One cool feature is that you can adjust the brightness of the back-lit hard buttons independent from the touch screen (nice).

Because then I'll get a phone call!Next to the "favorites" button and the "home" button - I wish there was a "devices" button where it would go to your options of which device you want to control

I've got the 30 sec skip forward and back programmed on the bottom buttons, as well as the Live TV button and cancel button for Tivo

Finally the buttons to select an activity and its associated controls started becoming intermittent and it was time to find something else

As compared to the 680, the buttons are far better: solid rather than spongy and, on the single-function buttons, a clear clicky feel (though silent) when acturated

I simply wore the other two out (wishing the buttons were a little more robust).

The touch screen display provide customisable soft buttons and obviously conveys much more information than the tiny monochrome LCD on the old model, but as it is a capacitive type, like a smartphone, it is very sensitive and easy to hit the wrong soft-key

Now, these button are the the top (???) and the number of buttons is reduced.

Therefore, the actions available on the screen and the physical buttons assume those roles

My fifth and best remote was a 900 and it was a fantastic remote until the volume and channel buttons started to fail at the young age of only 2 1/2 years

Ergonomics - Bad button placement

however i can't lay it on the chair arm face down to keep it from slipping off: there aren't enuf buttons to grip it (which ironically is good), and sometimes it will erroneously trigger the touch screen: a very minor problem, but it is less likely to damage itself falling on the carpet since it doesn't weigh much.

It no longer displays by default the handy buttons that I had added to the remote.

The only well positioned buttons are the directional pad, ok, volume, channel, and menu

I bought this to replace a first generation Harmony One - I prefer the old Harmony's user interface - more real buttons - the new Ultimate also has odd touch screen responses - jumps home theatre set up without logical step - i.e. mine will jump from playing a Bluray to CD playback just altering the Home Theatre processor.

The weight and balance is just off, making it awkward to use the touch screen and gestures, and the top buttons (which are actually used a lot when watching shows on DVR) feel uncomfortable and out of reach.

the play and pause buttons and the skip and fast forward buttons are shared.

and I like the simple buttons.

I don't know if I accidentally hit a wrong button first that threw it

but it does not have number buttons.

The improved hump doesn't really help, maybe when you use the top buttons but when you want to use the bottom ones you find you need two hands just to operate them

Eventually I was able to determine how to customize the existing hard buttons to function how I need them to

I miss not having number buttons... on the ultimate you have to swipe screen a couple of times to get to the number screen, but it's still not as easy as having buttons.

If you want to nitpick, a few other minor cons are: 1) the sluggish touchscreen; and 2) slightly flimsy buttons.

The Volume and Channel buttons are only illuminated in the middle, not on the ends where the up and down buttons are actually located...this makes it more difficult to press them in the dark.

With the Ultimate you have too much LCD and not enough hard buttons.

FYI, I am running this with a HD TV, audio video receiver and a 5.1 surround setup, FIOS cable box, Roku 4, blueray DVD player and (for old family stuff I am working to convert) an actual VHS VCR!P.S. Swipe gesture thing is a gimmick and not very useful - volume buttons are easier to use

Would be perfect if the number buttons on the screen were more responsive

The removal of the number buttons in favor of the touch screen might not seem like a big deal.

The placement of the top set of hard buttons is too hard to use without activating some other function, and the sensitivity and layout of the soft buttons / touch screen is too complicated for other family members...

Button placements a little weird

I understand the complaints of users who prefer buttons over touch-screen controls or find it clumsy to operate with one hand, but neither is a concern for us

The device is missing some sensible hard buttons or short cuts

It has the most commonly used hard buttons available, so you can perform many functions without needing to look at the remote

The info and previous channel buttons near the very bottom are the worst positioned buttons though since they are near the very bottom of the remote and you have to be careful not to drop the remote when going for either of those buttons

the other buttons are cramped and arranged poorly even within their poor locations.

I tend to drop this remote a lot and pressing the wrong buttons too often

Rewinding play fast forward is on the top of the remote as a result you have to move you hand to actually press any button not ease of use.3

Bottom line and in contradiction of other reviews regarding the tactile layout of the remote: it is still excellent without need for visual guidance once you learn the layout and compares well to that of the Harmony One (really, who needs physical number buttons when you're watching DVR?) and easy to operate, even if you are working out on an elliptical machine while watching TV, I might add.

