Logitech Harmony One Introduces Significant Evolution in Home-Entertainment Control

LAS VEGAS — CES – Jan. 5, 2008 — Today at the Consumer Electronics
Show, Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) unveiled the Harmony® One
advanced universal remote control, marking a significant leap in the
evolution of the best-selling line of Harmony remotes. Offering the
same one-touch, activity-based control as other Harmony remotes, the
Harmony One makes controlling home entertainment even easier with a
full-color touch screen, an intuitive button layout and an
exceptionally comfortable user-friendly design. The product has
received the CES 2008 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations
in Home-Entertainment Accessories.

As home-entertainment systems become more sophisticated and complex,
people are often frustrated and overwhelmed by the need to have
multiple devices, the frequent necessity for family members to have
written instructions to control the system (otherwise known as a cheat
sheet) and the growing number of remotes on the coffee table. And,
according to industry research, more and more families will face this
problem. IMS Research’s report, "The Future of High-Definition TV –
2007 Edition," forecasts strong worldwide growth for HDTV over the next
four years (nearly 148 million HDTV households by 2011). And in the
U.S. alone, consumer spending on digital-living products is on track to
hit $300 billion in 2010 (Parks Associates, "Digital Living Forecast,"
Dec. 2006)

"The Harmony advanced universal remotes have been highly successful
at providing easy, one-touch access to favorite activities, such as
watching TV, playing a video game, or listening to music – all with a
single remote," said Ashish Arora, vice president and general manager
of Logitech’s Harmony business unit. "To further improve our lineup,
while developing Harmony One, we sought to intimately understand the
interaction between people, their remotes, and their entertainment
systems. In fact, Harmony One is the result of our most comprehensive
research and development undertaking ever – more than 20,000 hours."

A key outcome of Logitech’s research is a 2.2-inch color
touch-screen that uses capacitive technology, which responds to tiny
electrical charges from the fingertips. Capacitive touch-screen
technology is more durable, compared to touch screens that respond to
pressure. The color touch screen provides control of any home
entertainment device with an infrared receiver, including digital video
recorders, high-definition televisions and many household appliances.
The Harmony One remote’s touch screen can also display icons of
specified TV stations for quick access to favorite stations.

Based on a customer survey, Logitech also determined that it could
improve its customers’ experience with the Harmony remote by creating a
more intuitive button layout. For improved ease of use, the Harmony One
remote provides an intelligent and intuitive button layout divided into
four distinct zones (numbers; traditional DVD controls; D-pad with
volume and channel up/down; and on-screen menu buttons) for seamless
control of today’s most popular home entertainment devices. Only the 40
most-essential buttons appear on the Harmony One remote – so people can
find the right one quickly. Each button is individually sculpted,
providing useful tactile cues so people can operate the remote by
touch, rather than relying on sight.

To better address ergonomics, the Harmony One remote features a
curved, exceptionally comfortable shape that is easy for anyone in the
family to hold, regardless of hand size. Presenting an elegant
piano-black top and a silver base, and black buttons with white
backlighting, Harmony One is the perfect complement for any living
room. And the rechargeable remote’s recharging station has a sleek
profile with an adjustable light that makes it easy to find, even in
the dark.

In addition to its optimized design, the Harmony One delivers the
renowned benefits common to the Harmony family of universal remotes,
including its exclusive one-touch activity-based control system powered
by the world’s largest A/V-control database of entertainment equipment,
guided online setup and sophisticated telephone support.

The Evolution of One-Touch Activity Control
Using the Harmony One color touch screen, people simply touch the
appropriate activity button and the Harmony One remote does the rest,
including turning on the right components in the right order and
setting the correct inputs. To watch a DVD, for example, people simply
touch "Watch a DVD" on the touch screen. The Harmony One remote turns
on the TV, the DVD player, and the A/V receiver. Then, if necessary,
the Harmony One remote allows people to adjust the volume on the stereo
system. There’s no need to control components individually – the
Harmony One remote manages everything. And the Harmony One remote even
provides interactive on-screen help if something interferes with an IR
command (for example, if someone walks in front of the set-top box).

Patented Smart State Technology
Patented Smart State Technology® enables the Harmony One remote to
deliver activity-based control. Smart State Technology allows the
remote to track the power state and input setting of the various
components it controls. With this technology, Harmony remote users can
effortlessly switch between watching home theater and listening to
music by selecting a single activity button.

Guided Online Setup
Logitech’s Internet-based setup makes getting the Harmony One up and
running as easy as possible. With its intuitive setup wizard guiding
the process, the Harmony One online interface allows people to enter
their components’ make and model numbers. Then, this information is
automatically matched to the characteristics, discrete codes and
infrared commands of the more than 225,000 devices from more than 5,000
manufacturers (updated almost daily) contained in Logitech’s online
database. Any devices that don’t match can be added using the online
system, and the setup process lets people add the control signals from
the original device’s remote control to the Harmony One remote. When
people want to add a device to their living room, they can be confident
that the Harmony One remote can control it – today and tomorrow.

Pricing and Availability
The Harmony One is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe
beginning in February for a suggested retail price of $249.99 (U.S.).
The Harmony One will be showcased in the Logitech CES booth (No. 35512,
South Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center).