Logitech to unload Harmony line after 'disappointing' quarter

Logitech originally bought the Harmony line in the first place. Maybe URC or someone that knows what they are doing will pick it up and actually make some improvements.

This makes no sense. In essence it says, "we had a bad third quarter due to weakness in the PC market. To fix this we decided to concentrate our product line into PC peripherals."

You forgot to quote the most important line that says they are focusing on mobile computing, which means they dump other parts to free up resources for that, it doesn't say they focus on PC peripherals at all - but they are not dumping their core products like mice and keyboards either.

I sure hope not. I still need support and it is web based. This doesn't bode well if they do. I think that they should have let the end user choose between the wizard and an advanced mode. I hate having to go through the wizard each time I want to make a change when I know exactly what I want to do. This is time consuming and clunky.

I am impressed by my H-900, though. It controls everything pretty much how I want it too even though it doesn't support macros. I use it every day. Others in the house use it every day. Not everybody wants to have the remote to their A/V equipment tied to their phone and not everybody has a tablet. I don't have a tablet and really don't want one. I may be old school but I like having a remote on the coffee table so that anybody can control the TV, etc at any time without having to go grab their phone or tablet.

I hate using my smartphone or tablet as a remote. Using a real remote with actual physical buttons is much more intuitive when just crashing on the couch and wanting to blindly turn up volume or skip to the next track, any touchscreen versions in a smartphone needs me looking at the smartphone pretty much. I hardly ever use the touchscreen on my Harmony, but i do like it for its very flexible button assignments.

BINGO!

You said what I meant. Their current touch screen remote is a disaster because it doesn't have enough tactile buttons on it. I use the touch screen portion of my H-900 to change activities (which I rarely do now with the HTPC doing everything) or for the Green Button or other navigation duties in WMC that aren't native to the hard buttons (Load MB, RecordedTV, LiveTV, etc) but that is it. I can fumble my way around the rest of the buttons in the dark without having to search for what I am looking for. Harmony needed to focus on this and not chase touch screen. I'm pretty sure that they are losing their shorts on their new remote.

Then we will be stuck with oh that media player you have doesn't have an app so where is that remote etc.
So we will be back to 4 remotes and a tablet (which I don't have).
Weeeeee
Can't wait for that device is only on ipad and that device is only on android.

Maybe they will come out with the Logitec baggie you strap to your chair to keep your remotes handy.
Wait should I patent that?



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they should have lowered their prices some of them are crazy expensive

I was testing out the trial of iRule after realizing I could control all my devices by IP. A couple things that they have done to address your issues is that you can use the physical volume keys on your phone/tablet to adjust the volume of your component. You can also use gestures such as swiping right across the screen for next track and swiping left for skip, up for ch+ and down for ch-. There are other gestures as well such as multi-finger taps and swipes. That can do away at looking at the screen for many common actions.

I have a URC MX-980 so I don't really care what happens to the Harmony remotes. If my URC dies I'll probably go with iRule on a 7" or 10" tablet. I have the trial working on my Samsung Galaxy S3 and HP Touchpad, just haven't committed to paying the $50 to buy the software access.

I'll hate the day when I am forced to use a tablet as a remote. It nice for choosing media, but after that its a PITA. I don't have to look at my Harmony to start, stop, pause, change channels, control volume. I don't have to look at that bright screen. I don't have to wake the thing up just to pause a show. Can't hold it and control it with one hand.

Hoping that they find a good buyer for the Harmony line.
Edited by DanPackMan - 1/24/13 at 6:45am

The harmony one is great.

All of there affordable Harmony remotes are extremely chintzy and don't work from more than 10 feet away. I've bought $10 universal remotes that are of higher construction quality and work from further away.

Maybe a company like URC that has the ability to build a great remote at a great price will buy them out and add the harmony software to there remotes.

^I have three different "affordable" harmonies and no problems whatsoever with distance (use one normally at about 18 feet). After years of use, never had a button fail or any problems at all. My only complaint is frustrations with some of the setup software.