It is far too easy to hit the wrong button and start a whole nother procedure

The infamous transport buttons located above the touch screen.

Harmony One as the buttons have been worn off and the mute button sometimes does not work

Only complaint is that sometimes the home button and favorite button take a few presses to recognize.

The front touch screen, surrounded by the hard buttons nestled onto the remote, is quite attractive.

The other thing I've noticed is that the Ultimate 1 seems to have a broader IR beam - I don't need to be quite as careful in aiming it as with the 880.As many others have commented, I also wish it had physical number buttons, but I've not found it that difficult to swipe the screen to get the number panel up

The hard buttons are in the absolute wrong location

It has the most commonly used hard buttons available, so you can perform many functions without needing to look at the remote

The device is missing some sensible hard buttons or short cuts

The placement of the top set of hard buttons is too hard to use without activating some other function, and the sensitivity and layout of the soft buttons / touch screen is too complicated for other family members...

I was able to shorten them in the software program, but only for favorite channel buttons.

Proponents of this remote will tell you that you can program any button you want on the touchscreen, but not everything benefits from a touch screen interface

Would be perfect if the number buttons on the screen were more responsive

With the Ultimate you have too much LCD and not enough hard buttons.

The remote beeps and vibrates when a touch screen button is used, but it's not as positive as a real button and you have to look at the remote - you can't navigate by feel

Most users, thanks to Apple, are accustomed to a permanent "go back" hard button

I miss not having number buttons... on the ultimate you have to swipe screen a couple of times to get to the number screen, but it's still not as easy as having buttons.

The touch screen number pad is more difficult to use than the Directv remote push button number pad.

buttons at top and touch screen is a little slow, at least compared to phones and tablets

Let's say you hit the off button and your receiver failed to shut off

The weight and balance is just off, making it awkward to use the touch screen and gestures, and the top buttons (which are actually used a lot when watching shows on DVR) feel uncomfortable and out of reach.

Negative reviews regarding button layout are somewhat valid, but not worth removing a star

I'm bummed out that according to another review, Harmony remote buttons don't last long, but I'll deal with that when the time comes

The old one used hard buttons

My only source of contention is that I wish they would have kept all of the dedicated hard buttons on the bottom of the remote and the touch screen on the top.

This remote refuses to manage my Cisco DVR (supplied by TimeWarner) completely - you have to open the DVR as a device, select the button you

Of all the sacrifices made for the screen/pad, those red, green, yellow, and blue buttons you never use are still there--UGH!!!!!Move the screen up, move the key buttons where the fingers land, kill the color keyed buttons that don't ever do

Overall the screen is easy to see and the hard buttons are all backlit for easy seeing in the dark

While I could change speed of the favorite buttons punching in the numbers, I couldn't get it fast enough.

I returned it in a week, the buttons on top were cumbersome, and hated having to go into the lcd menu so often.

The buttons don't work

This remote has a clean, attractive interface and decent button layout

When there were buttons that were either missing or didn't do what I wanted, it was super easy to either add a whole new button/functionality (by simply pointing my old remote at my Harmony and "teaching" my Harmony the new button) or edit a current button

There are touchscreen buttons to go back on the screen without a hard button "return"

It simply takes too long to do what you want and the simple, everyday, hard buttons that you need and use all the time are no longer there

buttons across the touch screen, as your hand can inadvertently activate a soft button.

The remote has too few buttons - not enough hard buttons means you have to scroll through touchscreens to get to the commands you want and when you are there - the other hard button commands don't work

No number buttons might seam like a small issue but you cannot go directly to a channel without taking several steps to bring up the numbers on the touch screen.

Not enough real buttons

I don't love that there are no physical number buttons on this one, however

The disappointing:I miss having a hard number buttons.

Hard to hit the right buttons with one hand

The hard button placement is STUPID, making them difficult to use, and there is no numeric keypad

To reach the hard buttons at the top, one invariably activates the touch screen by mistake.

