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Logitech Harmony 650 Remote
by missj1981
I have this Remote for 2 months already and I won't go back. With around five remotes I thought it was time for just getting this remote, turning five remotes into one. It certainly made my life easier!
I use the Harmony to control my Sony TV, LG Media Player, Onkyo amp and XBOX. The setup of the remote took me about an hour ... or two to complete (a computer with Internet is required). You have to remember what you want to do with the remote. You can recreate shortcuts buttons as like 'watch tv' and within one touch you can put on the television and also turns on the amplifier for you at the right settings.
The same can be done for all possible set-ups. As the turning on the Xbox or media player. The best feature here is that the remote can be set that for example when you are watching TV, you can control the picture on the TV by changing channels and turning up and down the volume. So you have a remote control for all your devices..
All this works for me almost no problems. The only problem that I can see is that the remote assumes that some products are turned off. So when a device is already on and you press the button for turning on, it turns the device off. You can simply press the button again so you turn the television back on again. You have a help function on the remote which helps you with most settings and also the installation of the remote is quiet easy. In short, I think this is a good product, it cleans the table a bit and looks really nice too.
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Logitech Professional presenter R800
by tlmartin
Introduction
My first gift to myself from DooYoo through Amazon vouchers was a Logitech R800 Presentation tool. As a teacher, I occasionally need to do PowerPoint presentations which have numerous slides. As it is not a good thing to be purely stood at the front of a class, clicking on a mouse button to progress through the slides I ... thought I would buy one of these presentation tools.
I investigated a number of these presentation tools. I wanted one that would allow control of PowerPoint, it would need a USB interface and vitally it would need to be driverless with Windows XP. (he driverless factor was due to it being a very tightly controlled network, where individual drivers would not be installed). This resulted in me looking at the Logitech R series. As I looked through the different versions I liked the features on the R800. However normally I wouldn't have spent £70, but as I had DooYoo vouchers reducing the price to cheaper than the basic version, I decided to spoil myself.
The device takes 2 AAA batteries, which last easily 6 months from regular use off all parts. The device comes with a very nice neoprene and faux leather styled case to keep it in. The R800 has two parts to it, the main control unit and a small USB dongle that plugs into the PC you're controlling. During the time the tool is not being used the dongle slides inside the controller ensuring you don't loose it.
When I got the device the first thing I played with was the green laser pointer. This is a fantastic tool if you are a pet owner.... My first 2 hours of use came from leading my cat on many laps of my lounge as she ran after the green dot on the floor, and worse still wondered where it had gone when I turned it off. On a more serious side the range of this laser is very good, so far I've had it reach 10 meters without any problems.
The next feature I then looked at was the main reason I bought the device, which was the ability to control presentations. Now I have only used this tool on Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, 2007 and 2010 which it works with really well. (The operating systems I have used it on are Windows XP and Windows 7, which again it works with really well). The first 2 main buttons are a forward and backwards button. These work just like the mouse buttons to step through your presentation, i.e. each animation, to the next slide etc. and of course backwards through your presentation step by step. There are two other buttons that are really useful one is a 'Play' Presentation button that allows you to start your presentation from the design screen, this is useful that you can start your presentation from anywhere in the room, whenever you are ready. The next button is a 'Blank Screen' button, it allows you to blank the screen and go back to the slide you were on when you blanked it. So if you want to stop people looking at the presentation while you explain something you don't have to stop the whole thing and re-start, you can just blank the screen and then resume.
Now most of these features are on most devices, however the thing that separates the R800 from the rest is the on-board timer. One thing with presentations is they are easy to let over run by running out of time and if you are walking around the room you're often not looking at any form of clock. However with this device you can set the time your presentation should last and have it countdown as you present. It will even vibrate in your hand to let you know when you are down to the last few minutes. To be fair I don't use this feature much as time management is a regular part of my job.
The range on this device is impressive, however so far I have only used it in a class room, which means I have been about 10 meters from the USB dongle and it works perfectly with no problems.
Features
Green Laser Pointer
Presentation Controller (Forward, Backwards, Play & Blank)
On-Board Timer
Driverless Installation
Presentation Tool Case
Advantages
No drivers are needed to be installed for it to work with Microsoft Window XP-7.
It works with Microsoft PowerPoint 2003-2010 (and other software I assume, just not tested)
Green Laser pointer, ideal for pointing out key points and as the best cat toy your cat will ever have.
On-Board countdown timer to ensure you don't over run.
Disadvantages
No storage on the USB dongle
£70 is very expensive
Summary
Overall this is a fantastic device, and it's an essential tool that I use very often. Knowing how useful it has been for me over the last year I would probably pay £70 for it. However if not knowing that I would have probably gone for a cheaper one which I may have been disappointed with not having all these features (if I hadn't have had the Amazon vouchers from DooYoo).
If you are after a presentation tool, buy a Logitech R Series one. If you want an ultimate tool, buy the Logitech R800.
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Logitech Harmony 785
by sbm1977
I have had one of these remotes fo about 2 years now. It replaced a virgin v+, sharp tv, ps3 (via infra red usb dongle), microsoft mce remote and some for ipod docks around the house. Making it a one stop shop - just brilliant.
Good things -
Software - the software that comes with it is pretty intuitive. I think ... within 30 mins I had all the standard devices uploaded. I had a few that needed to learn the IR which took a bit of fiddling around. Within 2 hours I think i had it up and running and all the bugs ironed out.
Sequencing - one of the good things is the ability to send different commands for different items. i.e. turn on the tv, turn on the v+, change the tv to the correct input, set the sound level to xxx. This is really handy for the kids, wife & when people come round because it makes it so easy. Rather than saying here's the tv remote, this is the one for the dvd, this is one for the speakers etc.
Favourite channels - one feature we have loved is putting in our favourite channels. If you google logitech tv icons you will find nice images to use for pretty much every channel bbc1, itv, e4 etc. Add these in and assign a channel button - hey presto. The kids are on disney channel in no time.
Bad things
Sequencing - Sometimes with infra red it can get out of sync. i.e. it thinks the tv is off. So when you chose watch tv it will send a power on/off signal to it. Not a massive deal - you get used to when it might do it & I stick my hand over the top to block the signal. no big deal really but something to watch for.
Lag - sometimes there is a bit of a lag sending signals. My work colleague got rid of his because he's too impatient. Personally i don't think it's unreasonable & not really even noticeable. It probably takes longer to pick up and use the proper remote for that device.
Charging - the charging station is great and even now my battery lasts for probably a couple of weeks at a time. (even after multiple throws across the room or knocks off the couch). BUT if there is dust or its not in the cradle properly it wont be charging. So just make sure that you do dock it properly. again not a deal breaker - but just something to watch for. otherwise you might find that your digging the old ones out of the cupboard.
Yes it's pricey I think I paid about £75. But it has been a god send. I've bought a harmony one remote now because having used this I could never go back to having loads of remotes all over the place. Overall i think it's cracking piece of tech. It is wife & kid friendly, also when people come round all the labels on the buttons are quite clear so it make sense. It does a fantastic job and I can't imagine life without it.
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