The impossible dream of the universal remote | Version History

David Pierce is joined by The Verge’s Nilay Patel and John Higgins, as well as Nest co-founder (and current Harmony user) Matt Rogers to follow the Harmony remote's timeline from its origins as the "Easy Zapper", through Logitech's acquisition, and the slow death competing with smart TVs. 0:00 Intro 0:40 The Remote control problem in the early 2000s 5:54 Easy Zapper origins 7:10 How IR technology works 23:43 Logitech buys Harmony 28:03 Smart TVs killed the universal remote 29:52 The golden age of the Harmony remote 38:07 Logitech pulls the plug 42:05 Why people still love the Harmony 50:58 The 8 Version History questions… 1:04:27 Hall of Fame vote We have new merch! Get yours here: https://bit.ly/3RCikCY Subscribe: http://goo.gl/G5RXGs Like The Verge on Facebook: https://goo.gl/2P1aGc Follow on Twitter: https://goo.gl/XTWX61 Follow on Instagram: https://goo.gl/7ZeLv Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/40RFRkg The Vergecast Podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQDexZ Decoder with Nilay Patel: http://apple.co/3v29nDc More about our podcasts: https://www.theverge.com/podcasts Read More: http://www.theverge.com Community guidelines: http://bit.ly/2D0hlAv Wallpapers from The Verge: https://bit.ly/2xQXYJr Shop our Verge merch store here: https://bit.ly/4kPCmEc Subscribe to The Verge: https://bit.ly/3FT6n5S If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For mor