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CNET editors' rating:
4.0 stars
Excellent
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 69 reviews
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Product summary
The good: Logitech's first universal learning remote to incorporate both IR (infrared) and RF (radio frequency) wireless operation includes a rechargeable battery and docking station, an RF base station, a DVR-friendly button layout and backlit keys. As with other Harmony remotes, the Logitech 890 is Web-programmable and is compatible with Windows and Macintosh machines.
The bad: Compared to the IR-only 880, the Logitech Harmony 890 is pricey. Its Web interface may intimidate nontechie users, and it lacks the Wi-Fi connectivity that's beginning to appear on some rival high-end remotes.
The bottom line: While it isn't perfect, the Logitech Harmony 890 should be near the top of your list if you're in the market for a sub-$400 RF remote that can operate equipment that's hidden behind cabinets or closet doors.
Specifications: Remote control technology: Infrared/radio; Max operating distance: 100 ft; Remote control features: Back-lit buttons, Programmable See full specs
Price range: $269.00 - $399.99
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 05/17/2006
- Released on: 01/03/2006
Now we have it.
Priced at $399 (list), the Logitech Harmony 890 comes with one RF-to-IR receiver and looks identical to the IR-only Harmony 880, except that it comes in a lighter, more silvery finish. Measuring 8.1 inches long by 2.3 inches wide by 1.3 inches deep and weighing 5.8 ounces, the Harmony 890 retains the dumbbell shape of the company's earlier remotes. In addition to the screen's color capabilities, the LCD is larger than that of Harmony's monochrome models. The increased screen real estate offers room for a total of eight--rather than six--contextual icons, corresponding to adjacent hard buttons.
The 128x160-pixel color display is low resolution (read: early Palm color screen), but it's a step up from the monochrome screens found on such models as the Harmony 520 and the Harmony 550. One thing we didn't love was that the activity-based icons could have been a little cleaner-looking and easier to read. Logitech has made some tweaks in this area, but the icons still aren't as readable as they should be.
Some Harmony remotes feature soft, rubbery buttons that sometimes aren't as responsive as we'd like. For this model, Logitech has gone with all hard-plastic buttons--generally a good thing, though buttons such as the video-transport buttons (record, play, rewind, fast-forward, pause, and stop) and the 12-digit keypad are still spaced very close to each other, so it's hard to operate by feel alone. However, it's worth noting that context-specific side keys--volume and channel up/down--are raised nicely in just the right places. All in all, we felt the button layout was pretty well thought out, if not for a couple of nonintuitive choices among the video transport and set-top box keys; we would've reversed the Info and Exit buttons, for instance. Still, it shouldn't cause too much irritation and seems friendly enough toward digital set-top boxes, DVRs, and even Media Center PCs, though you will have to map or customize certain buttons manually to perform specific tasks. Additionally, almost all of the buttons are backlit, which is nice for a darkened home-theater environment.
Like the 880, the Logitech Harmony 890 includes a docking station for juicing up the included rechargeable lithium-ion battery; you simply lay the remote in its cradle. Not only is it nice to have a recharging option to save dough on batteries, but if you're good about leaving the remote in its cradle, you'll always know where it is when you need it. The other nice feature that the Harmony 890 offers is its motion sensor; when you pick up the remote, it automatically turns on (this feature is now available in other, less expensive Harmony remotes). You can also easily add your own digital images as backgrounds and screensavers--there's a slide-show feature--though we found that we had to crop our images into vertical shots or they'd appear hideously stretched on the screen. And it really wasn't a good idea to have a picture as a background, because it made the icons difficult to read; stick with the default blue background.
As noted, the big difference between this remote and the less-expensive 880 are the RF capabilities. You can still use IR if you want, but a lot of folks these days want to hide all their equipment in cabinets and closets. To use RF, you'll have to plug the included RF receiver, which looks a lot like the receivers for Logitech's wireless mice, into an outlet that's fairly close to your equipment. You connect the wiry IR blasters to the wireless receiver, then literally stick each blaster onto the front of your equipment so that it's in line with the component's IR port. If you have more than six components--or components in separate rooms--you'll have to purchase additional Harmony 890 Wireless Extenders, which retail for $150 per unit. While we didn't have an opportunity to test the remote with dimmer switches, climate controls, or security systems that use the Z-Wave wireless home-control standard, Logitech says the remote supports it.
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Logitech Harmony 890:
