Panasonic’s latest Strada F-Class car navigation systems are yet another reason to lament not living in Japan. The CN-HX1000D and CN-HW1000D borrow the VIERA label from the company’s premium LCD TVs, though scaled down to just 7-inches, and throw in a DVD player, GPS, hard-drive, iPod link, Bluetooth and a 1-Seg digital TV tuner. Most impressive, though, is Panasonic’s “From Home to Car” system: that uses a Bluetooth cellphone to link up with a networked home.
Home automation and media specialists VidaBox have released their latest touchscreen controller, a wall-mounted 12.1-inch display that runs Windows XP embedded and boasts a unique mounting design. The TOUCHCLIENT12 package consists of a “roughbox” that is fixed into the wall and the computer itself, which requires only two connections – 12V power and ethernet – and magnetically clips into the mount. Once installed, the system can either be used as part of a whole-house media and automation setup, using a centralised server, or can act as a standalone device running any software compatible with XP embedded.
Nowadays, Linux has been used for so many gadgets and computing appliances – some of those who use them does not even know Linux powers it. While Linux is not the bona-fide desktop OS in term of market share, it is a very powerful operating system that many average Joe still afraid of giving it a try. Control4 is one of the companies that take advantage of Linux for its flexibility and low cost. Recently Control4 introduced a new home automation controller, the Linux based HC-500.
SlashGear Japan
