HALO Touch- how’s it going?

[NYInstallers]

I got the halo touch, eh.  Not that thrilled with it.  I loved the neeo interface, size, feel and simplicity.  The halo touch is larger, the battery drains quicker (I did hear there are some workarounds), there are A LOT more buttons and the buttons are in completely different places  

Below is my list    If I am wrong on anything or you have a workaround please let me know   

- the power button is on the top edge of the remote.  Very weird.  

- mini apps require you to press watch after you select the app your want.  For example, if you press Netflix under Roku Apps and then you have to press one more button to start watching.  Very very annoying.  

- to get to things other than watch and listen you have to go to a submenu.  Very very very annoying when you’re waking up and just want to turn on the coffee maker or in the middle of the night you want to lower the AC.  

- changing rooms used to be done from the top of the screen but now it’s in a sub menu.  

- ok maybe the 5ghz compatibility is worth the battery issue.  But at least give us wireless charging capabilities if we need to charge it every night. I don’t want to give the impression that the battery runs out after an hour.  But if you’re going to drain the battery faster there should have been more ways to charge.  

- the NEEO was ultra responsive.  This remote is even more responsive.  

- I’m not crazy about the new interface on the remote. The interface is inconsistent with the new 3.3.3 icons. Even though I hate the new interface icons. I have no beef with using the hamburger instead of the logo.  But I think that was a silly branding mistake for C4.  They should have kept the logo. 
 

- when you goto list of lights.  You need to click into each light to turn them off instead of just turning them off down a list.  
 

and finally 

I realize the neeo took C4 in a new direction. So they weren’t able to maintain the interface consistency on the neeo as their other OS3 devices like touch screens, controllers, apps.  But why did they go even further on the halo touch. I happened to love the NEEO interface I think it was almost perfect. 
 

again please let me know if any of the above can be worked around or changed.  

[anon2828]

Agree.  The 3-line hamburger does not bother me as it is now a standard design element.  What bothers me is the horrible icons under the hamburger menu that are totally inconsistent with the rest of the UI in Control4.  In fact, I have not updated my system software because of this.  Really bad.

[ricparker]

No "Home" button. I realize one shows up on the screen on occasion (though I"m not sure when), but when you are into the control there is no obvious way back to the beginning

Why do Roku mini-drivers have an extra control for "Eject"?

Where are any custom buttons? Now that the Halo will address this better (with dynamic buttons that follow the sources) this one has nothing! This also means the nice workaround to show the "Room Off" button on the screen so people can figure out how to turn off their system doesn't work.

 

I'm sure there are more, but it's a start...

[chopedogg88]

Home button would be nice. Or at least the option to configure the on screen button to be a home button if desired.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[JSTRONG]

Yes we needed a home button. I keep pressing the Onscreen button thinking it will take the remote to the home page

I have 6 in my home. Battery life is great. Love the smaller form factor.

[Neo1738]

4 minutes ago, JSTRONG said:

Yes we needed a home button. I keep pressing the Onscreen button thinking it will take the remote to the home page

I have 6 in my home. Battery life is great. Love the smaller form factor.

I do like that Roku uses "Menu" as a home button. Use that all the time. 

[Topspin14m]

My impressions so far.  I do miss the smaller, slimmer form factor of the Neeo.  That said, my wifi problems have disappeared and I love that the Halos have 5ghz.  The extra button presses are annoying but I assume they'll iron those out in future firmware releases.  Overall, I'm a fan.  If there were some way in the future to get voice working with Roku (I know this is a partnership issue) that would really be next level.

[NYInstallers]

On 8/2/2023 at 11:37 AM, anon2828 said:

Agree.  The 3-line hamburger does not bother me as it is now a standard design element.  What bothers me is the horrible icons under the hamburger menu that are totally inconsistent with the rest of the UI in Control4.  In fact, I have not updated my system software because of this.  Really bad.

I will say that updating my system was great.  I was on 3.3.1 (I think) and there were some funky bugs.  The 3.3.3 ironed out a lot of them.  It was worth the UI change that will only affect the touch screen and app   

 

[NYInstallers]

8 hours ago, Topspin14m said:

My impressions so far.  I do miss the smaller, slimmer form factor of the Neeo.  That said, my wifi problems have disappeared and I love that the Halos have 5ghz.  The extra button presses are annoying but I assume they'll iron those out in future firmware releases.  Overall, I'm a fan.  If there were some way in the future to get voice working with Roku (I know this is a partnership issue) that would really be next level.

I’m hoping they’ll iron it out.  The only thing that worries me is the power button at the top of the remote cannot be moved that would require a retooling. I don’t understand where that came from.  

The power button being at the top forces you to completely change your hand position on the remote. That is already a big complaint when I’m showing this thing to customers. 

[dinom]

How often are you pushing the power button anyway?  It’s the same way on the regular Halo that a lot of us have been using for a while. To me it was unusual for a remote, but no big deal. Just like the power button on an iPhone. 

[NYInstallers]

6 minutes ago, dinom said:

How often are you pushing the power button anyway?  It’s the same way on the regular Halo that a lot of us have been using for a while. To me it was unusual for a remote, but no big deal. Just like the power button on an iPhone. 

I barely use the power button on an iPhone.  The power button the remote turns off everything in the room so I need it every time I’m going to sleep, after watching in my den, when I’m carrying a load of dishes from the backyard and trying to turn everything is  off.  

