with how the PlayStation 3 receives its signal and is not a problem with the remote itself.
Setting up your Harmony Touch iis simple as well. Plug your remote into your computer via the supplied USB cable and direct your browser to myharmony.com and follow the simple on screen instructions. The setup wizard asks for your devices serial number to guarantee that it uses the correct device code for your equipment. The complete set-up for me took about 10-15 minutes and my remote was fully functional and ready to be used.
Wrap-Up
The Logitech Harmony Touch remote is a great addition to the Harmony remote family. Although it does not have all of the advanced features of the Harmony 900 remote, it is a great device that will not leave you lacking. The ease of use combined with the quality build and design of the Harmony Touch make it a great option for someone looking to get rid of multiple remotes and condense everything into one. The Logitech Harmony Touch will not disappoint.
MSRP: $249.99
Overall Score: 10/10
Chase Jacobs
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