Summary: For me, the killer feature of the Harmony 890 (like other Harmony remotes) is the activity-based menus. It makes the remote easy to use for people who don't know your particular set-up by letting them select from Activities such as \"Watch a DVD\" or \"Watch TiVo.\" Initiating the Activity turns on all the relevant devices and puts them all in the right mode. While in the context of an activity, the Harmony has eight programmable \"soft\" buttons that you can program to be the most useful buttons for that mode (e.g., in \"Watch TiVo,\" they include commonly-used special buttons like \"TiVo,\" \"Now Playing,\" and \"30-second skip,\" as well as the screen-size adjustment from the projector).

I selected the Harmony 890 (over the cheaper 880) for its built-in RF-to-IR repeater capability. I use my Harmony 890 remote to control four devices in my home theater setup. My home theater components are in a stack on the side of the room, and I have a ceiling-mounted front projector. All this means that there are no devices at the front of the room where you naturally point the remote. With the RF-to-IR repeater, this doesn't matter, the Harmony can be pointed anywhere (or even in another room), and the RF repeater relays the commands to the devices... it just works. In the future, I'm hoping to get some Z-Wave radio-controlled dimmers for the overhead lights.

The Harmony also has good in-context help. When starting an Activity or turning off the system, if something doesn't go right, you can just hit \"help\" on the menu, and it'll walk through common problems (e.g., \"Is the Receiver on?\"), and it addresses the problems that would normally involve a summons from the other room (\"Something's wrong with the TV again, can you come in here and fix it?\").

Battery life is great -- it'll last a couple days off the cradle/charger.

Remote ergonomics are so-so. Button layout could definitely be better, and all the buttons are the same size, making them hard to find by feel. On the plus side, the motion-triggered backlight works great. I just pick up the remote and it lights up. The one place where it isn't as good as a native remote is in heavily menu-based devices (like my TiVo), where a mismatch in the length of a signal (or between signals) can make a big difference. As a result, I still reach for my TiVo remote rather than the Harmony if I'm doing more than just a couple simple button presses.

The biggest problem was the difficulty in getting the devices set up. This took me multiple multi-hour sessions, and I'm very comfortable with computer & A/V technology. The provided software is terrible -- it's unstable, clumsy, the screens are confusingly designed, and the various options to fine-tune a device's operation were often buried in strange places. I've heard the web-based interface is better, but I didn't get this advice until I was pretty much done. The addition of the RF repeater made the programming less convenient -- I had to unplug the repeater from inside my A/V stack every time.

One recommendation is to make use of the phone support when you're stuck. Yes, I mean you -- the one who never calls tech support. Call them. They have special settings available to them that you don't have, and they know how to make the Harmony work really well.

I guess primarily I'm disappointed that the Harmony didn't live up to my expectations... I'd heard they were easy to use and easy to set up. But if you're willing to struggle through the setup, as I was, you can get to a really nice place where a pile of remotes and special magic modes and buttons can be replaced with something that makes sense.

Summary: I'm happy with my purchase although I feel it is still way overpriced for what you get. This is a REMOTE right? $200+? It's nice that they have done a fairly good job of bridging all component remotes into one, however, here are still many shortcomings.

#1 THERE SOFTWARE SUCKS! Please, look at some of Apple's software for how to design a user interface. They force you to use the most unintuitive POS website to modify and update your remote.

#2. Slow response time when using my DVR. When I use the stand IR remote I get instant feedback. There is at least a 1s delay after every button I press using the Logitech remote. (*Note, I'm pretty sure I can modify this setting.)

#3. As mentioned above, I cannot control my Bose system without spending an additional $1-200 to get a converter. Please WHY CAN'T the Logitech remote do this conversion, isn't that the job of a \"Universal\" remote.

#4. I don't like being stuck with the default activities, and have to use things like \"Play VCR\" to activate my CPU/media center. It is such a simple fix too.

Summary: I purchased this remote as a replacement for my old Sony RM-AV2000 and it's a night and day difference in every aspect. Yes....would purchase one again in a heartbeat.