In the world of cheap Radio Shack universal remote controls, the Logitech Harmony 700's $150 price tag is substantial, especially since it lacks RF functionality. Logitech offers the Harmony 900, which includes an RF receiver-but it's a steep $400. The Logitech Harmony 700 lacks the RF radio necessary to control devices that are hidden behind walls or in cabinets-everything you're controlling needs to be in the remote's line-of-sight. I was even able to configure the 700 to learn the IR commands for my air conditioner's remote. The Harmony 700 can mimic any infrared (IR) remote (even if it's not in Logitech's vast database) using a learning mode, which identifies and replicates the remote's IR signal. (For more about the set-up and programming process, see our Harmony 1100 review.) Hitting the "Watch TV" button, for example, will turn on all the devices necessary, and change all the inputs required, to fire up the television. Once all of your devices have been entered, the Harmony guides you through setting up one-touch control-which will execute certain actions depending on your selected Activity. To program the remote, you simply install and launch the application, type in the model names of, say, your HDTV, DVD player, game console, and audio receiver, and the Harmony software will send the correct information to the remote via USB (a cable is included). The included Harmony software (which ships on a CD with the remote) connects to an online database with information for more than 5,000 manufacturers and 225,000 devices. On the One you press the button on the actual display, but on the 700 you press a physical button next to the appropriate selection on the screen.Īll the remotes in Logitech's Harmony line are configured using a PC (or a Mac). For example, my cable box remote has the letters A, B, and C, for selecting menu options-these buttons are displayed on the LCD when the remote is controlling the cable box. The LCD's primary role is to simulate buttons that don't physically exist on the remote, and change from device to device. The screen on the One is also higher resolution (220 by 176 pixels versus 128 by 128 pixels on the 700). The One includes a 2.2-inch touch screen LCD, while the 700's display lacks touch support and is slightly smaller, at 1.9 inches. A sensor inside enables backlighting on the keys each time you pick up the remote. While the majority of the buttons are in the same place on both remotes, the One's buttons are firm glossy plastic, and are easier to press than the squishy rubber ones on the 700. The newer model charges using a micro-USB cable, while the Harmony One includes a dedicated charging cradle-a nice touch, but certainly not worth the extra cost. Both remotes include rechargeable batteries the AA-size cells included with the 700 are heavier than the lithium ion battery included with the One, but are easier to replace. The 700 sports a charcoal-gray matte finish, while the One is a glossy, fingerprint-attracting piano black. Just as comfortable to hold as the Harmony One, the 700's ergonomic body is identical in dimensions (8.8 by 2.3 by 1.3 inches-HWD), but the 700 is a tad heavier at 6.4 ounces. The Harmony 700 ($149.99 direct) offers the same design and core functionality as last year's Editors' Choice-winning $250 Harmony One, including support for macros to turn on and configure all of your devices with a single key-punch, but it drops the touch screen-and the price. But Logitech's line of Harmony remotes are much easier to configure: You connect the remote to your computer via USB for a logical step-by-step setup, and all of your settings are saved in the cloud. The inexpensive models you buy at Radio Shack, or that ship with televisions and cable boxes, make you dig through a manual and play the "punch-in-a-numeric-code-and-see-if-it-works" game. Plenty of universal remotes work like a dream, assuming you manage to tackle the first step of setting them up correctly to work with all of your devices.
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