I love my Harmony remote. Deeply.
Apr 24, 2008 | Filed under Gadgets, Reviews
I am in love with a remote control. I can’t help it.
My entertainment center is particularly crowded right now. With my current and classic game systems, TiVo, DVD player, and receiver, there are nine separate components in my entertainment center. That’s a lot of stuff to manage. But, then, my Harmony came along, and she helped me get control of my living room…and taught me how to love.
The Logitech Harmony 550 Advanced Universal Remote is part of Logitech’s line of activity-based, programmably sexy universal remotes. The Harmony won my heart because of two things:
- No codes: Flipping through manuals, looking at small type, holding three buttons at once. These were the hallmarks of programming a universal remote, but the Harmony made me do none of these things. All I had to do was gently plug her into my computer with her included USB cable, install the software, and let her get what she needed over the Internet. She knew how to talk to all the gadgets in my living room, and she knew the language of my heart.
- Activities: For so many years, I had to hit a power button on one remote, then a power button on a second remote, then a third, and so on, just to manage everything. “No, no, baby,” Harmony said to me, “let me take care of it.” She’s attractive enough that she can turn on anything she wants, just with the touch of one programmable activity button. Hit “Watch TiVo,” or “Play Xbox 360,” and she’ll get all your devices set up and in the mood to do what you want them to. She’s smart, as well: she’ll remember which devices she’s got wrapped around her finger, so she doesn’t power up or down the wrong toys while you’re playing.
When I talk about her soft buttons, I don’t mean how she feels – although she is just a little more than a perfect handful. No, I mean that she has four programmable buttons that surround her LCD screen that let me program them to perform anything and everything I could possibly want a remote to do. Anything. Her software lets me take total control of her soft buttons, and I can customize them to my every fantasy.
She’s also not afraid of change, and she’s very open to new partners. Since I’ve been with her, I’ve traded in my DVR twice, and my TV. I just go to my computer, introduce her to my new friends, and she’s ready to get started. In fact, she has a motion sensor that lights up when I’m around, just so I remember that she’s always ready to go.
Now, every relationship needs a little work, and this is no exception. Harmony’s software sometimes underestimates my intelligence, so tweaking her just right can take more time than it should. And some of her initial preferences were a little silly – like the delay between TiVo button presses, or the time she wanted to wait for my TV to boot (nearly three times what was necessary!). Fortunately, she knows what I want is best, and she’ll let me change her mind on those things with very little fuss.
She’s been with me for a little over a year now, and she’s regrettably starting to show her age. Some of the print on her numeric keypad is starting to rub off, and she still runs on AAA batteries, unlike her more expensive sisters. In fact, her younger sister, the 720 model, looks quite a bit like her, except with a bigger, color screen, more soft keys, and a rechargeable battery. Don’t tell my 550, but sometimes I imagine I’m using a 720, or even the new touch screen Harmony One, while I’m holding her. I know it’s bad, and I feel guilty about it, but they’re awfully sexy remotes, and I am just a man. Still, my Harmony 550 and I have a deep bond, and I know she’ll always be there for me when I need her, and she’s changed me forever. I can never go back to regular remotes, and I’ll never leave my Harmony.
…Except maybe for a newer, sexier model.
