Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control
by Logitech
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Our Price: $399.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $159.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control
Customer Review: This Remote Rocks!
Summary: 5 Stars
Pros: Easy to setup, easy to use, and utilizes a cool design.
Cons: A bit expensive, and the number keys at the bottom are not located within fingertip control.
I bought this remote for our bedroom, to control our new Westinghouse 42" 1080p LCD TV and to meet my wife's needs for a less cluttered look; my wife wanted to hide the cable box and the DVD player (Philips DVP5960) in an out of the way location where an IR remote would not be usable. Also, she wanted a single universal remote to do away with many remotes. Finally, I wanted one that was programmable to make it simple for us to use.
This remote easily solved these issues. It was easy to setup and is even easier to use. While the backlit numbers, small color screen and hour-glass design are all great, the number pad is located at the bottom of the remote and not easily accessed via the fingertips.
The Westinghouse IR sensor located at the bottom of the screen seems to be a small target so it can be hard to work with the factory supplied remote. This Harmony model solved that issue. Even though the TV is in line-of-sight, I purchased a separate RF Extender module for the TV (attached the main unit of the extender to the back of the TV, and the end of the IR "leash" to the front of the TV on top of the TV's IR sensor) and we have no issues with controlling the TV.
It is a bit expensive, but in our case the price was worth it as it met our needs.
Customer Review: I love this remote
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this for 2 years. it is a godsend. I have different things hooked up and I just touch one button and whatever i want it to do, it does. If i want to watch the dvr, i press that and it turns all the appropriate things on. Then if i want to listen to xm, it turns off the stuff it doesn't need and sets everything up for xm. It was extremely easy to program and didn't take very long at all. Once i programmed it, i have never had to go back and redo anything.
It is also great that when I have company they can easily operate everything and I don't have to explain anything. Babysitters and pet sitters appreciate that rather than having to learn what to turn on, what station to set it to, or whatever.
UPDATE: I have had this over a year now and am happier than ever. We let the charge go out completely and for some reason, one time, we lost all the data. I was terrified. I had forgotten how to program it, i didn't even know if I would remember how to access the program to program it. Well, I plugged it into the computer. It opened the program on its own. And then it took care of the rest. It reprogrammed the remote without me needing to do a thing. And, I tweeked a couple of things that I had wanted to tweek and never got around to it. I'm not tech savy and this has been a dream. Easy to program on day one. Easy to recover data when whatever glitch caused it to lose it. If this ever breaks, I will buy another.
Customer Review: Certainly, Not For the Impatient
Summary: 5 Stars
I had my sceptical fixations about whether or not to purchase this product due to the many various reviews and experiences of the many customers. Honestly, this remote kicks butt. Yes, it is a bit complicated at first but I've delt with far worse programs (What do you really expect though when you can literally program almost every device into this thing, there has to be some sort of a learning curve). Yes, you do have to always reconnect the cable to your remote to change and upgrade but once your configuration is set everything works like a charm.
I turn on my PC, TV, Fan, and Satelite television all with the click of a button. The configuration possibilities are endless. Ive gone from 8 remotes to just 1. I have not used the wireless extender yet, however I will update my post once I have the time to play with it a bit. Trust me, Im EXTREMELY PICKY with the products I buy, especially for the high price technology strains on the pocket. No other website beats amazon's low price for this product.
Logitech 890 is most definitely the best bang for the buck!
Edit 8/27/2007
So far I've had one issue with the remote locking up after it was placed on the charger, however I just took out the battery and reinserted it and that took care of that problem. The remote assistant helps to debug minor issues when you can't turn on or off certain items. Im still happy with my purchase thus far.
Customer Review: Mostly a great experience, however...
Summary: 5 Stars
The Logitech Harmony 890 has been a great experience so far. If you're looking for the ultimate universal remote experience, this is where you search ends.
However, there were a couple cons, mostly dealing with setting up the device. Mac owners out there, yes there is software that works, however, there is a pesky bug. Every once in a while, my keyboard strokes would suddenly stop working. A quick restart of the program remedied the problem, but it did become annoying after the 4th or 5th time restarting the software.
Setting up the remote was pretty painless... except my HDTV (40" RCA from Walmart) isn't necessarily the most friendly TV to deal with. For one, although it does show up in the software, it does not work with my TV. I had to manually learn the functions through RAW mode (beaming the original remotes signal to the 890), and even so, controlling the volume on the TV doesn't work well. And, in my current situation, I did not wish to set up the RF Extender, and even though I told the software that everything would be IR, it still asks me to sync the RF extender. Minor annoyances...
However, I do see the great potential both in the software and in the beautiful remote. Everything works well, and Activities are genius. I give the remote 5 stars because the biggest culprit is my whack TV, which hopefully I will replace sooner than later.
Customer Review: Great universal remote
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used a couple of bargain universal remotes and I was always reluctant to purchase the high dollar models for fear of complicated set up and maintenance. Logitech has set the bar for universal remotes. The set up is very easy and the remote allows you to set up activities which allow one button change over to different home theater set ups.
The radio signal method has spoiled me to no end. I cannot use a normal remote because I have to point it at the device. The logitech can control the components from just about anywhere you would want. I have remote speakers set up outside and I can control my iPod from outside (about 30 feet from the receiver and through a couple of walls.)
I have owned this product for about 13 months and I can appreciate the reviewers complaints about the glitches. However, the 890 can be updated via the web and simple USB interface. Lately I have had no problems with the remote.
MY ONE COMPLAINT: When trying to charge the remote, I have difficulty getting a solid connection to the charging station. It can be very frustrating and I have not found a tried and true method for connection every time. Sometimes I am forced to place an additional object on top of the remote to provide the weight necessary to create the connection to the charging station.