@Sandyb:

A few minutes of playing with it at your dealer's store or even bringing one home and promptly returning it is not at all the same as owning one, living with it, and getting a true feel for its usefulness It just gets old that whenever the Halo gets mentioned the same Halo Haters show up trolling when they have no true experience with using it. We get it -- you don't like it. Then just don't buy one. Problem solved!

Thanks!  I do not have a BLI but have been considering one for a long time.  I am not sure I would get much benefit out of it which is what has held me back from getting one.

For me the words that comes to mind when I use my Halo for the last 3 months is: SAD MISSED POTENTIAL. Hardware:

1. The battery life is horrible at 1-3 days. They could have easily fit a bigger battery or create more intelligent power management abilities.
2. The screen should be OLED especially for the price. If it was OLED you wouldn't know where the screen ended and bezel began, and save battery. It should also be in colour to show your music artwork.
3. The off centre logo in the motion sensor looks sloppy

Software:

1. It's dumb as dirt. It's basically a glorified remote for music.  That is unless you get the Beoliving intelligence which costs more than the Halo.
2. Why can't think do everything my iOS device in terms of just the B&O app and maybe some home automation?  Is it because the CPU and OS on the halo is super basic and it can't do as much as an album cover? Is that why you need the intelligence just to turn the light off?
3. The software isn't intuitive. Lots of totally hidden gestures like swipe from top/bottom and they aren't even consistent. No why for casual user to figure that out.

Long story short if the halo came with OR just had the intelligence built in for the same price it would actually be a pretty good product. Not for non-advanced users but for the price it is now (same as iPad Pro which kills it in every way other than a volume wheel) I would be happy. For now it's super over priced and extremely limited. Worst part is when B&O released it they mentioned they wanted it to be the hub of your smart home and software updates were coming. It's been 2 years and still waiting. Don't think its coming either again without the expensive intelligence. Sad :(

I'm very happy that Bang & Olufsen was wise enough to choose a LCD instead of OLED display. That way it is ensured that the product will be usable and survive much longer. OLED displays (yes, todays modern OLED displays, too) tend to burn in, dim out etc. while LCDs can last for decades!

Every day usage:
The halo does a good job here and doesn't act only as a B&O remote.
It works as a Bluetooth remote control and Bluetooth display for multiple devices, including some Sony High Resolution Audio Walkmans.
Streaming via Google Chromecast (which is not very reliable, no matter on which network) we use Bluetooth at home, too.
I don't care too much about my phone but I don't want to have my Sony HighRes Walkman laying around in the kitchen when doing the dishes etc. I like it to much! :-)
Walkman is paired to an Essence in the Kitchen via Bluetooth. When I play music over Bluetooth from the Walkman the Beoremote Halo shows current track, title FROM THE WALKMAN and of course I can skip tracks or play/pause the Sony Walkman! How cool is that? I love it!

Beoremote Halo on every level in the house is the preferred solution to control music and music systems/speakers at home.
It cures the unplanned "Damn, where's my phone?" athletic search tours around the house. :-)

I miss a full screen clock on the Beoremote Halo when approaching it, and Bang & Olufsen should reintroduce the red standby light on every product again. :-)


Currently we use only a small percentage of the HALOs functionality as a few NL/ML convertes are waiting to be installed and even with our current use case the HALO is a lovely addition at out home.. which will hopefully last longer as a mobile phone.

Just a few points,

The screen is a colour screen

And the big software have arrived as promised, but you need the BLI to fully make use of the Halo. That is by design.

Quite an impassioned thread I inadvertently started.

I thought I should give an update. In the end, I went for the Beoremote one. It fits my relatively simple setup of Theatre for TV and music. I also didn’t fancy having another device that needs to be frequently charged. I am still waiting on it as I ordered it on Dec 23. Perhaps in a future home I’ll have the BLI and make way for a Halo but until then…

 

I don't see the Halo as a replacement for a Beoremote One. Rather, I think of it as an improvement on the Essence Remote. Its use is more intended as a stationary point of control rather than moving it around and relying on the battery. The battery is great for the occasional change of location, but I don't rely heavily on the battery power. Notice that the B&O wireless Qi charging pad fits perfectly with the base of the Halo. Therefore, it's easy to keep it charged and move it for the temporary battery use. I'm always careful not to treat the wheel as a handle -- as I'm sure that could over time cause problems.

I've found that the use of my Halo varies greatly depending on where it is located. With the Halo on the living room side table, I frequently use the wheel to easily adjust the volume and lights. With the Halo in the kitchen, I like to move through tracks in a playlist and be able to see the title and artist of the song. With the Halo on the nightstand, I use the Halo as a clock and to turn on the lights in the morning. I do agree that it would be great to have the option to have a full-screen clock -- particularly for the Halo on the nightstand. I've created a clock on a virtual "button" using the BLI, but it's really too small for me to read when I'm groggy in the morning and without my glasses.