Jun 30 2008, 10:46 PM, updated 14y ago
Having owned and used its predecessor, the Harmony 880/885, setting up the Harmony One is very simple as the remote management software from Logitech automatically imports all the previous settings and configuration from my previous 880 into the One. All except the favourite channels settings though. Bummer.
However, if you’re using a Harmony for the first time, then it may initially be daunting as the web-based software takes some time to familiarise. However, once you get going, it’s really rather simple. Specify your hardware model and the software accesses the Harmony database and retrieves the remote control code for your hardware. If it’s not available or really obscure, your Harmony remote can learn by receiving the IR command from your device’s existing remote. I’ve scattered some sample screenshots of the management software throughout this review.
The form factor of the One beats the 880 hands down. Although slightly longer, the One is more ergonomic, the remote doesn’t feel as slippery as the 880, the hard buttons are better organised, bigger and feels more solid overall. It is slimmer than the 880 though slightly broader at certain parts.
A noteworthy improvement is the accompanying docking / recharging base station. I really hated the 880’s base station as recharging the unit was usually a hit or miss affair. The contact points on the remote needs to be placed with surgical precision (ok, slight exaggeration on my part!) on the charging pins (on the base station) for the unit to recharge. Many a times, a slight nudge or movement would displace the contact points and you find out the next morning that your remote failed to charge. This has happened so many times that it was no longer funny to play the “wake up and see if your remote was charged” game. The One’s docking station is much improved, the One sits firmly in its base when you plonk it down. The LED light at the top turns green when it’s fully charged. A nice addition over the previous version.
The main enhancement of the One over the 880 is the introduction of a hi-res touch-screen. The only other Harmony remote in the market right now that has touch screen is the Harmony 1000, but that sports a different form factor altogether (the 1000 is a tablet style remote). The pic below may not do the One justice, but I can attest that the new screen on the One is really beautiful, bright and clear and much better than the one found on the 880. There are also 2 context-based soft keys at the bottom and 2 arrow keys on the side of the touch-screen. If there was any complain, it would be that the new screen only affords 3 activities to a single screen whereas the old screen could accommodate 8 activities on one page (however to activate any of the 8 activities requires you to press that tiny button next to the activity, something people with fat fingers like myself may find hard to do).
You can have as many pages of activities as you need on the One. But I’ve read on forums that if you go beyond 6 pages, the remote becomes sluggish. I only use 3 pages, so can’t really comment on that. But heck, I’d take the One any day.
Press the desired Activity on the touch-screen (e.g. Watch Astro TV) will trigger a sequence of pre-defined instructions (e.g. switch on TV, switch on AV Receiver, select input mode on AV Receiver, switch on Astro decoder, switch on air-conditioner!!) all in a single press. Other universal remotes call this a “macro” function, but Logitech calls their macros “Activities”. Different name, same thing.
You can customise your favourite channels on the touch screen through the management software.
Another improvement of the One over the 880 : Favourite Channels now can accommodate 4 pages (4 pages x 6 channels = 24 favourite channels) to a single Activity whereas the 880 restricted this to only 2 pages x 8 channels = 16 favourite channels per Activity. Hence, if I wanted to include more channels beyond the 16 channels allocation on the 880, I would have had to create 2 activities e.g. “Watch Astro 1” and “Watch Astro 2”.
Besides adding your favourite channels on the touchscreen, you can also customise the touchscreen to include functions or buttons not found on the hard keys.
Besides the Activities macros, you can also control each device in your household individually like you would on a normal remote. You do this by going to the Devices function, select the Device of your choice, and carry out the remote function. This would be useful particularly for standalone devices that do not require a sequence of events (e.g. control the air-conditioner, open the electric gate, etc.). The colour scheme on the touchscreen changes to amber when you are in Device mode. In Activity mode, it’s blue. You can also change the color theme in the remote settings page. I chose to stay with the default theme.
Although the 880 has served me well over the years, it’s time to move on. The One is a major improvement over the 880 in many ways, and then some. If there is one complain, it would be that the One’s black glossy mirror finish really shows up finger-print residue. Impressively, included in the package that came with the One is a micro-fiber cloth that does an admirable cleaning job. Kudos to Logitech.
Footnote:
(1) Sorry if the photos are not very good. I’m lousy at handling a camera. *shy*
(2) If this thread doesn’t belong in the Audiophile section, would appreciate if the mods would move this to another section deemed appropriate. Cheers.
This post has been edited by terranova: Jun 30 2008, 11:13 PM
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(If can get the one Adam Sandler used, even better! 
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Aiyoh now got more power poison with this review. 
Must resist! Must resist!
I remember I bought the 880 a few years back for US$250 also. 
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