Logitech 2.4 inch Harmony Touch Universal Remote Control for Home Entertainment System

After already owning a Harmony 650 remote I knew that Logitech are capable of making great remotes. I got this Harmony Touch as a replacement for my 'old' remote. I was fortunate to be able to get it in a Black Friday sale. Sadly, even with a huge discount I felt what I paid (£60) is honestly, too much.So why did I feel that even with such a massive price drop that it wasn't a good buy? Well the first model I received had the issue that other reviewers have mentioned about a noise coming from the remote when the screen is on. I tried rectifying this with extensive researching on forums and it is essentially a hardware fault. I returned it and Amazon quickly sent out a replacement. Unfortunately this replacement has the same hardware issue. It is small and most people may not even notice it. But like a ticking clock, once you notice, you cannot ignore it. If you are going to purchase this remote, be prepared that it is highly likely yours will have this fault also.But that wasn't the only reason I have had to mark it as 3/5. I found that even when you got over the noise thing, the remote was actually kind of a pain to use. To do anything, anything at all on it, you must 'unlock' it with a swipe. The touch screen is pretty but having to do this every time you want to do anything is just a pain. Once you are in, you have almost too much choice of options. Theres an area where you can programme your own gestures, such as swiping up on the screen can turn the volume up etc. I found I never used this. It makes things complicated for other, less techy, family members.Having each channel as one virtual button is handy. Especially if you have a Sky box, all those numbers for all those different channels. Simply hit the picture (that you put in yourself) saying 'Sky Sports 1' and it automatically enters the number '401' (or whatever the desired number is). Nice.I think the most irritating thing is the fact you have to look at the remote though. For every button press you will have to look at the little screen in your hand before the big screen in your room. This model doesn't come with any form of feedback such as vibrations which it really needs.Then there is the non screen design decisions. Why is the Guide button all the way at the bottom and the DVD controls so high up? It means you have to shuffle the remote in your hands to turn off your devices or use those buttons above the screen. It is at least very responsive. Much more than my Harmony 650. With this Touch remote you will find you don't even need to aim at the TV/device for it to register your commands.So to summarise what I have learnt:1. If you have a device without a remote, this is an answer thanks to Logitech's fantastic database of virtually every device. However, this remote is not the best to use for this. To take advantage of Logitech's database and just get a few basic devices to work, I suggest you look for a cheaper Harmony remote.2. Physical buttons are better than virtual ones. I can see the benefits of having virtual buttons you can customise however you want but the lack of feedback and needing to look more at the remote than the TV is a pain.3. It at least serves its purpose in functionality. It turns a TV on that never had a remote. It lets you navigate your Sky box menus without needing the proper Sky remote and it saves you having to buy batteries.

I have to say that I'm very pleased with this. I shouldn't be surprised because I've been using logitech stuff for a long time and it is alwys very well made and thought out. Having said tht, I've owned several 'universal' remotes from other companies and they have never lived up to expectations. I saw this in the sales so I decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a go. I followed the instructions and got all of the manufcturers and model numbers before setup. I logged on and the site guided me throuh a very simple process of adding devices and creating macros for watching a movie, recording tv etc. Last step was to set up channels, sync and then test. To my amazement everything worked first time.. even the crappy sagem UPC box responded and this has always been a trouble maker! So far I found 1 button missing out of 4 remotes but it is a simple process to record that function and set it up on the harmony. This is a brilliant, brilliant product.

It's the only real alternative to the old Logitech Harmony One which they don't make anymore. It doesn't have the same great feel in the hand the Harmony One used to have and feels less solid to BUT it does everything you'll need it to (after you've spent a few hours customising it of course).I was worried that there were so many fewer buttons on this (compared to the Harmony One) and that I wouldn't be able to get it to do everything BUT the buttons allow you to program for "long" or "short" presses, so you do have enough scope. For example, I have the "menu" button set up to give me the general menu on a short press and the list of recorded programmes on my PVR with long press.If you're moving from the Harmony One you'll also be annoyed that you have to download a completely new and different package of software to set up and customise the Harmony Touch. Having said that, it does all seem to work fine, if slowly.I do use the touch screen, but think it's a bit of a gimmick and wish it just had more buttons instead (just my opinion here) as the screen doesn't always respond at the 1st touch. Particulary annoying is the fact that the "play", "fast frd/back", "pause" buttons, etc are all at the very top of the device, so less easily reachable with a single hand.To summarise - good, flexible remote - minus 1-star for seriously compromised ergonomics.

The unit arrived dead and remained so after charging. It is therefore going back.The people who write the instructions, including those on the web site, appear to be not even on nodding terms with the people who write the software. Downloading the desktop MyHarmony software for Mac, loaded an old Logitech remote of mine and there was no facility to remove this or add a new remote - despite the instructions asserting that you can. Comments on the Logitech Forum suggest that you cannot remove a remote, and you must log in again using a different email address. If you don't have one, simply invent one!Finding the desktop software a complete waste of time, I tried the IOS version. This only works with the more expensive Connect devices and was therefore useless, even if the Touch had come to life - which it didn't.