The impossible dream of a universal remote control

You never have to explain why a universal remote is a good idea. You have a bunch of things you need to control; This thing controls them all. Many companies have set out to build a product worthy of this idea, and one product has come much closer than most. It was called Harmony, and for many years it was the best universal remote control on the market. maybe only This is important. However, even Harmony couldn’t make it work.

on This episode of Release dateWe tell the story of harmony. EdgeHe joins David Pearce, Nilay Patel and John Higgins Matt RogersCEO of Mill and former co-founder of Nest, reckons with two decades of buttons and touchscreens. The product starts with the launch of the Easy Zapper, then sells it to Logitech, then expands like crazy for a number of years… and then It starts to fade. Sure, you could say that smart TVs and integrated entertainment systems have made the whole idea irrelevant. But there’s something about a universal remote that seems more appealing than ever. So we are trying to find out why.

This is the first episode of the fourth season of the series Release date. (we So Again.) Over the next few weeks, we’ll be telling a range of smart home stories, from Hue lights to Keurig coffee to the viral sensation that was The Clapper. Here’s how to get every episode and all the other fun stuff as soon as it drops:

If you want to learn more about Harmony’s history and heritage, here are some links to get you started: