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When Logitech pointed out The end of the global remote era Death announcement From her Harmony line in April 2021, I was sad to see it go. Although it dominated the global remote market for most of the previous 20 years, Logitech’s Harmony has become a relic. As streaming has taken over physical media, as affordable smart TVs with built-in apps have become widespread, and as HDMI-CEC has become a ubiquitous way for devices to talk to each other, the need for a programmable universal infrared remote has gradually dissipated. Even the addition of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to Harmony’s range of controls couldn’t save it from a rapid decline in sales.
However, many people have kept their old infrared devices and added newer devices, such as Bluetooth and networked gadgets, to their smart homes. For them, a true whole-home remote that doesn’t cost a fortune or require professional integration will be very welcome.
Here’s the elevator pitch for the Cantata Haptique RS90 Universal Remote (€349/$406): Based on the Android platform, the RS90 promises to do everything the high-end Harmony can do, plus much more, including voice commands — a feature Logitech hasn’t successfully implemented.
In theory, the RS90 should be the last remote you’ll ever need. In fact, it’s a beautiful piece of hardware that has a long way to go if it wants to take over the distant global throne that Logitech has relinquished.
Photography: Simon Cohen
New friend
Although my Harmony Elite has been gathering dust for over a year, my inner geek celebrated the arrival of a new generation of universal remotes.
It doesn’t hurt that the Haptique RS90 is very easy on the eyes. It eschews the usual shiny plastic stick adorned with buttons in favor of a sleek, angled aluminum chassis. The bottom has a simple (and backlit) 24-button keyboard, while the top features a 3.1-inch color touchscreen and an infrared emitter. It looks like the ahead of its time Bang & Olufsen’s 1991 Beolink 7000 remote, but redesigned for today’s devices.
Under the hood, the RS90 has smartphone levels of computing power: an ARM Octacore processor with 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. It has a built-in microphone and speaker and comes with a charging dock to keep the internal battery charged when not in use. A custom version of Android 12 runs the entire show, with Cantata software used as the default experience. Canata is planning a more luxurious version known as the RS90x that uses an OLED display, has more internal storage, has a fingerprint reader, and, most importantly, an infrared receiver (something the RS90 noticeably lacks).