New Table of Contents 

• When is it time to consider a universal remote control?
• The two extreme ends of the market
• Universal remote controls going for less than $100.00
• Universal remote controls going for more than $500.00
• The different Logitech Harmony universal remote controls in the price range $100-330
• Similarities between all Logitech Harmony universal remote controls
• Differences between the Logitech Harmony universal remote controls
• Vote on your favourite Logitech Harmony universal remote control
• Conclusion
• User-friendly Logitech Harmony remote controls
• Guestbook

When is it time to consider a universal remote control? 

1. You have a number of remotes lying around in your living room and unless someone exerts himself (herself) to have them organized EACH day, they lie around and you get frustrated getting the one you're looking for.
2. The remote controlled device D isn't working properly and eventually you establish the problem actually lies with the remote control and not the device: The battery of the remote is flat.
3. Some of your devices are inside the cupboard and you have to open the door and point the remote at the device if you want to control it. Even worse, some devices are in the room next door!
4. You remotes are old-fashioned and you would like step up to new generation remotes.
5. You have to put on the lights to change from TV to a DVD, since you haven't learned how to work the remotes in the dark/semi-dark.
6. You've had enough now and are willing to spend quite some money if you can remove the problem.
7. Do you want to skip the rest of the article and go straight to Amazon to see what's on offer in terms of
   Logitech Harmony remote controls?

The two extreme ends of the market 

Universal remote controls going for less than $100.00 

1. URC RFS200 PowerPak Bundle w/ MasterControl RF20 and PowerBlaster;
2. Universal Remote Control MX-500 10-Device LCD Viewscreen Remote Control with Joystick Operation;
3. Philips Prestigo SRU8010 Icon Universal Remote Control;
4. Sony RM-AX1400 Eight-Device Home Theater Remote Control;
5. URC MasterControl RF30 Universal Learning Remote w/ RF Capability.

Universal remote controls going for more than $500.00 

1. Philips TSU9400 Pronto Universal Remote Control;
2. Color Pronto Remote Control - TSU9600.

The different Logitech Harmony universal remote controls in the price range $100-330 

1. Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote
   available since 2005:
   
   
   
   For a comparison between the Harmony 880 and other remote controls in the the same price range, please consult my article Logitech 880 Harmony.
2. Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote
   available since 2006:
   
   
3. Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote
   available since March 2007:
   
   
4. Logitech Harmony ONE Advanced Universal Remote
   available since November 2007:
   
   

Similarities between all Logitech Harmony universal remote controls 

1. Display: All Logitech advanced universal remotes really look cool: They have full colour displays and sculpted, back-lit buttons.
   The back-lit buttons enable you to control devices in the dark. Some have touch-screen displays.
2. Multi-device control: With the Logitech Harmony range you can control up to 15 devices.
3. Batteries: All Logitech universal remotes use state-of-the-art rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. They also fit snugly into a neat little unit where recharging takes place. They also have battery staus indicators, so you'll never get an unpleasant supply. No more flat batteries!
4. Activity based, not device-based: You don't have to choose between devices; you choose between activities. Watch TV, Watch DVD, listen to the radio, etc.
   
5. Infrared learning: These remotes are quite "intelligent": You just point your old remotes at the Logitech Harmony universal remote one by one and voila! They simply take over the functions! Just like that. No fuss.
6. The way the Logitech remotes controls your devices:
   All Logitech Harmony universal remotes control devices by means of infra-red sensors. Two models, viz. the 890 and 1000, make use of radio frequency as well.
7. Interactive help: You have access to help via the internet (and personally), which, according to reviews on these models, are very good.
8. Type of devices which can be controlled: Logitech boasts World's largest A/V control database: Be confident your Harmony remote can control virtually any home-entertainment device you have today or buy tomorrow. Online database supports more than 225,000 devices from more than 5,000 brands - and the list grows larger every day.

Differences between the Logitech Harmony universal remote controls 

1. Touch-screen or not touch-screen. Only the 1000 and the ONE have touch-screen. If this is important to you, you have to consider one of these two. This does not mean that the 880 and 890 are inferior. By no means. As a matter of fact, I've read many reviews of people who actually prefer the traditional control buttons.
2. Radio frequency sensors: All models use infra-red sensors to control devices, but only the 890 and 1000 make use of radio frequency (RF) as well. This is a very important fact, since with RF you can control devices behind closed doors or even in another room. If this is important to you, you should consider either the 890 or the 1000. However, this comes at a price, as these two models are considerably more expensive than the other two.
3. RF and touch-screen: Only the 1000 have both RF and touch-screen. If both these features are important to you, you have to buy this one.
4. Design: The 880, 890 and the ONE have the familiar comfort-grip shape, whereas the 1000 has a rectangular shape. Apparently this shape has not been accepted that well, but for many it's not a problem at all. In any case, if you want both RF and touch-screen, you have to buy the 1000 model, whether you like the rectangular design or not.
5. Finally, pricing: There's a huge difference between the 880, going for $137.43 on the one hand, and the 1000 going for $312.80, on the other hand. The 890 goes for $277.10 and the ONE for $193.41.

Vote on your favourite Logitech Harmony universal remote control 

Conclusion 

I pointed out what the similarities between the different Logitech Harmony universal remote controls are and what the differences. Everybody has to decide for himself whether the higher prices of the 890 and 1000 are justified in terms of his own budget or not. The 1000 is the most expensive, but in turn you get both RF and touch-screen. If touch-screen is not important to you, but you have to have RF, the 890 is the model for you. If you just want a reliable universal remote control, the 880 is the model for you. This one has withstood the test of time and is highly rated by its satisfied users, as indicated in the numerous reviews; or you could consider the most recent model, the ONE.

If you want more detailed information on the comparisons, you could visit Logitech-online.

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