Logitech goes downmarket with the $150 Harmony 700

Now that the Harmony 900 has effectively taken the top tier away from the older Harmony One, Logitech needed a suitable remote for the bottom tier. That’s where the $150 Harmony 700 comes in. From the presser, it seems that this new remote might simply be a slightly stripped down Harmony One. The look isn’t that clean, the LCD screen is smaller, and the charging system a little janky with AAs, but it’s still got what makes a Harmony special: dead simple macro setup thanks to great PC software.

The overall look is almost a combination of the One and the old 659. A row of macro buttons curve along the top and the rest of the buttons following the same layout as the One/900. That’s fine, it works. Hopefully the actual LCD screen looks as sharp as it does in the press shot too.

We should get our review sample later today, so check back for a hands-on followed by a full review. I have a feeling though that we’re going to end up recommending the Harmony One, which can be had for the same price online as the 700′s MSRP. That is, of course, Internet retailers don’t heavily discount the 700 too.