Logitech retains ownership of the Harmony remote control family as it announces the Harmony Ultimate Hub, an "appcessory" device turning iOS and Android smartphones into universal remotes.
The Ultimate Hub is originally part of the Harmony Ultimate and Smart Control product packages first seen on April 2013. A puck-sized device similar to the Harmony Link, the Hub receives RF and wifi signals before it issues commands to up to x8 devices via IR and Bluetooth.
The Harmony Ultimate is also the reason of the change of heart seen in Logitech-- apparently it was not only successful (receiving warm reviews from the specialist press), it "exceeded the company’s expectations for customer connections" and brought a new lease of life to an ailing division.
Logitech first considered selling off Harmony (together with the Alert security division) back in Q3 2013, following "unacceptable" fiscal Q3 2012 results. The company was to concentrate on successful products, chiefly PC and tablets accessories, before it cut all "non-strategic products" by end 2013.
With the smartphone-remote merger saving a device category from the chopping block, will Logitech now manage similar success with its other product divisions?
