I wanted to get my parents (specifically my Dad) a Harmony remote for Christmas. The main problem is that he is not by any means technologically savvy. Therefore any remote that I were to purchase has to be painfully simple. I'm thinking this might put the 880 out of the running. I was thinking of either the 550, or the 670 for it's hard activity buttons. Could anybody provide any insight into which might be better for them?

Thanks in advance!

My folks are 75 and 73 and I got them a 659.

For the most part they understand it and there are very few issues. I think the layout on the 659 is about the most user friendly for folks who are older and maybe have some eyesight issues (although I really like the big color-coded activity buttons on the 670). If you only have a choice of the 550 or 670 I think the 670 would be the better one.

My parents had issues with the "ring" for the directional buttons on the 676. They would find a way to push the wrong one.

If they aren't big DVR users (ie they FF, pause etc. a lot), then I would second the recommendation of the 659. It has the hard plastic buttons that have a better feel and are easier to push than the softer buttons on the 670. The 659 has hard activity buttons as well. The only downside is the DVR transport buttons are inconvenient for power users as they are at the very bottom.

Thanks for the input guys, appreciated. I like the looks of the Harmony 659 over the others. The 676 is a nice looking remote too, but I think that directional ring is going to be the killer

I made the mistake of getting my parents A harmony 1000, my oldman is driving me nuts over it, in the end I said that he will have to learn how to use it's menu structure so he is'nt ringing me all the time.:mad:

I think it's pretty universally believed that the the "complexity" of the Harmony remotes springs from the less-than-user-friendly setup/programming software. Since they all share the same basic sofware; they'll all suffer from that same "flaw". That said, once it's set up properly, they are very easy to actually "use".

So, what I would suggest is that you find the one that you think would be easiest for them to use and still serve their needs, and then undertake the setup yourself.

Just my .02

--Mav

I am thinking the same thing for my parents this year. I set them up with their new HD 55" sony, 5.1 surround, HD DVR, they are in heaven except that they have 4 remotes to deal with. I personally just picked up a 550 and like it alot. If they have a cable company DVR I would stay away from the 520, 550, or 720 form factor. The functions are there but spread out for some things.

I am thinking the 890 for my parents. With the RF they wouldn't have to open the equipment cabinet.

I am thinking the same thing for my parents this year. I set them up with their new HD 55" sony, 5.1 surround, HD DVR, they are in heaven except that they have 4 remotes to deal with. I personally just picked up a 550 and like it alot. If they have a cable company DVR I would stay away from the 520, 550, or 720 form factor. The functions are there but spread out for some things.

I am thinking the 890 for my parents. With the RF they wouldn't have to open the equipment cabinet.
No worry there, they are still using basic cable :P