The batteries – two AAs are supplied – fit into the “standard” remote battery cubby hole on the back. On the top edge of the remote is a miniUSB slot, used to connect the Harmony 200 to a PC to setup, while the IR transmitter is on the back. It may have couch potato overtones but comes in very handy, once setup. Right at the top is the one, lone, yellow macro button, dubbed “Watch TV”. However, this will be enough for the living rooms of many – and at £19.99 it’s cheap enough to buy several for different rooms of the house. These switch the functions of the buttons below – and yes, this means that the Logitech Harmony 200 can only emulate three remotes at once. What about a discrete Library button to access the recordings on the PVRs so many of us own? As we’ll learn later, the potential for customisation dilutes this problem.Ībove the “standard” buttons are the three white device selectors. There remain some curious omissions, though. The numerical keypad and playback buttons are obvious inclusions, but things like the Info and Guide buttons demonstrate closer consideration of what we, as gadget-loving punters, need. The Logitech Harmony 200 features a very similar button layout to the series’s top-end models, intended to cover the main functions offered by the most popular living room devices. As a device primarily of function rather than form, this is a minor niggle that will soon be forgotten in use. Two-tone is all good, but the glossy-matt divide doesn’t quite work in our eyes. In the high-end Harmony One, Logitech makes sure that, from the front, it appears all-glossy. It gives the Harmony 200 a snazzier look than the all-matt 300 model, but the effect hasn’t been perfectly executed here. The curved back of the remote is matt textured black, while the front is very glossy. We’re not so convinced by the dual-tone finish however. Your thumb then naturally rests onto the D-pad, the essential playback buttons also within easy reach. In our hands, it fits with a heart-warming familiarity. There are two sweeping ridges on its back, designed to sit underneath your first two fingers. Although we haven’t put the Harmony 200 through any harsh trials, it should survive being lobbed around by a four year-old in a tantrum a few times. Unlike more expensive remotes, it doesn’t rattle when you shake it either – something caused by the accelerometer of smarter models. The remote feels very tough, with creak-free plastics and a solid, weighty frame. The Harmony 200 is the cheapest and most accessible entry to the series yet.īuild quality hasn’t suffered, though. Logitech’s Harmony series has traditionally offered relatively high-end remotes for home cinema fanatics, offering a way to meld a half-dozen remote controls without losing – and even enhancing – functionality. And this cheapest-yet model retails for under £20 too. Remotes like the Logitech Harmony 200 seek to bring a zen-like simplicity to your home. Gadget fans’ living rooms are often so laden with cables, power supplies and remote controls that losing one or two is a veritable inevitability. The remote control you can’t find is always the one you need.
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