Here’s a quick look at the universal remotes we’re working on.
Not Microsoft Windows, plain ole pie-on-the-sill windows turned into a touchscreen computer by Samsung.
The video really wants you to imagine having one in your kitchen, but we know what people are really thinking…
HAI has announced availability of its latest firmware release (Version 3.9) for its Omni and Lumina product families.
New features include Rooms, which allows devices (lights, thermostats, access control card readers, audio zones, buttons, cameras, messages, etc) on the system to be put into one or more rooms.
From the HAI press release:
“For the user, Rooms helps keep controlled devices organized by physical location in large homes and businesses. Users can then access rooms on HAI Snap-Link Mobile apps on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, HAI OmniTouch 5.7e Touchscreens, and third-party Touchscreens using HAI OmniTouch Pro software. When a room is selected, only the devices assigned to that room are shown, eliminating the need to scroll through long lists of devices. To access devices in another room, simply choose the desired room from the list of rooms, or select “All” which will give you access to all items in the system.”
The Cult of Android website has leaked a screenshot of the Kindle Fire’s pre-sales, and if the numbers hold, it could be the biggest tablet launch in history. The screenshots show that orders for Amazon’s tablet are reaching an average rate of over 50,000 a day.
It’s true that preorders don’t always equate to an actual sale, but Amazon’s strategy to compete with the iPad appears to be working so far. Hopefully we see some great home automation apps like Haiku out on the Kindle Fire when it releases.
A new iPhone model was announced at Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” event, but it was the iPhone 4s instead of the anticipated iPhone 5.
The iPhone 4s has many of the features that people predicted would be in the iPhone 5 but no new design. The iPhone 4S also uses the A5 chip that is inside the iPad 2, which means big advancements for graphics in iPhone games.
Another new feature is Siri:
Phone 4S also introduces Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. Siri understands context allowing you to speak naturally when you ask it questions, for example, if you ask “Will I need an umbrella this weekend?” it understands you are looking for a weather forecast. Siri is also smart about using the personal information you allow it to access, for example, if you tell Siri “Remind me to call Mom when I get home” it can find “Mom” in your address book, or ask Siri “What’s the traffic like around here?” and it can figure out where “here” is based on your current location. Siri helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses, get directions and more. You can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking.
A good number of our customers ask about voice control in home automation, so it’ll be interesting to see the response Siri gets.
Apple has made it official: the next iPhone will be revealed on Tuesday, October 4th at Apple HQ.
The above invitation is actually pretty nifty. In Apple’s typical minimalist style, the icons say a lot without actually saying a lot. The date, time, and place are all there (October 4th, 10 AM, and Apple’s campus) but the phone icon has many speculating that Assistant—Apple’s rumored talk-control iOS feature—is going to be the iPhone 5′s killer app.
We’ll just have to wait until next Friday to find out.
Earlier this month, Control4 revealed its new dedicated portable touchscreen with a retail price of about one thousand dollars. The news was met with mixed reviews and a lot of comparisons with Apple’s iPad, whose top of the line models sell for around eight hundred bucks. Many wondered what could possibly make Control4′s touchscreen worth more than the current leader of the tablet wars.
Some argue that its charm lie in not doing everything the iPad can do and simply being a reliable way to control your home automation system, but does that warrant the price.
Today, over at CEPro, there’s some speculation that two-way video communication may be Control4′s key benefit over the iPad. Of course, Apple has Facetime, but as Julie Jacobson notes in the comments section on CEPro, “The trouble with Facetime is that it doesn’t automatically come up when the doorbell rings.”
That’s a neat feature, but the question still remains: is it worth it? A lot of our customers already own iPads, and it’s hard to imagine them paying an extra thousand dollars just to see who’s at the front door. Even if you have the money, will people want another portable gadget to carry around? And if the touchscreen isn’t always on hand, what’s the point? Perhaps things will be come clearer as more details about the device are released.
Is the new touchscreen worth the price, or is Control4 making the same mistake tablet makers did when competing with the iPad? Comment on this post with your opinion.
Home Automation is all about control and convenience. Our systems give you control both at home and while you are away.
In-wall, portable, and handheld touch screens are the primary user interface and provide easy control over the entire house. From any touch screen you will have control of your entire home automation system.
Remote access from your Smart Phone, computer, or phone line is also possible with many of our systems.
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Featured In-Wall Touch Screen Options and Digital Home Control Panels
HAI’s OmniTouch 5.7e Touch Screen features a 5.7″ screen and the ability to have any graphics you desire. We can design these screens from the ground up to suit your desires.
Control4′s Infinity Edge 5″ & 7″ look great on the wall and give you easy access to your media, lights, climate, and more.
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Featured Portable & Handheld Touch Screen Options
The OmniTouch 10p Touchscreen is a portable 10.4 inch Ethernet based Wi-Fi Touchscreen. The homewoner can carry it around the house or keep it in a charging docking cradle on a table for easy access to manage the home’s lighting, temperatures, A/V equipment, and more.
Crestron Prodigy Handheld Touch Screen gives you one-handed control of your TV/Theater as well as control of lights, music, and other devices.
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Home Control Software
With HAI’s Snaplink software you can control your home from any Windows-based computer with internet access (sorry, Mac users).
Change the temperature, arm the security, or turn the music on outside; it’s all at your fingertips!
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iPhone/iPad Control
All the systems we offer have iPhone/iPad apps that will allow you to control your system from anywhere in the world.
Many of our systems have apps for Android, Blackberry, andWindows Mobile smart phones. Please give us a call for your specific application.
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