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How long will your Logitech Harmony remote keep working?
Logitech's cancellation of the Harmony line means its customers are in a support limbo
A couple of days ago Logitech announced the end of its long-running Harmony universal remote line in a rather un-ceremonial forum post. The writing has been on the wall for a while; the last major Harmony release was almost two years ago, and that was an expensive dud. But it's still a blow to a community of dedicated hi-fi users who've loved these gadgets for almost 20 years.
Logitech’s voice-controlled Harmony Express is being discontinued, will stop working in September
Customers are eligible for a full refund or a free Harmony Elite
Logitech took a risk when it launched the Harmony Express, a new take on age-old problems surrounding universal remotes. Instead of plastering the device with every button you could possibly need, the Express' primary input is its microphone, powered by Amazon Alexa. While our own Ryne Hager loved this approach in his review last year, the unique strategy apparently didn't catch on as much as the company had hoped: Logitech is discontinuing the remote on September 30, 2020, when the Express and its companion apps will stop working.Logitech says that the Express "aimed to replace the complexity of the touch screens and programmable buttons found on other Harmony remotes with a simple voice interface," but the product didn't meet the company's expectations. That's why it decided to scrap the project altogether and focus on improving its regular universal remote lineup instead.Before anyone picks up pitchforks, the company offers a full refund or a free Harmony Elite to anyone who purchased the Express. While the replacement lacks a dedicated Alexa button, its hub works with other Alexa-equipped devices, so you won't lose voice control, even if you'll have to adjust to another workflow. To claim your refund or the Elite, head to Logitech's support website.While I'm not happy that a ton of Express units are needlessly going to landfill, I still have to applaud Logitech here: The company acknowledged that it's not happy with its product, communicated the discontinuation well ahead of time, and gives its customers more than generous offers. If only other businesses were this well run.Source: Logitech (1), (2)
You can still buy a webcam from Logitech directly (Update: Free equipment for teachers)
Logitech's online store still has stock
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The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has led to massive shortages for some types of products. No, I'm not talking about toilet paper: webcams are now incredibly difficult to find, due to the massive rise in people conducting remote meetings. If you can't find one, look no further than Logitech's own website.
Logitech probably isn't the first name that comes to mind when it comes to charging accessories, though the company has dabbled with wireless docks in the past. Today Logitech announced its new series of 'POWERED' charging accessories, but they're a bit pricey.The cheapest product in the lineup is the $39.99 Powered Wireless Charging Pad, which is just a flat square to rest your phone on. It offers fast charging for Apple (7.5W) and Samsung (9W) devices, and use "a combination of internal heat sensors and algorithms" to prevent overheating. For comparison, Choetech sells a two-pack of Qi pads with a faster charging rate for about half the price of a single Logitech charger, though a wall adapter is included with Logitech's product and not with the Choetech charger. Samsung's own 9W pad is only cheaper than Logitech's, but it does include a fan to keep the phone cool.Logitech is also offering a Qi stand for $59.99 with the same features, but your phone is propped up instead of lying flat on the table. Finally, the $129.99 'Powered 3-in-1 Dock' has additional slots for an Apple Watch and AirPods.If you really want to buy one of Logitech's new chargers, they're only available from the company's online store in the United States. Those of you in Canada also have the option of grabbing them from Best Buy.Source: Logitech Blog
What's better than a universal remote? How about a universal remote with a touch screen that also controls your smart home stuff? Logitech's super-versatile Harmony Elite remote is now down to $230 at multiple stores, a $40 discount from the usual price.This remote includes Alexa for voice control, a full-color touchscreen with shortcuts for devices and TV channels, and physical buttons for common actions. The included Harmony Hub handles the actual smart home management, and can also function as an IR blaster, in case you want to control media devices out of the remote's line-of-sight.
You might not spend a lot of time thinking about your standard TV remote controller, but it's probably bad. You know, stuck buttons, broken battery door, and faded button labels. Yuck. If you want to avoid all that, upgrade to a Logitech Harmony Elite touch screen remote and hub, now only 3 for refurbished units.This deal features the Logitech Harmony Elite touch screen remote with rechargeable battery, charging station, and a Harmony Hub that interfaces with your remote and TV via IR, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth connections. The included hub also works with the official Harmony app, turning your Android handset or iPhone into an additional universal controller.All units in today's offer are factory reconditioned hardware, which means they were returned, inspected, and verified to be in full working order. This deal is only available until the end of today, or while supplies lasts.
Accessories specifically tailored to Chrome OS are few and far between, but Logitech is doing its part to rectify that with the announcement of a new mouse and keyboard made just for Google's operating system. The mouse is really just a mouse, but the keyboard's got Chrome OS-specific function keys and a Google Assistant button — rarities among Bluetooth keyboards.
Even though most TVs in our living rooms are becoming smart ones, we often connect them to third-party devices such as set-top boxes, sound systems, and DVD/Blu-Ray players. Using a separate remote control for each can be a pain, mainly because at least one of them is likely to vanish, but also because it's simply inconvenient to switch between several controllers. With the Harmony Smart Control kit, Logitech offers to group all these remotes into a single one, and even control your devices using your phone or smart speaker. Originally sold at $130, the product is now down to $50, which is quite an attractive discount.The kit includes an all-in-one remote, as well as a hub and an extra IR extender. As it names suggests, the hub is actually the device that relays the IR signals to your devices, but you'll be able to use the included remote, your phone, or even your smart speaker with Alexa or Assistant to control it.
