Harmony
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Logitech is done making Harmony remotes
Logitech is killing off its line of Harmony remotes, with the remaining devices available only 'while supplies last.'
How to make sense of Logitech's universal remote lineup
We take a look at Logitech's Harmony line of universal remotes to see which works best for your home.
Huawei reveals HarmonyOS, its alternative to Android
Huawei's long-rumored Android alternative, Hongmeng, is finally official. At today's Huawei Developer Conference, the company's Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu surprised the audience by unveiling "HarmonyOS," which he says is faster and safer than Android. That said, the software is primarily aimed at IoT products (such as smart displays, wearables, smart speakers and in-car devices) instead of smartphones. Yu says that when Huawei can no longer access Google's Android ecosystem, the company can deploy HarmonyOS "at any time." Until then, Huawei will continue to support Android.
Bang and Olufsen's gorgeous OLED TV has 'wing' speakers that fold out
Samsung and Huawei's folding smartphones can't have all the fun. Bang and Olufsen's Beovision Harmony is its latest high-end TV design that uses a 77-inch LG OLED TV (nice choice right there), wrapped in a very stylish frame and audio package that feels somewhere between a pop-up book mechanism and a butterfly wing. Made from oak and aluminum, the pair of fronts disguise the giant screen by partially covering it with an eye-catching teak oak and aluminum design, or a more restrained two-tone fabric and aluminum effect.
There’s a new sex robot in town: Say hello to Solana
It's been just short of a year since I locked eyes with Harmony, RealDoll's first sex robot, at her home in Southern California. It was an arresting experience that has remained cemented in memory. In that moment, I suddenly understood the uncanny valley, a theory posited by roboticist Masahiro Mori, nearly half a century prior. It attempts to explain the feeling of revulsion and eeriness that human onlookers experience when they encounter an artificial life-form that appears nearly, but not quite human.
Logitech will brick all Harmony Link devices in March (updated)
Bricking a device, which usually happens during firmware update gone wrong, is never a good thing. It's even worse when companies do it to their devices intentionally. According to emails received by users, Logitech will be intentionally bricking all Harmony Link devices via a firmware update as of March 16th, 2018. The bad news was first reported by Bleeping Computer.
RealDoll's first sex robot took me to the uncanny valley
During my four-hour visit to the birthplace of the RealDoll, the frighteningly life-like full-body sex toy, I've seen mounds of silicone vaginas, sheets of detached nipples, headless women hanging from meat hooks, a 2-foot penis and skulls with removable faces that attach like refrigerator magnets. NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts
Google conquers more of your smart home with Logitech and Wink
A number of connected home devices already work with Google's smart speaker and today a few more are being added to the fold. Logitech's Harmony line and Wink's lighting gear and thermostats can now be controlled with voice commands from Google Home. "Ok Google, ask Harmony to..." can control your connected speakers, fire up a specific app on Roku, skip forward/backward on content and more for devices that work with Logitech's smart home platform.
Logitech's Pop button controls your entire smart home
As slick as smart home technology may be, you lose some ease of use. With certain exceptions, you can't just flick a switch to set everything in motion. Logitech thinks it can change that. It's introducing the Pop Home Switch, a button (yes, the name is a bit misleading) that can control multiple devices at once. It not only talks to typical smart home tech like lighting (including Philips Hue bulbs) and door locks, but also Logitech's own Harmony hubs. If your remote can control it, the switch can too. It'll even access Sonos playlists (in case you need some relaxing music to go with your mood lighting), and you can assign up to three actions per switch thanks to single, double and long button presses.
Logitech's Harmony app brings smart home control to Android TV
Logitech's ill-fated Revue was one of the first devices with Google TV -- how could we forget that ad campaign -- and now it's back in the fold with an Android TV app. Compatible with hub-based Harmony remotes, it brings control of Harmony Activities to the big screen. Given enough home automation tie-ins throughout your home, it can adjust the blinds, thermostat, speakers and lights to create the desired viewing experience. If you have a Harmony Hub and an Android TV device (like one of Sony's smart TVs) on the same WiFi network then you're ready to go, just install the app from the Play Store right here.
Logitech's Harmony remotes can control your PS4 too
The PlayStation 4 is a lot of (mostly great) things, but easy to control without its DualShock 4 paddle isn't one of them. That changes today so long as you have a Logitech Harmony remote sitting on your couch or coffee table. The company announced that the latest update to its hub-based wands, or the app, grants the ability to control not just the console's system menus and Blu-rays via Bluetooth, but streaming apps like Amazon Instant Video and Netflix too. Pretty handy! There's a caveat though, and it's a relatively big one: You can't use the remotes to turn your PS4 on. So, just remember to hit the power button (it's the top one) on your system before investigating why everyone's gaga for Daredevil.
