Logitechs new 250 Harmony Express remote puts Alexa in control The Verge

Logitech just announced a new faraway manipulate that shakes up what consumers have come to count on from the corporation’s Harmony lineup. The $249.99 Harmony Express, which starts offevolved transport these days, has a revamped, tiny design that gets rid of the touchscreen and plenty of programmable buttons of other Harmony remotes. Instead, Logitech is betting the whole thing on Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant.

Alexa is constructed right into the far flung itself; yes, there’s a microphone in there, along side a speaker so you can hear Alexa’s responses. If Logitech’s other Harmony remotes are aimed toward the home theater fanatic crowd, the Express is supposed for informal customers who want to walk into their living room, switch on the TV, and get to Netflix or Prime Video with voice commands. That sounds first-rate in idea, but my time with the Express so far suggests that Alexa may not yet be geared up to address all that duty.

Also, why inside the international is this factor $250? Plenty of TVs and streaming structures like Roku and Fire TV already aid Alexa. Is Logitech’s ability to govern a huge quantity of living room gadgets really worth the sort of premium? Voice search is a pleasant bonus to have on remotes, but making voice the central user enjoy is likewise taking pretty a leap.

For the release of the Harmony Express, Logitech is starting fresh. The company created an all-new partner app that gives an exceedingly easy setup technique and streamlined interactions thereafter. For now, that app simplest works with the Express. This far off isn’t well matched with Logitech’s older Harmony app, neither is its hub cross-like minded with older remotes. It charges over Micro USB, however you’ll not often have to worry approximately a dead remote battery.

To get started out, you power all of your gadgets on, after which the app scans for them. It efficaciously identified my TCL Roku TV and Xbox One; I needed to add my PS4 and Vizio soundbar manually. Then, you drag and drop every device onto its respective HDMI port so that the Express knows wherein to find the entirety. It helps most popular gadgets consisting of Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku. You may even pick which device you decide on using for every of the popular streaming apps. After this comes the Alexa setup, wherein you’ll need to link the Harmony Express for your Amazon account.

Once everything’s achieved, you may say something like “go to Netflix,” and your TV will power very own, switch to the proper HDMI input, and cargo up the app. You can open any range of streaming apps, but you may’t inform Alexa to play a selected display. So you’ll discover your self the usage of the round four-manner navigation pad often to truely start looking something. The Express also can music to unique channels (by using channel quantity or name) on many cable bins or, in my case, via the antenna plugged into my Roku TV. You can do essentially any command your device supports — but it calls for talking to the faraway in place of tapping a touchscreen or shortcut button as you'll on some other Harmony.

The far flung itself feels high-quality. I observed that my thumb rested evidently on the OK / voice button. It weighs barely anything, and there’s a matte gentle-contact finish on the lower back for introduced grip. Alexa’s voice comes through the speaker definitely, as well, if a piece sharp at instances.

And of course, you may always simply ask the Express standard Alexa questions on matters like the climate or sports ratings. Logitech designed its Alexa integration to be press-and-keep-to-speak, so it’s no longer just like the remote will continuously be listening for “Alexa” like an Echo speaker might. You can modify the volume of Alexa’s responses, however the voice can’t be completely became off.

Logitech includes a hub / IR blaster inside the box, which is what connects to Logitech’s server and pulls in all of the instructions for every of your devices. Once you’ve set up the Express, those smarts extend in your Echo speakers, so you can in addition tell those gadgets to show to your TV, as an example. Your TV or sport console may already assist Alexa for my part — my TCL TV and Xbox One do (no IR blaster required) — but there’s virtually a convenience in chaining the whole thing collectively.

However, there’s also opportunity for crossed streams and battle among Alexa abilities. If both your TV and the Harmony Express understand “visit Netflix” as a command, which one wins and in reality performs the request? How does Alexa recognize to apply the Logitech Express in preference to simply controlling your Xbox One with Microsoft’s very own ability? Logitech admits this is a place in which consumers might get inconsistent outcomes every now and then, and it’s some thing Amazon additionally wishes to have a hand in fixing. If you prefer just using the far flung like a far flung, the physical buttons at the Express will manage some thing app or device you’re using at that point, and they’re all backlit. You also can personalize each button to do a specific device command with both a brief press or lengthy press, that's useful considering the fact that there aren’t lots of them.

I haven’t spent sufficient time with the Harmony Express to offer a review just yet, but I’m very pressured about who is going to buy this product. I get the idea and who it’s for: folks who want a typical far off that’s no longer overly complicated. But... $250? At the rate, wouldn’t domestic theater electricity users decide upon the customizability and extra advanced automation capabilities of the Harmony Elite? Alexa isn’t but pretty reliable enough for that crowd, and having to constantly talk to a far off manipulate can get quite stressful.

Likewise, I don’t see many informal customers handing over that a good deal just for a few added Alexa comfort of their lives. For $one hundred? Sure, you can make a far higher argument to provide the Express a shot. It’s performed what I’ve asked to date with out many issues or hiccups. But I don’t suppose Alexa has advanced sufficient in the living room for Logitech to be asking for $250. As it stands, the Harmony Express isn’t replacing any member of the Harmony lineup. The Harmony Elite nonetheless stays the flagship, and there are cheaper options if you decide upon a extra traditional generic far off. But in case you need to present Logitech’s newest approach a attempt, you can order the Express starting proper now.

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//www.theverge.com/2019/4/16/18311894/logitech-explicit-alexa-far off-manipulate-introduced-features-pricing
2019-04-16 07:01:00Z
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