[DanITman]

I don't mind the power button on top.  On the neeo I have the confirmation on just in case I hit it.  On the halo I don't need the confirmation and in one press everything goes off.  I like that. 

I wish I could pick up the remote and use it immediately.  Instead I stare at it for a few seconds until it wakes up and I can use it.  The neeo is instant on and works right away. 

I second the extra button presses.  The neeo had apps right on the home screen that you could control.  Now you are required to hit watch or listen to get to what you want.  

[South Africa C4 user]

It sounds like waiting a few months before getting a Touch will result in a more pleasing first time experience.  At least most of the problems sound not serious or a software issue (unlike backlighting on the Neeo which was a serious issue and no software could fix that omission!)

[msgreenf]

1 hour ago, NYInstallers said:

The power button being at the top forces you to completely change your hand position on the remote. That is already a big complaint when I’m showing this thing to customers.

purposeful so you don't accidentually hit it

[NYInstallers]

2 minutes ago, msgreenf said:

purposeful so you don't accidentually hit it

That’s why you have the room off confirmation.  
 

id rather two clicks than a total hand position change. But that’s just me.  

[NYInstallers]

25 minutes ago, South Africa C4 user said:

It sounds like waiting a few months before getting a Touch will result in a more pleasing first time experience.  At least most of the problems sound not serious or a software issue (unlike backlighting on the Neeo which was a serious issue and no software could fix that omission!)

Absolutely. 
 

And the backlight I agree, but after a month we could pretty much use it without needing to look at the remote. 

[Neo1738]

1 minute ago, NYInstallers said:

Absolutely. 
 

And the backlight I agree, but after a month we could pretty much use it without needing to look at the remote. 

Agree as there are only a few hard buttons on the Neeo it was easy to muscle memory them for use in the dark.

[DanITman]

3 hours ago, Neo1738 said:

Agree as there are only a few hard buttons on the Neeo it was easy to muscle memory them for use in the dark.

Its the reason I don't care about back lit buttons.  In the beginning it matters but you should have them pretty well memorized after a few uses. 

[CTMatthew]

It's been a weird rollout. The OS3 rollout felt fairly coordinated. The OS4 rollout is sort of a secret I guess. The UI design of the Halos is basically a sneak preview of OS4, but since no one is really saying that it just feels like they're not cohesive with the rest of the experience. Should have been an OS4 rollout with new remotes and not vice versa. 

I also really prefer the form factor of the Neeo and really dislike the power button placement. 

I think for clients who haven't experienced anything else it's a great remote. Hopefully some of the UI stuff gets sorted out. 

[NYInstallers]

@CTMatthew Completely agree. OS3 was amazing in my opinion. It drew a lot of customers in. But the key of that success was mainly that the interfaces fell into 90% uniformity, so it was an easy sell to customers who run at the mention of a smart home.

 

Consistent design will keep C4 moving up. 

But its very possible its an OS4 preview that they're attempting to iron out.

[CTMatthew]

Just now, NYInstallers said:

@CTMatthew Completely agree. OS3 was amazing in my opinion. It drew a lot of customers in. But the key of that success was mainly that the interfaces fell into 90% uniformity, so it was an easy sell to customers who run at the mention of a smart home.

 

Consistent design will keep C4 moving up. 

But its very possible its an OS4 preview that they're attempting to iron out.

I know for a fact it is - what you see on the Halo is essentially the OS4 design language. Personally I think it's a step back from OS3. That interface was so crisp and clean and felt like a great template for all sorts of potential improvements. So far OS4 feels more like a DIY universal remote. 

[eggzlot]

22 minutes ago, CTMatthew said:

It's been a weird rollout. The OS3 rollout felt fairly coordinated. The OS4 rollout is sort of a secret I guess. The UI design of the Halos is basically a sneak preview of OS4, but since no one is really saying that it just feels like they're not cohesive with the rest of the experience. Should have been an OS4 rollout with new remotes and not vice versa. 

I also really prefer the form factor of the Neeo and really dislike the power button placement. 

I think for clients who haven't experienced anything else it's a great remote. Hopefully some of the UI stuff gets sorted out. 

I have no inside knowledge But this comment made me curios so I looked:

OS2 was launched in June 2010. OS was launched June 2019.  We are only at 3.3.x now, whereas 2.x went to what, 2.10 or maybe 2.11 or something?

Seems odd if OS4 is right around the corner…

[CTMatthew]

24 minutes ago, eggzlot said:

I have no inside knowledge But this comment made me curios so I looked:

OS2 was launched in June 2010. OS was launched June 2019.  We are only at 3.3.x now, whereas 2.x went to what, 2.10 or maybe 2.11 or something?

Seems odd if OS4 is right around the corner…

My reaction was similar - especially given how great OS3 has been and how fresh it still looks.

[NYInstallers]

4 minutes ago, CTMatthew said:

My reaction was similar - especially given how great OS3 has been and how fresh it still looks.

Agreed- that is, pre- the new icons.

[BY96]

1 hour ago, CTMatthew said:

I know for a fact it is - what you see on the Halo is essentially the OS4 design language. Personally I think it's a step back from OS3. That interface was so crisp and clean and felt like a great template for all sorts of potential improvements. So far OS4 feels more like a DIY universal remote. 

My Halo Touch arrives tomorrow. What about the UI is going backwards in your view? Is it the icons used or the way one navigates through the menus?