remote usability
I'm shopping for a new universal remote after the shitty one we have sort of died and we have something like 20 remotes in a box for devices we didn't remember we had at some point or another and..it's just a mess. Especially given we have a gazillion DVD players and other miscellaneous devices. Another day I should get off my ass and build an HTPC that doesn't suck, but..that's for another day. :)
Anyway, so I'm looking on Newegg for a new remote, and the Harmony 880 looks like a winner. Reasonably priced at $160ish, and everyone I know who has one thinks it's a fantastic remote. Definite winnar. For me.
My mom on the other hand, who is going to be doing most of the remote-using, is not me. She has bad eyesight cause she's getting old. She doesn't get the hang of gadgets like I usually do. And she wants one that's easy to use, has big buttons, is easy to clean off (we love to eat in front of the TV..popcorn and remote do not mix). The Harmony is not necessarily easy to use (buttons aren't exactly logical), doesn't have big buttons, and the ease-of-cleaning is yet to be determined.
My extremely twisted next thought was that we should buy the Harmony 1000, especially for the extra stuff (dimmed lights? way to make me even MORE of a couch potato, Logitech!). Except although the buttons are definitely bigger and in some cases more intuitive, it's not a remote you can use without looking. Also it's $400.
So, I have no idea which remote to get if at all. I feel that the simpler it is (while still being able to handle all of our stuff) the better it would be, but the halfway decent remotes are all too..complicated. Is it too much to ask for a remote that doesn't just look good but is insanely easy to use as well?
Anyway, so I'm looking on Newegg for a new remote, and the Harmony 880 looks like a winner. Reasonably priced at $160ish, and everyone I know who has one thinks it's a fantastic remote. Definite winnar. For me.
My mom on the other hand, who is going to be doing most of the remote-using, is not me. She has bad eyesight cause she's getting old. She doesn't get the hang of gadgets like I usually do. And she wants one that's easy to use, has big buttons, is easy to clean off (we love to eat in front of the TV..popcorn and remote do not mix). The Harmony is not necessarily easy to use (buttons aren't exactly logical), doesn't have big buttons, and the ease-of-cleaning is yet to be determined.
My extremely twisted next thought was that we should buy the Harmony 1000, especially for the extra stuff (dimmed lights? way to make me even MORE of a couch potato, Logitech!). Except although the buttons are definitely bigger and in some cases more intuitive, it's not a remote you can use without looking. Also it's $400.
So, I have no idea which remote to get if at all. I feel that the simpler it is (while still being able to handle all of our stuff) the better it would be, but the halfway decent remotes are all too..complicated. Is it too much to ask for a remote that doesn't just look good but is insanely easy to use as well?