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Posts with tag touchpanel

ELAN ships $3,350 XP-8.4 WiFi touch panel

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 28th 2008 at 5:39AM


If Embedded Automation's mPanel is the exception to high priced touch panels, ELAN's XP-8.4 is the rule. Granted, it does feature an 8.4-inch touch screen and it doesn't have to be mounted in your wall, but $3,350 is a lot of scratch no matter how you spin it. The WiFi-enabled device is now shipping (months ahead of schedule, mind you) to dealers, and aside from controlling just about every aspect of your digital home, users can also browse the web (Flash support included!) on the unit itself. It comes bundled with a tabletop docking / recharging cradle with Ethernet / USB ports and a built-in rechargeable battery pack, but it's too bad that the picture above is about as close as we'll ever get to owning one.

ReQuest introduces 5.7-inch TS6 in-wall control panel

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 2:15AM


If you call yourself a proud owner of ReQuest's F-Series, N-Series or iQ Intelligent Music System, have a gander at this. Said outfit has dished out a new in-wall control panel dubbed the TS6, which features a 5.7-inch 640 x 480 panel and connects to your existing home network via a single CAT5 cable. The system automatically detects any connected ReQuest server and enables owners to browse collections, select / build playlists and control connected set-top-boxes. Interested? Bust out the check book, as this one's going to set you back $1,995 when it ships in November.

WiFi-enabled Crestron touchpanel aids in stargazing

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 1st 2008 at 11:25AM


We've seen home automation touchpanels used for some -- shall we say, unorthodox -- activities, but this is taking things to another level galaxy. Franklin, NC-based Dan Quigley has whipped up a way for his WiFi-enabled Crestron TMPC8X to actually control a giant telescope. Rather than manually getting the 'scope into the right position, he simply touches a button and watches it automatically check to see "if and when that object is viewable." While he's at it, he can dim the lights around him and check the local weather, and once a celestial body is in view, he can snap a photograph or have the system channel the image to any computer / TV. Suddenly, astronomy has become entirely more attractive.

[Thanks, Chuck]

ELAN ships 10-inch VIA! Valet10.0-EM home automation panel

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 24th 2008 at 10:47PM


If you thought Control4's 7-inch POE touch panel was on the large size, get a load of this. ELAN has just started shipping its 10.2-inch widescreen VIA! Valet10.0-EM, which will obviously look mighty peculiar in all but the most spacious of dens. Not surprisingly, ELAN even affirms that yes, this ginormous (comparatively speaking) display can indeed double as a video monitor, which certainly opens up even more possibilities. The unit features rear-placed Ethernet, power and sense input triggers needed for installation, but unless you've got $2,000 laying around unclaimed, that image above is as close as you'll get.

Control4 announces 7-inch POE wall-mounted touch panel

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 29th 2008 at 5:44AM


If Control4's Mini Touch screen just seemed too diminutive for your fat fingers, yet the 10.5-inch edition just engulfed your wall, why not check out the happy medium? The 7-inch POE Wall Mount Touch Screen arrives right between the other two in size, yet offers up the same home controlling abilities for tweaking your lighting, temperature, volume, etc. You'll also find a built-in screen saver application that you can customize with your own photos, and if that there just pushed you over the edge, you can snag the hard-wired version next month for $1,195. Looking for WiFi? You'll have to wait until "later this year."

VidaBox unveils TouchClient12 in-wall touch panel

by Darren Murph, posted May 18th 2008 at 1:14AM


While the vPad will certainly push the buttons of some home automation freaks, the in-wall TouchClient12 is likely to float the boat of just about everyone else. The unit is designed to be mounted flush within a wall, and aside from packing a predictable 12.1-inch color touchscreen (1,024 x 768 resolution), you'll also find Windows XP embedded within. Unlike most of the outfit's products, this one is available to the public right from its website, giving DIYers and headstrong homeowners the ability to bypass those pricey installers (and potentially mutilate their wall). As for connections, all that's needed is power and a CAT5 wire, after which you can program the panel to control anything controllable on your property. Sure sounds nice, but $2,499 nice? We'll leave that one to you.

Crestron adds Windows SideShow support in kepads, remotes

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 19th 2008 at 3:18PM


We know, the lack of SideShow support up until now is somewhat baffling, and while having Crestron onboard certainly won't hurt matters, we doubt this is just the boost Microsoft was waiting for. Regardless, the aforementioned figurehead in home automation has just announced that its touchpanels and control systems will support Windows SideShow, giving owners of such devices easy access to news feeds, sports scores, weather alerts, e-mail, etc. through a simple network connection to a Vista PC. For those curious if their devices are included in the fun, any touchpanel or 2-way device that supports dynamic text (such as the APAD wall mount controller and MLX-2 handheld remote) is game, and if you're eager for more, just head on down to the read link for Creston's official take.

Opus intros WCU600 Touchscreen Control Panel

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 30th 2008 at 1:09PM


If you're sick and tired of having to actually walk more than three steps in order to handle mundane tasks such as turning the volume down in the kids' room or powering up the Opus system in your den, take heart. Opus has unveiled a swank (albeit pricey) new touch panel control unit meant to give Opus system owners full control over their components throughout the house on a 3.5-inch touchscreen. The WCU600 even supports IR control from faraway, but unfortunately, it looks as if this one's tied into the Opus infrastructure only. Nevertheless, those with cash to burn and desires to satisfy can look for it to ship sometime this Spring for £575 ($1,151).

[Via ShinyShiny]

Toshiba rolls out automotive HD DVD player, improved LCD panel

by Erik Hanson, posted May 25th 2007 at 1:37PM

Toshiba Mobile HD DVD player and new LCD touch panel
Toshiba has shown off some auto-related products at the Automotive Engineering Expo 2007, including a mobile HD DVD player and a fresh take on touch panels. The high-definition in-dash player is under co-development with Alpine, and is planned for a 2008 release. The LCD is an improvement on traditional touchscreen technology, with no film coating -- which traditionally reduces contrast ratio and brightness -- to handle the user input, instead bundling optical sensors alongside each pixel. These sensors can then detect the shadow of a press during the day, and the reflection of the backlight at night. Toshiba also plans to upgrade that tech to use infrared instead of day/night sensors. Who cares if you can't see the difference between 1080 and 720 on a 7-inch screen, we just want our mobile touchscreen HD now!




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