All of Logitech's hub-based Harmony remotes now control your home
You no longer have to be quite so picky about which of Logitech's Harmony remotes you use to control your smart home. The company is trotting out an update this month that gives the Harmony Ultimate Hub the same home automation support as the Home Hub. Once you've upgraded, you can use the Harmony Ultimate, Smart Control or Smart Keyboard to flick on the lights or change the temperature without leaving the couch. You'll need to own all those connected devices for this software to make a difference -- it's not a free update in the strictest sense, then -- but it's nice to know that your home theater remote is suddenly that much more powerful.
Logitech remotes can turn down Hue lights before movie night
Logitech's Harmony remote just got considerably more useful when you're setting the mood for a movie. A recent hub firmware update (available through the Android and iOS apps) for its Smart Control and Ultimate remotes lets you adjust Philips' Hue lights at the start or end of an activity. You can set a colorful backdrop before kicking off a house party, for instance. Frankly, this makes Logitech's Hue integration considerably more useful -- you can now light up a dark room and turn on your TV before you even reach the couch.
Daily Roundup: Google Glass, Xiaomi phones, 2015 expectations and more!
The Google Glass experiment is over, but that doesn't mean Glass is finished. Nest co-founder Tony Fadell will take the reigns as Google builds the next generation of its head-mounted display. Meanwhile, Xiaomi continues to make waves with its lineup of impressive hardware that look, well, suspiciously familiar. With CES finally behind us, we share some of the things we're looking forward to in 2015. All that and more in today's Daily Roundup!
Logitech wants to link the living room with the rest of your smart home
You might've written off the idea of a connected home up to this point, and if so, Logitech wants you to give it a second chance. Together with Harmony (its living room wing), the outfit's working on an API that allows developers to link all of the connected devices in your home so they work in concert. The example the firm gives is, say, once you started watching a movie on your Samsung flatscreen via Apple TV, the Philips Hue lights in your living room would dim accordingly. Harmony claims this programming tool is the first of its kind and gives developers access to over 270,000 home entertainment and automation devices, creating a platform of sorts for smart home experiences that haven't been seen up to this point.
Logitech extends Harmony line to control more of your home
Logitech's got a new Harmony remote and it's an even bigger push into home automation over the current Harmony Smart Control home theater remote lineup. Shipping this month, the new Harmony Home Control devices start at $99 for the Home Hub (which turns your smartphone or tablet into a home automation controller). Then there's the Home Control for $149, which adds a simple, button-only remote. At the top of the line is the $349 Harmony Ultimate Home, which swaps out the simple remote for a 2.4 inch touch screen model (seen above). Available in either black or white, Harmony Home can control both your home theater and other devices from partners via IR, Bluetooth or WiFi. There's a lengthy list of support, too: August, Honeywell, Kwikset, Lutron, Nest, PEQ, Philips, Schlage, SmartThings, Sylvania, Yale and Zuli.
Nest devices start talking to Google, washing machines and your car
Nest's Learning Thermostat and Protect smoke detector are now part of a much, much larger universe. The company has just launched a developer program that lets third-party apps and devices talk to Nest hardware, making it do things that aren't possible through official software. The initiative is kicking off with a whole host of partnerships in place, in many cases with feature updates either available now or due in the near future. Chamberlain's garage doors can now tell your Nest thermostat when you're home, while Mercedes-Benz lets you check the temperature on the road; Logitech's Harmony Ultimate remote can lower the heat in mid-movie, and Jawbone's Up24 fitness tracker can tell Nest when you wake up.
Logitech's universal remotes can now control your Sonos speakers
If you like to simplify your home theater with universal remotes, there's a good chance that you also like multi-room audio systems. Wouldn't it be swell if you could combine the two? As of today, it's easy. Logitech has posted updates for both higher-end Harmony remotes (the Smart Control and Ultimate) and its Harmony mobile app that let you control Sonos audio systems. All of the remotes can handle at least basic playback duties, while both the app and Ultimate also provide quick access to your favorite Sonos playlists and stations. They can steer Philips' Hue lights, too -- just in case you need to set the mood for a movie.
Harmony's $150 Smart Keyboard remote comes to living rooms this month
Logitech is bringing a new entry to the lineup of Harmony remotes centered around its Hub. At a price of $150 this Harmony Smart Keyboard will retail for only twenty dollars more than the Harmony Smart Control, but trades in the simple and small remote for a keyboard. Like the rest of the Hub compatible line, it controls a long list of devices including the Apple TV, Roku or Xbox One, with support for IR, RF and Bluetooth. This means you can hide the (included) Hub away in a cabinet with your receiver, game consoles and set-top boxes with little regard for where the remote is pointed. The keyboard make quick work of searching for content when connected to a PC or Mac as well as media streamers and game consoles. Like any Harmony remote, it makes controlling up to eight devices in your home theater simple via Activities, and has buttons to control playback as well as volume. While we loved the Hub when we tested it, we have never felt the same way about a keyboard in the living room - and this is especially true now that we can use a smartphone or tablet as a keyboard. If you're willing to give QWERTY on the couch another chance, check it out on the website and look for the device hitting stores later this month.
The Daily Roundup for 07.05.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
