As a whole, it's hard to kvetch too much about Logitech's Harmony line of universal remotes, but as a devout hacker once told us, there's always room for improvement. Phil Dibowitz has been pursuing this project for months, and it looks as if a final release is at long last ready for mass distribution. Put simply, Concordance enables the Harmony family to be programmed in UNIX (which Logitech's software doesn't support) as well as in Windows and Linux. Furthermore, Phil states that the goal is to be "cross-platform," so Mac users should keep an eye out for future updates. Currently, the software supports every model save for the 890 and 1000, though both will hopefully be added in soon. Go on, give the read link a tap and get started -- just don't come crying to us if your "Watch TiVo" command starts opening the boss' garage door.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

If you thought Logitech was going to rest on the laurels of the Harmony 880, think again. The Harmony One looks to pick up where the 880 left off; it takes everything we love about the 880 and steps it up by replacing the terrible buttons with our favorite raised type, and the LCD screen goes touch screen to boot. PJ from PC Magazine appreciates the new ergonomic layout and touch screen, but misses being able to access the LCD screen without looking down at the remote. The charger base was also revised, but no word on if it is more reliable -- PJ does say that he was seeing about a week of battery life. In the end, the Harmony One is a nice upgrade to the 880, but considering that it's priced almost twice that of the Harmony 550, we're not sure it's doubly good.

We just opened Monster's first go at universal remotes, the AVL 300, and we'll have a full review up shortly but lets just say that we came for remote consolidation ability but are staying for the lighting control -- boy is is slick. To sum up the AVL 300, it's a Harmony remote (there is a Harmony badge on the back of the battery cover) slightly reworked for better lighting control and multi-AV system controls oh and yes, it does cost more Monster Cable style. So 'till we get the full review up, enjoy the pictures.

Who would have thought that a little remote would cause so much media attention but we can tell you that once you play with the Logitech 1000, it is easy to understand why. It looks and feels so much like those custom install remotes by Creston but is so much more affordable at the $499 price. We got the chance to play with a pre-production model and it's nice. Smooth, slick but at the same time seems to be rather functional. The remote doesn't come in the conventional candy-bar style and it is somewhat difficult to hold with one hand but the help of a leg or armrest when sitting helps a lot. The screens provide just enough info without filling the display with to much data. Response is just like other Harmony remotes which is just fine with us as those products simply work. The only thing we would change is the hard buttons on the right-hand side should be a tad bigger. They are kind of small and bigger buttons seems like it would be easier to use along with taking up more of all that empty landscape. We don't think Logitech is going to push back its October launch just because of our complaint, but other then that, this is one nice remote.

More action shots after the jump.

Logitech finally spent some cash with their design department and updated the look of their dated Harmony remotes. The previous high-end design wasn't anything pretty but it did function very well in it's conventional form factor. If you have never used one of these remotes, they have built in macros which makes it a joy not only to you but everyone else that uses your amazing, but complex, AV system. (Our review of the $150 659 here) The 1000 brings a nice, big LCD touch panel to work with. Basically, Logitech took the look and feel of those uber-expensive custom install remotes and worked the Harmony system into a similar form factor. Just like the previous high-end, the 890, it operates via RF waves that will allow users to control the volume of the tunes in another room. For $499, it isn't a bad package and a rather nice alternative to remotes that cost more then your house payment.

And you call yourself an eco-friendly human being. You sport the Prius with pride, munch on twigs and berries, and even plant a tree each Arbor day, but you still have that plasma hanging above your minimalistic Ikea table; shame on you. Didn't you know that a plasma TV requires nearly four times the amount of energy a normal tube TV does? It is getting so bad in England, they might have to build two extra nuclear power plants just to power all these new flat panels that are being installed in homes and pubs across the country. Plus, when you add in all the extra equipment to complete the digital experience, (e.g. DVD players, DVRs, media centers, ect.) it just means that our little, green globe is going to burn up even quicker. So you know what this means right, it is a great excuse to pick up a nice Harmony remote that turns things off when they are not in use. How else where you planning on spending all that cash you are saving by driving a Prius?