This one's been around the block for a bit, but it's just now managed to sneak up on us. The VidaBox vPad comes from the same firm offering up those swank CableCARD-equipped HTPCs, and this home controller shares that very same pizazz. The 10.4-inch tablet rocks a 1,024 x 768 resolution panel, integrated 802.11b WiFi, a built-in speaker and a rechargeable Li-ion good for around 2.5 hours. As expected, this unit enables owners to control multi-room audio, climate zones, security cameras, garage doors and WiFi-enabled toasters, we presume. 'Course, you'll need Mirage software for VidaBox control or your own home automation hardware to really take advantage of the vPad, and unfortunately, we've no pricing / release details to share just yet.

[Thanks, JoeyChina]

Rest assured, the vast majority of us would be well served by Control4's HC-300, but for those with more home automation applications than they care to count, the HC-1000 may be the only man for the job. Reportedly, this beast will tout speeds "in the gigahertz range," and acts more as "a supplement to Control4's suite of control systems and interfaces" than a pure controller. You'll find no ZigBee here, but a USB and Ethernet port supposedly enable the box to run Director automation software and allow the "rest of the house to do what it needs to do." Additionally, the device will offer up 250GB of internal storage with room for expansion, and just in case you're leaning towards indulging yourself, the purported $3,000 pricetag may make you reconsider.

For those looking to make the leap to home automation whilst making sure that elegance is taken into account, Control4 is hoping its newfangled Home Controller HC-300 will fit the bill. The relatively low-cost IP-based home controller offers up a multitude of serial, infrared, and video sensing ports, plays nice with standards-based communication technology including Ethernet, WiFi, and ZigBee mesh networking, and can dictate multi-room music, smart lighting, advanced temperature control, and security without breaking a sweat. Most notably, however, is its ability to output the graphical user interface in sparkling 720p, meaning that you will no longer be ashamed of flashing your home controller's GUI on the big screen. Additionally, Control4 revamped the device by adding an anodized black aluminum chassis and a glossy black faceplate, and it plans on shipping these things out sometime in July for a respectable $699.

[Via CEPro]