Logitech Harmony 659

Pros: Easy to use, easy to set up, wonderful performance, well constructed

Cons: Can be a little confusing to set up

The Bottom Line: A wonderful remote that will do away with your other remotes in a heartbeat.

Review: Are you tired of having 20 different remotes laying around any room with electronic devices? I know I was. I had gotten to the point where I needed a remote for the remotes. Something that could tell me what went with what and what it did when I ...

Pros: One-handed operation; huge database of devices; "Smart State" capability

Cons: A bit pricey, web interface needs an easily reachable advanced mode

The Bottom Line: The 659 is a powerful, user-friendly, remote -- easily operated with one hand -- with the potential to forever cure the problem of "Remote Glut".

Review: If one were crazed enough to go on an Easter Egg hunt for remote controls in our living room, it would net a bonanza of riches. We have remote controls from devices long since dispatched to the landfill. Every new electronic gizmo now seems to come with ...

Pros: One button switching between activities, easy set up.

Cons: I wrote way too much while covering so little of what it can do.

The Bottom Line: Controls everything in our home entertainment system with virtually no learning curve.

Review: I call our gaggle of electronics a “Home Theater”. You can call your gaggle that too, if you want. If yours is like ours, it’s made of components from different manufacturers, from different production years, with a bunch of non-compatible ...

Pros: Controls everything imaginable. Good price considering features of the competition.

Cons: It won't control your wife!

The Bottom Line: This will be the last universal remote you ever buy (unless it breaks). It is fabulous.

Review: Yes, I must have owned so many universal remote controls over the years that they would cause my coffee table to collapse under the weight if they were all placed on it. I never found one I liked or that was easy to use. FINALLY! The Harmony. I've ...

Pros: Activity based. Easy to use - Wife approved! Help button.

Cons: Requires the computer to set up. Requires patience when setting up. Battery life.

The Bottom Line: This remote can truly replace all your remotes, and it is really easy to use. Go out and buy it.

Review: So how many remotes do you have on your coffee table? If you are anything like me, you have at least 4... I had 7! A Sony Universal Remote and then the remotes for the TV, Receiver, Satellite Receiver with TIVO, VCR, DVD Player and CD Player! I had to ...

Pros: If your home electronics use IR, then this remote can control it.

Cons: Default control settings may not be the most logical for your components.

The Bottom Line: The default configuration may not be perfect; but you can easily make the remote do anything that you need it to do.

Review: So, if you are like me and you have an entertainment center full of audio and video equipment, and not all of the brands are the same; because you are not a fan of buying prepackaged home stereos, or because you are always trying to find the best ...

Pros: It works. Reasonably priced, versatile, comfortable to hold and carries a significant "wow" factor.

Cons: Infrared beam may be too tightly focussed.

The Bottom Line: Recommended? Yes. Definitely yes.

Review: ONE-YEAR UPDATE, Dec. 07: Still going strong, still my best buddy. The quick-disappearing backlight mentioned below turned out to be a fault in my unit. After a courteous, pleasant exchange of e-mails and some on-line work, Logitech support determined ...

Pros: This concept of programing a remote over the web is the way to go.

Cons: Expect to spend an hour or two online to get everything just right.

The Bottom Line: Try this remote and show it to friends. The wife acceptance factor is very high.

Review: Ok, friends of mine kept telling me about this universal remote control that work through the web with your computer. So I started reading up on the Harmony remote control product line and picked the SST-659. I got it online at a discounter for a little ...

Pros: Programability, functionality, Super easy to set up and use. Internet capability.

Cons: Sometimes tricky getting it to work properly, but this is a problem with all remotes.

The Bottom Line: Buy this remote - you'll appreciate it in the end.

Review: I purchased my Harmony remote from Bluedo.com. They run deals on this remote often, and paid around $130, including shipping. Right out of the package, the remote feels cool. It is sleek, ergonomic and feels good in the hand. Immediately fooling ...

Pros: Attractive, intuitive, user friendly, and just pretty darn spiffy.

Cons: LCD screen is a bit small.

The Bottom Line: This is one of those things that seems too expensive until you have one. Trust me, spend the money.

Review: I professionally install home theater systems for a living so as you can imagine I work with a pile of universal remotes. Programming them is an art for in most cases. I have a lot of experience with the phillips pronto, the line of universals from Home ...