Logitech pulls the plug on its Alexa smart remote experiment
R.I.P. Logitech Harmony Express April 2019 - September 2020
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Just one year after releasing the Harmony Express smart remote,Logitechhas announced plans to end its support in September via a newFAQ on its website.
The remote, which only launched back in April 2019, brought Alexa support to Logitech’s widely lauded smart remote series… or at least that’s what it was supposed to do.
Instead Logitech says “expectations were not met”, referring to a number of issues customers had with the remote, and the company is now offering returns or exchanges for theHarmony Elite– which is the company’s flagship home theater product.
Support for the Harmony Express ends on September 19, Logitech says, but the company will allow you to process the exchange up until December 31, 2020.
Smart Homewrecker
While the execution left a lot to be desired, the idea behind the Logitech Harmony Express was a good one: basically, a universal remote control that could be controlled with your voice.
If anyone could do it, Logitech seemed the most capable given its historic success in the universal remote category with the Harmony, but in the end the remote had some serious issues with some users saying it only worked roughly 40% of the time… which isn’t great for a remote.
The silver lining to all this is that now more smart TV makers are adding support for Alexa andGoogleAssistant on their TVs.LGOLEDs support both assistants, for example, andSamsung,SonyandVizioall support for one or more assistants.
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It was a good try, Logitech. Good try.
Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar’s sister site, Tom’s Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He’s also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he’s not using if anyone wants it.
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