Price Paid:  $103.00 from comp-u-plus

Summary:
This remote works! For example, press the "TV" button and it turns on your TV. Press the "watch a DVD" button and it turns on your TV, sets your TV to the right input, turns on your DVD player and begins to play the DVD. If you use your audio receiver for surround sound, it will also turn it on. Amazing. When done, press the "TV" button and it will shut off the DVD and receiver, then return your TV to the proper input and select your favorite station. All commands for a particular device (TV, DVD player, etc) can be made available. More common commands are available on another screen. The web-based setup of the remote works well, although you need to read the prompts carefully. The more complicated your system, the more customizing (tweeking) the setup requires. In the end, when everything is working properly, all your settings are saved to the Harmony internet site for easy recovery or further modifications. That is a lot of peace of mind.

Strengths:
Web setup with free internet storage of settings. "activity based" and it works! Buttons well placed. Reasonable street price.

Weaknesses:
Small buttons, small LCD screen

Similar Products Used:
MX-500

Price Paid:  $135.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
I bought this remote with the hope it would be able to control my basic home theater system. It doesn't. Switching inputs on my AV receiver requires no less than 20 or so button pushes. When I press the "Watch TV" button it sets the TV wrong every other time.

Strengths:
Glows brightly, but this probably uses the batteries pretty quickly.

Weaknesses:
can't control even a basic home theater system. Advanced features are completely beyond it's capabability.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Harmony 688 Remote very unreliable. 2 remotes in 2 months with non working buttons.

Strengths:
Programmable so I can assign non working buttons to other buttons.

Weaknesses:
Totally unreliable---appears it has major manufacturing defect resulting in buttons not working.