Logitech announces new Harmony Touch universal remote with 2.4-inch touchscreen [video]

[Corey]

Universal remotes are finally getting touchscreens. Logitech (LOGI) said on Wednesday its new Harmony Touch remote will come complete with a built-in 2.4-inch touchscreen. The Harmony Touch is the successor to the Harmony One and is designed to bring intuitive touch screen gestures to the living room experience. Just like on many smartphone or tablet remote apps, users can swipe left and right on the touchscreen to trigger rewind/fast forward controls and can tap the screen for play/pause. The gestures are also programmable to fit a user’s needs.

Up to 50 channels can be added to the touchscreen remote via an a easy-to-navigate icon-based interface. After an initial online setup, the Harmony Touch will automatically program TV channels based on a user’s location and TV service provider. Best of all: the Harmony Remote works with 225,000 devices from 5,000 different brands and can control 15 different devices.

Customers with existing MyHarmony.com settings pre-programmed don’t have to worry, either. Logitech’s updated its site so that transferring saved profiles is just a few clicks away. Xbox 360 owners will be happy to hear the Harmony Touch is compatible with it as well.

The Harmony Touch is now available at U.S. electronic retails and on Logitech’s online website for $249.99. Logitech’s demonstration video and press release for the Harmony Touch follows below.

New Logitech Harmony Touch Gives You Unprecedented Control of Your Home Entertainment

Advanced Logitech Universal Remote Lets You Swipe, Scroll and Tap Using a Color Touch-Screen and 50 Customizable Icons

NEWARK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today Logitech (SIX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI) announced the next generation of its award-winning line of Harmony® remotes, the Logitech Harmony® Touch. This premium advanced universal remote gives you customization with an intuitive color touch-screen for unprecedented control of your home-entertainment system.

Designed to make finding your preferred entertainment as easy as possible, the Logitech Harmony Touch lets you add, remove and re-order up to 50 favorite channel icons from your respective cable or satellite provider right on its vibrant 2.4-inch color touch-screen. After simple online setup, you and your family can access all your favorite channels with a simple tap, swipe or scroll, removing the hassle of memorizing channel numbers and scrolling through lengthy on-screen guides. You can personalize the experience to quickly and easily find all of your favorite entertainment – from TV and movies to games and music – with one touch.

“The Logitech Harmony Touch represents the next evolution for the universal remote,” said Joerg Tewes, vice president of Logitech’s digital home business group. “Today, people prize convenience and want home-entertainment systems that are impressive and easy to use. With this in mind, Logitech designed a remote that makes it simple for people to customize their experience, and feel in control of their systems like never before.”

This remote’s ergonomically sculpted shape and streamlined button layout present a sleek, minimalist design that enhances the look of your living room. Plus, its low-profile keys are backlit so you can easily navigate your favorite entertainment, even in the dark.

The Logitech Harmony Touch is compatible with more than 225,000 home-entertainment devices and more than 5,000 brands, and it can control as many as 15 devices. And its included charging station keeps your remote powered and within reach so it’s ready to go, no matter the activity.

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Harmony Touch is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in October 2012, for a suggested retail price of $249.99. For more information please visit www.logitech.com or our blog.

About Logitech

Logitech is a world leader in products that connect people to the digital experiences they care about. Spanning multiple computing, communication and entertainment platforms, Logitech’s combined hardware and software enable or enhance digital navigation, music and video entertainment, gaming, social networking, audio and video communication over the Internet, video security and home-entertainment control. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in Switzerland and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company’s website at www.logitech.com.

 

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[putts]

I'll stick with my Harmony One. I'm looking into the cheaper logitech's for the bedroom.

 

The Harmony Touch seems to have a better working touch screen than my Harmony One. The gesture this I probably would not like. The Kinect on Xbox is touchy enough for me and I dont think this new remote would be a good choice for me.

 

Logitech makes a great universal remote! the editing software works well. On the more expensive one (like this Harmony Touch and Harmony One), you can fully customize the touch screen buttons. Downfalls of the Harmony One: cannot customize touch screen on the fly, it takes 4-5 minutes for the software to update the remote after editing with the software, and battery (after a few years) will not last 3-4 days without recharging. With time, you can completely eliminate all of your remotes with this universal remote. For me, there is always a button or 2 that I have to add to one sequence or the other.

I love hitting "Watch DVD Surround" and the remote will turn on the TV, turn on the Blu-Ray player, turn on the surround sound, set the TV to the correct input, and set the surround sound to the correct input. It makes it way easier for the wife too! She's technology handicaped.

[TulsaGeoff]

I'm a huge fan of these. I had one (stepped on it) that could control everything. Literally... My TV, receiver, PS3 (with adapter), Xbox, Wii, Fireplace, cable box, and clock/radio. It would be nice to have the lighting controls and window shade features

 

The only downside is that they seem to burn quickly through batteries.

Edited October 4, 2012 by TulsaGeoff

[Levi]

I'm looking into getting one