IMHO, the ideal remote for HTPC use (or home theater in general) is one that does not require you to take your eyes off the TV display to use it. I think Logitech shot themselves in the foot with the Harmony Touch. Their marketing people must have figured it would be the "next big thing" and then wondered why sales weren't as expected. It's no wonder why sales for the quarter were so disappointing.

I love my Harmony One, but there are two major gripes I have with their remotes:

1. They're ridiculously overpriced

2. If it breaks there's no way to get it fixed unless you can find a third party on ebay that offers the service. Logitech "generously" offers a 50% discount in lieu of a repair on a $250 remote that can frequently be purchased as a refurb for only $100.

Their lack of service for a device that costs $250 is unconscionable. Once the warranty expires, if it breaks you're basically SOL. The displays on the Harmony One and similar Harmony remotes are somewhat delicate and prone to damage if you drop it. Just look at the ebay listings for broken Harmony Ones and you'll see what I mean.

Harmony remotes always sucked anyway when compared to URC. Using a tablet/smartphone for a remote? That's even worse. If you have to take your eyes off the screen to change the volume, the remote sucks. Tablets are good secondary remote devices (e.g. selecting a song to play, a movie to watch, using a TV guide while watching TV, etc).

I hope someone like URC can come in and build quality PC programmable remotes at those price points. I like the MX line but damn they're expensive.

The Harmony remotes never seemed to come down in price versus what the technology cost to produce.

If a Nexus 7 is $200, why is a Harmony One $200? It should be half that, if not less.

I originally had a 300 and got a 650 for Christmas last year. The 300 required their PC software. The 650 required a web interface. I was extremely confused by that. Add to it that the servers were apparently way overtaxed due to new remote set ups. I wondered how many were returned after Christmas because they were thought to be defective?

LOL. I've given up on their PC peripherals due to low quality. So good luck to them with that plan.

You should be confused. The 300 is only programmed via My Harmony (web interface) and the 650 uses the software.

True, but the software is web based. When the web server is down the software no worky.

I thought something was up when they dropped the 300 line and didn't replace it with anything (in the same price range). This winter I grabbed a 650 via Best Buy @40 which is about my limit for Harmony. I had a seldom used 550 die right after the warranty expired. I don't like the 550's layout/feel and was happy to find I like the layout on the 300/650 much better.

Such a shame that this guy never came out. Seems like it would have been the perfect HTPC remote.

Think I'll pick up a spare H-900 from the VIP store today.

Nope. This is Logitech. It wouldn't have been the perfect remote. It would probably be limited by the My Harmony programming and also lose features found in prior remotes.

I know you guys hate Logitech for dropping macros but my H-900 does everything I want it to do. That said, if it had macros I probably would use them too but I have an 880 which I didn't use macros on. I can always program a macro on the 880 and then teach it to the 900.

I like the capability of having control over my receiver, tv and most of WMC with my iPad but...I primarily use my Harmony 900.

The full usefulness of a tablet as a remote control has a few hurdles...My main annoyance is having to hit the home button, swipe to unlock, possibly navigate to the app if it isn't already open...then most of the time what a few seconds for it to connect to the devise...etc.

Or the fact that it will go to sleep and the tablet will lock.

I do love it for example adjusting the odd settings on my receiver. Or managing tv recordings.

My biggest complaint on the Harmony. The most annoying thing is the software. If they were to make ANY improvements to it in the past 6+ years people wouldn't dread having to open it. After that I would say the lack of GUI customization...I mean seriously. I was always impressed with the level of customization of the Philips Pronto line. Now THAT product could make a huge come back and be welcomed.

How is your delay on the Harmony with HTPC? I find that my MCE remote is so much more responsive. I have learned to live with it...but yea just curious.

What delay? I don't have any delay at all.

No delay on my HTPC either.

That's good. What device type do you set as your HTPC? Also did you play around with the delay settings?

I am surprised as I have seen many people comment on the actual MCE remote being notably faster.

I have a Win7/XBMC set up with an IR adapter from one off those VRC-1100 remotes, which is the device chosen. I get immediate response when I hit the buttons as far as I can tell.