When thinking about an easy to use universal remote the Logitech Harmony 659 should come to mind. This Harmony remote may not be filled with the features of higher end remotes, but it still has a lot of bang for the buck.

The Harmony 659 is built with infrared technology and it controls a wide variety of components (TV, DVR, Radio, Amplifier, Projector, CD recorder, home control, DVD player, VCR and satellite receiver). It’s a programmable remote and programming it is done via the internet. While programming it through the online interface isn’t hard, it does take a little time to successfully complete the task. But if you only have 2 or 3 components, then you’ll be done programming it in less than 15 minutes. If you have 6 or more devices to program, the programming time can easily run over an hour. This may sound intimidating but believe me the programming is an easy process that anyone can pull off.

One of the best things I like about the Harmony 659 is the activity buttons at the top. The buttons are labeled according to the action that they allow you to do. For example the activity button labeled “watch a movie” when selected will turn on the receiver and put it on the right input. It will continue to turn on the DVD player and it will also switch the TV to the right input. The other activity buttons are labeled “listen to music, watch TV and more activities.”

The Harmony 659 screen is smaller than what I would like and there’s no color to it. It has a monochrome style and to be honest I’m not at all a fan of monochrome. But if screen appearance isn’t high on your list of requirements, then the 659’s screen display shouldn’t bother you.

Another great thing the 659 has going for it is that it has a powerful backlight for its buttons and screen display. So if you’re in total darkness you’d still be able to control the remote with ease. The Harmony 659 also comes equipped with a help button. If you ever get stuck or confused about a feature, press the help button and it will guide you through steps to solve your problem.

The Harmony 659 is a good buy for anyone who is new to the whole universal remote world. The features, the ease of use and the fact that you can find it now for around $60 is enough to warrant this remote a must buy.