[UPDATE: REVERSAL!] Logitech snubs Windows 8 - Harmony Ultimate Home requires iOS/Android for setup!

[Ruined]

[UPDATE: SEE POST #7 for details of company reversal of policy]

Wow, this is surely a low blow from a company that built their empire on Windows.

Traded in my Harmony 880 today at Best Buy to get $100 off a Harmony Ultimate Home, Harmony's latest and greatest Universal remote and the newest one that supports RF.

Info on the remote: Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home: Remote to Rule Them All

Here is how my setup went with the Harmony Ultimate Home:

1. Pull out everything from box
2. Set everything up
3. Charge everything up and connect to wifi
4. Set up account on myharmony.com
5. Complete all updates

6. After all of that, prompted by software to use iOS/Android mobile app. Hmm. I do not have, nor do I plan to have, any intention of buying an iOS or Android device as I enjoy my Windows Phone. I do have a Windows 8 Tablet and a Windows 7 laptop in addition to my Windows Phone. I figure hey, one of these I can set my devices up with, right? Don't really care if I can't control with phone, but at least I can set up the remote for RF usage of course like every other Harmony remote ever made? Spend an hour trying to get the website or standalone program to program the remote and/or hub with PC. NOPE! Logitech did not spend the money to program a Windows Phone or Windows 8 app and disabled ability to program the Harmony Ultimate Home on the PC. This is the first Harmony Remote that actually requires a iOS/Android device to complete setup and add devices to use the remote - past ones always used a PC program or website. Ridiculous! So basically I have a $350 brick here because some Logitech decision maker was short sighted enough to believe that everyone that buys this product has (or wants) an iOS/Android device and if they don't then they can't use it. Well guess what, Logitech has lost my sale (back to Best Buy it goes, who I will have to fight with to recover my Harmony 880 trade in for).

A Logitech employee on their forums confirmed new Harmony Ultimate Home remote requires iOS/Android to setup, no Windows option anymore! :angry:

setting up ultimate remote - Logitech Forums

(Note the old Harmony Ultimate mentioned in that post does not include home automation features and is being discontinued in favor of this iOS/Android only one)

 

[Panathas]

Re: Logitech snubs Windows Phone *and* Windows 8. Harmony Ultimate Home requires iOS/Android for se

Lol, that's ridiculous.

 

[anon(123856)]

Re: Logitech snubs Windows Phone *and* Windows 8. Harmony Ultimate Home requires iOS/Android for se

Wow, just wow. I was in the market for good remote but I guess I can cross this one off the list. I hope you are able to return it for a refund. The idiots at BB should have mentioned this, but probably don't know about it, given the complete lack of knowledge I've witnessed at their stores.

 

[Ruined]

Re: Logitech snubs Windows Phone *and* Windows 8. Harmony Ultimate Home requires iOS/Android for se

Wow, just wow. I was in the market for good remote but I guess I can cross this one off the list. I hope you are able to return it for a refund. The idiots at BB should have mentioned this, but probably don't know about it, given the complete lack of knowledge I've witnessed at their stores.

Apparently someone else on the Logitech forum is in the same boat and is filing a case with the BBB. Not sure what that will get them, but we need to make this more known how anti-consumer Logitech is being with this product.

 

[pmhgeneral]

Re: Logitech snubs Windows Phone *and* Windows 8. Harmony Ultimate Home requires iOS/Android for se

Big mistake by Logitech on their part, the 880 remote really is great had my one from day 1 with and extra new one still in the box. I been looking at home automation using insteon products and they have a app on Windows phone.

 

[Ruined]

Re: Logitech snubs Windows Phone *and* Windows 8. Harmony Ultimate Home requires iOS/Android for se

Big mistake by Logitech on their part, the 880 remote really is great had my one from day 1 with and extra new one still in the box. I been looking at home automation using insteon products and they have a app on Windows phone.

Yeah, Logitech blew it.

Also, Logitech opened a thread on their forum if you'd like to discuss how you feel about their decision of Windows and Windows Phone users being unable to setup and use the most recent Harmony remote in favor of iOS/Android users. I encourage all to give their feedback!
Harmony Experience with Home Automation Devices - Logitech Forums

And here is also another place to give feedback on the decision:
https://twitter.com/Logitech/status/516256058244104193

 

[Ruined]

Re: Logitech snubs Windows Phone *and* Windows 8. Harmony Ultimate Home requires iOS/Android for se

UPDATE 10/3/14: Since posting this and contacting the Harmony team, the Harmony team has been responsive to the suggestion to re-instate the ability to program the remote via PC application instead of iOS/Android. While this feature is not yet ready and is possible the PC application may be limited in some ways given the quick turn of events, it is positive to see Logitech/Harmony so responsive to the concerns raised by myself and other users who use the Windows mobile ecosystem or simply prefer programming via PC.

Chad Thompson (Sr Director of Marketing and Product Mgmt) informed me that he was willing to assist users seeking the PC app by giving them access to the beta version of it which should be available next week. His email address (which he was okay with me posting)is cthompson@logitech.com - please send him an email if you wish to have access to the beta version of the PC application.

I am glad that Harmony was so quick in remedying this issue by reinstating the PC application, and am hopeful development continues on the mobile front as well to cover the Windows mobile ecosystem in the next year - perhaps by Windows 10 release?

Also, this affair reinforces that voicing feedback on the internet does work. Individual people can make a difference.