The buttons worked, but without the screen, you can't too much with the remote - it is essentially useless

In general, there are too few hard buttons (like HELP) requiring you to look down at the touch screen unnecessarily.

I find that I prefer them ergonomically since they have "hard" number buttons which are much more convenient than the touch screen remotes which you have to swipe to unlock, then swipe a second time to access the soft number buttons

The hard buttons are great, the touch screen is great and the overall size of the remote is great, they just need to re-organize!

I love the convenience of pressing one button and everything turning on and adjusting to the correct inputs, however my biggest issue with these remotes is that a lot of times, they will just freeze up and you have to click the help button and it will check all the inputs and settings and start back working

They got rid of the superfluous buttons that cluttered up the old One, but also removed some pretty useful ones

Some also don't like the play/pause buttons on the top of the touchscreen, but the ergonomics of this remote is nice enough that its not even a breaking point now that I own it myself to know.

Kind of miss the buttons on my old Harmony, but I appreciate all the features on this one.

Bad ergonomics, bad button placement, and WAY TOO MUCH TOUCHSCREEN with not enough physical buttons.

Well yes, there is a soft keypad three swipes away on the touch screen, but it's not as fast nor as easy as real buttons

I make sure to keep the remote pointed directly at the TV, and give it time between button presses but nothing works.

First of all there are not enough buttons that can programmed for additional functions

There are no physical number buttons on this remote.

Right buttons on the center wheel to correspond to TiVo Advance and TiVo Replay, respectively.

It is also lacking the number buttons, which makes quickly switching between several channels more time consuming than a traditional remote.

Only complaint would be the small close buttons otherwise love it.

Most usual functions can be done with the buttons while watching TV or video (and there are 4 programmable generic buttons on the bottom as well), so it is rare that you would need to look down to hunt for something on the screen

I also miss the physical buttons from the older Harmony remotes that are now only available on the touch screen (number keys, etc.) and the skip forward/back and fast forward/back keys that have been merged into one set of keys

Honestly less intuitive button layout & usage than the simpler models

/ flip through the screens to get to the section you want then push the soft button.

Logitech should move the play/forward/back/stop buttons back below the screen where they're more readily accessed by one's thumbs, and illuminate both the up and down buttons, and you'd have a winner.

Bad ergonomics, bad button placement, and WAY TOO MUCH TOUCHSCREEN with not enough physical buttons.

Kind of miss the buttons on my old Harmony, but I appreciate all the features on this one.

The top buttons are a bit awkwardly placed.

The hard buttons are great, the touch screen is great and the overall size of the remote is great, they just need to re-organize!

On the "Ultimate One" there are very few hard buttons.

Since the Help button now is a soft button, it’s harder to find

I find that I prefer them ergonomically since they have "hard" number buttons which are much more convenient than the touch screen remotes which you have to swipe to unlock, then swipe a second time to access the soft number buttons

About 50% of the time, the "off" button doesn't work

Very often I hit the screen while I'm trying to fast forward or use the top buttons and end up changing the source/channel/or turning the tv off completely

No number buttons might seam like a small issue but you cannot go directly to a channel without taking several steps to bring up the numbers on the touch screen.

The feel of the backlit hard buttons is very good, with a nice positive click, much better than the old "dead flesh" rubber buttons on the 525.The D-pad and navigation buttons are well placed and easy to use, but the main play/pause/FF/RW controls are a bit awkwardly placed, but still useable

A good balance between touch screen and hard buttons.

The remote has too few buttons - not enough hard buttons means you have to scroll through touchscreens to get to the commands you want and when you are there - the other hard button commands don't work

OTOH, if you have the time and nrg, are well versed at these types of techno projects....and u desire to simplify your multiple remote controls, this might be your dream remote control.

TL/DR summary: this remote (and hub for the PS3/Wii U) does this easily, and I would recommend highly

won`t charge, and alternatively tells me `low battery` or `fully charged`Tough on me those 14 months, since the warranty, when you check it out, is only 12 months

won`t charge, and alternatively tells me `low battery` or `fully charged`Tough on me those 14 months, since the warranty, when you check it out, is only 12 months