Digital Home Thoughts: Logitech Harmony Remote 895 Universal Remote Control

"Logitech is soon to release its top-of-the-range Harmony 1000 unit, but while I wait to get my hands on one of those I thought I’d take a look at the next one down – the 895. What this offers over the 885 is RF – making it possible to use even without line of sight. A RF base extender is provided and IR connectors, so you can theoretically control up to eight devices from each extender. While the 1000 is a larger oblong affair, the 895 essentially looks like a regular remote on steroids. In the past I’ve looked at the budget 525, but was put off by the fact that it didn’t feel comfortable to hold, the buttons were too rubbery and the mono screen was uninspiring. All of these flaws are remedied by the 895. Its curves sit comfortably in the palm and the buttons are larger and firmer. There’s also a large colour screen at the top, which though it’s fairly grainy and dull compared to what you might get on say, a mobile phone, it’s far better than the mono 525."



Very nice. One of the good things about this remote over other advanced remote controls is that Logitech does not get rid of the tactile feel of the buttons, i.e. the remove isn't all LCD, even though it has a nice big one. It almost looks like a big phone. :) The remote also has a backlight that can be set to activate automatically when you pick up the device – a very neat feature that’s perfect for use in the dark. Apparently the remote is a little high on the setup time side of things and the RF doesn't work too well (which seems to be a problem with almost all remotes I have tried with that feature) but other than that it is completely feature full. Now to find the $300 to afford it.