The ultimate and original automation convenience is the universal remote: a simple gadget that replaces all your similar devices, turning elaborate multi-step operations into a one-button convenience. Logitech's Harmony series of remotes and hubs have offered one of the best experiences out there, but at the cost of a complex setup and maintenance process. The new Harmony Express streamlines almost everything about the experience, but I don't think that convenience is worth the sky-high price tag.
Don't let the long name and all-caps fool you; the WONDERBOOM 2 is Ultimate Ears' smallest speaker offering. It was announced earlier this month, but prices are already being slashed by $20/20% to $79.99. If the regular BOOM speakers are just too big for your liking, you might want to look into this.Ultimate Ears touts five main improvements with the WONDERBOOM 2 over its predecessor: more volume, more bass, 30% more battery life (to 13 hours), dust resistance (it's IP67 now), and stereo pairing. Plus, it comes in four interestingly named colors: Radical Red, Deep Space, Bermuda Blue, and Crushed Ice Gray. The pink color in the hero photo doesn't seem to be available.
The original Ultimate Ears Wonderboom was a tiny and cute little portable Bluetooth speaker that could float on water and sounded pretty decent — all for just $100. There was little not to love about it, a sentiment echoed by Jeff in our review. It must have been a good seller for UE owner Logitech, too, as it's seen fit to bring out an updated version with better sound and more features.Probably the most important new capability offered by the Wonderboom 2 is stereo pairing. You were able to connect more than one speaker with the previous generation, but stereo sound wasn't possible. Now you can pair two of them and throw them in the water for a full-on stereo pool party. A new feature called Outdoor Boost enables an EQ setting specifically designed for louder and crisper outdoor audio, and the bass will also generally be beefier.
Logitech's Harmony are the best universal remotes out there, even if their user-friendliness is questionable. It's been nearly four years since the Elite was announced, and it shows. User interfaces have evolved and so has the smart home, yet the Elite's remote and app both feel stuck in the past. So it only made sense that Logitech would announce a new remote: enter the Express.
Back in April of last year, Ultimate Ears announced that its BLAST and MEGABLAST Bluetooth speakers would be receiving a number of features that they really should have come with out of the box. Nearly a year later, one of those features — grouping — has finally been added with an update to the BLAST companion app.
We often talk about Ultimate Ears, aka UE, and its speakers here on Android Police, both in deal alerts and reviews, but the Logitech-owned company announced yesterday that it's introducing a new way to enjoy your Bluetooth speaker. It's called myBOOM Studio and it's basically UE's version of Moto Maker for the Boom 3.
It's easy to find yourself buried in remotes as you seek to build the perfect home entertainment system. Logitech's Harmony remotes have long sought to reduce the clutter, but they're spendy. The flagship Harmony Elite usually costs a whopping $350—you can get a TV for that price. It's $100 cheaper right now, and Best Buy will even throw in a $50 gift card.
Having a universal remote is a luxury, but one that can quickly become a necessity once you add a few electronics to your media setup and have four or five different remotes to juggle. Logitech makes the best universal remotes, and today its absolute best, the Harmony Elite, is on sale for its all-time low price of 0 (according to CamelCamelCamel).
Home security used to be something you couldn't effectively do yourself, but recent advances in connected cameras and alarms have changed things. Home security cameras you can monitor yourself can be pretty affordable, especially with sales like this one: you can currently grab Logitech's Circle 2 security cameras for $80 off.
Ultimate Ears' BOOM speakers have always been their bread and butter. The company introduced the BLAST line earlier this year, though it hasn't been particularly successful. A 4-month old speaker that launched at $230 shouldn't be selling for $65, but I digress. UE is going back to basics with the BOOM 3 and MEGABOOM 3, which are priced at $149.99 and $199.99, respectively.
Logitech's last-gen universal smart home remote, the Harmony Ultimate, went on sale for $119.99 earlier this month. If you missed out on that deal, the remote is even cheaper now. It's currently $99.99 from Best Buy and the Best Buy eBay store.
It's tough to choose a good security camera nowadays. Hundreds of brands are releasing their own and almost all of them offer a similar featureset. What I look for, personally, is integration with other smart home systems — namely Google Home — and whether or not a monthly fee is required to get the basic features. For those two reasons, the Logi Circle 2 has been on my watchlist for a long time, and its temptation is getting harder to resist with these two discounts.Today, you can grab the wire-free version of the Circle 2 for 9.90, $70 off its MSRP, and the wired version for 9.99, $40 off. Both are great discounts, though we've seen the wired model go this low before.If you're wondering what you'll get with the Circle 2, here's a quick rundown: 1080p video with a 180-deg field of view lens, night vision, and weatherproof build on the hardware front. From a software standpoint, two-way conversation are supported, you'll get a time-lapse briefing of your day, and smart alerts get sent to your phone when motion is detected. The two requirements I mentioned at the start of the article are there: the Circle 2 works with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit, and you can use it for free if you're OK with 24hrs of cloud storage. Upping that to 14 days costs $3.99/month, whereas 31 days with support for person detection and motion zones will net you $9.99/month.The difference between the wired camera and wire-free one is that the latter comes with a three-month rechargeable battery and has been less favorably reviewed overall. If you're interested, grab either one from the links below.Source: Logitech Circle 2 wire-free (Amazon), wired (Amazon, Best Buy)