LIFE|WARE By Exceptional Innovation Brings Home Automation To Your PC
Thursday, 18 May 2006
With
the widespread arrival of broadband networking into the home and the
dramatic increase in consumer use and distribution of digital content,
home automation has entered the forefront of the mainstream home. Just
look at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2005 State of
the Home Builder survey that the Consumer Electronics Association
conducted:
• 83 percent of all new homes included structured wiring
• 65 percent of new homes (over 899,000 houses) has distributed audio as a standard or optional feature
• 58 percent of new homes (nearly 725,000) included a home theater upgrade package
• Nearly half of all new homes were sold with automated lighting, home automation and/or energy management systems.
As home networks become the norm, software-focused solutions that can
control a wide variety of home automation devices will deliver enhanced
value and flexibility for homeowners.
One company that is poised to capitalize on the increase of networked
homes is Exceptional Innovation (EI). EI produces Life|ware; home
control software for lighting, thermostats, security systems, cameras
and media management systems. Exceptional Innovation’s line of
all-digital, high-definition touch panels and system controllers round
out a complete Life|ware solution. Exceptional Innovation combines
Microsoft development with years of home control experience to deliver
life-enhancing solutions for the digital home.
Exceptional Innovation recently launched Life|ware 1.0.1, home control
software that integrates with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 to
support MCE-based installations. Unlike other home automation solutions
that tie the homeowner into a single-branded, proprietary solution,
Life|ware is hardware-neutral giving homeowners more choices and
flexibility.
Life|ware
can be run on a Media Center PC, digital entertainment center, Media
Center extender or EI’s own Life|touch touch panel. When teamed with HP
Digital Entertainment Centers (DEC), televisions, and other digital
products, Life|ware provides a combination of home control and digital
entertainment for a stable and flexible home control solution. Hardware
choices for Life|ware include the HP Digital Entertainment Center z556
or z558 series. Both come with the latest version of Microsoft Windows
XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Update Rollup 2 and offer HD digital
video recording capabilities. Prices start around $1,499. Both of these
DECs can be configured with Life|ware software to maximize performance
for whole-home automation and entertainment functions.
Life|Ware uses Web Services for Devices (WSD) to communicate between
different home systems. Exceptional Innovation’s software bridges to
all Life|ware compatible partner products make each subsystem fit the
cross-platform Web Services for Devices standard. The WSD approach
enables rapid two-way communications that are reliable.
By taking an open, standards-based approach to home automation,
Exceptional Innovation not only created a system that is affordable and
scale-able, but also a system that can be expanded as new vendor
partners are added. Exceptional Innovation’s approach of building
sub-system partnerships and offering control over the MCE interface
positions Life|ware for mainstream applications. Users can adapt EI’s
home control solution to meet their specific needs, whether it is a
single media room or a fully-automated 12,000 square foot luxury home.
Exceptional Innovation’s home control solutions are described below.
Life|ware
Life|ware is Exceptional Innovation’s software that merges control of
your home with your world of digital entertainment. Life|ware is
integrated into Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, which
means you get all of Media Center’s great functionality – you can build
and manage a music collection, enjoy slideshows of your digital photos,
schedule and record your favorite television programs, call up your
home videos, watch DVDs and more. Using the same remote control – the
same six buttons – and the same Media Center look and navigation, you
can control your home’s lighting system, thermostats and security
systems. You can distribute and control your music around your entire
house, check your cameras, enact user-defined Life|scenes or share
media across the network.
Life|touch
Life|touch
is an all-digital, high-definition touchpanel for use in Life|ware home
networks. Life|touch puts control of your home’s lighting, climate,
cameras and security system at your fingertips, and gives you total
access to your digital entertainment. Select and play your music, where
and when you want it. Enjoy high-definition video or watch four
television streams simultaneously. You can even pause live TV. Placed
near an entry, you can use Life|touch to easily enact Home and Away
Life|scenes™ that can adjust your home’s lighting, climate and security
to levels you’ve pre-selected. Available in 8.9 inch and 12.1 inch
screen sizes and in a variety of finishes, Life|touch provides a way
for you to do more with your home control systems and digital
entertainment.
Life|ware 1.0.1 is currently available;
EI’s Life|touch touch panels are expected in Q3 2006. Exceptional
Innovation has an extensive list of partners from leading manufacturers
in the HVAC, distributed audio, lighting, audio component, network
camera, window shade, security, and media management industries. In
addition, Exceptional Innovation has longstanding relationships and
aligned vision with Microsoft, HP, Intel, and other industry leaders.
Pricing for Lifeware 1.0.1 will vary based on installation and scale.
EI will also create custom and premium versions for custom installers.
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