Harmony 1000 Universal Remote Basics (continued):
The images below show the Harmony 1000 provided for review sitting on its base. In addition to the 3.5" touch screen display, the face of the device features just a handful of buttons that may be most commonly used by your home electronics devices. You have basic controls such as channel up/down, volume up/down, mute, and a few buttons for navigating the controls and on-screen menus of your various devices.
 
The base for the unit serves as both a convenient location to store the Harmony 1000, as well as the charging station. In general I leave the unit on its base when not in use, but even after several days without being returned to the charger, the battery level indicator remains at 100%.
While the front is mostly aluminum, the back of the Harmony 1000 is covered in fairly smooth rubber that manages to provide you with a decent grip on the unit. While the shape and size of the unit make it pretty much a two handed operation, someone with large enough hands could take advantage of the rubber grip to work the device with one hand. The back of the remote is also the location of the rechargeable battery compartment, as well as two contacts for the base to actually recharge the battery.
 
The above right image shows an angle view of the back where a small flap can be seen that reveals the USB port when opened. The USB connection is only required during setup and programming, and it remains out of site in typical use. The top and bottom edge both have small half ovals of shinier plastic that indicate to me that the IR signal is being sent in two directions. So, instead of just controlling devices directly in front of you, it seems that the Harmony 1000 has things covered if the components to be controlled are not all in one location.
The base for the device is rather simple, and is constructed of black plastic with a high shine to it. There are two contacts that provide the charge to the Harmony 1000, a small connection on the back for the AC power adapter, and when the remote is seated to be charged a small blue LED lights up the front edge of the base.
 
With the basics of the Harmony 1000 covered, let's take a similar look at the Harmony RF Wireless Extender...
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