From CES today Logitech announced the Harmony 1100 [Amazon.com] touchscreen home theater remote (see official press release). The Harmony 1100 is the successor to the troubled Harmony 1000 (which has issues with touch screen responsiveness, battery life – some of which Logitech eventually address with a firmware update. We like the change in appearance from silver to black.

The Harmony 1100 retails for $499 and ships in February. It can be Pre-Ordered via Amazon. We’ll have a Harmony 1100 vs Harmony 1000 comparison as soon as we get our hands on the 1100.

Like all Harmony’s remotes (see our Harmony Remote Comparison), the Harmony 1100 is setup via PC and Mac-based software. This allows much easier configuration of your home theater components into “Activities” (say, “Watch a DVD”, “Watch TV”, “Play a Game”, “Listen to Radio”). When you choose an Activity, Harmony knows the current status of your home theater equipment and automatically activates the necessary settings. When you switch from “Watch DVD” to “Watch TV”, for instance, the Harmony 1100 shuts off the DVD player, turns on your cable/satellite receiver, and chooses the proper inputs on your A/V Receiver and/or Television as needed.

Check the Official Logitech press release.

Note: So far it appears the Harmony 1100 like the 1000 before it, lacks Bluetooth. That might turn off some buyers, particularly those who use the PS3 as Bluray player.

Compared: Harmony One vs. Harmony 880

You know the beautiful Harmony universal remotes crafted by Logitech.  Once relegated mostly to the home theater “haves” these have become downright affordable.  We’re ready to share our research on two top contenders: Harmony One and the Harmony 880.

Admit it.  You’ve got a couch-load of universal remotes.  That’s because these days every device in your entertainment center came with a universal remote.  You know the type.  Chock full of tiny non-descript buttons that you can’t remember or find in the dark.

Happily Logitech perfected the universal remote by embedding bright, colorful LCD screens and making easy-to-use PC/Mac software to tailor that bright screen to provide control of your home theater by function rather than device.  Even better, you can add icons to your favorite channels, features, etc.

The newer Harmony One and venerable Harmony 880are both great remotes.  They are both a snap to configure on the computer with the easy software that knows every home theater device known to man.  The biggest difference?  The Harmony One boasts a super-slick touch screen but also has a little less polish being the newer of the two.  But they both more than get the job done.