Smart Home Blog

English-based company U-Touch Limited offers the simplest way to turn your large display or plasma to the interactive screen with its new product - U-Touch screen overlay. Just attach it over the front of your plasma or LCD flat panel monitor and you can use it to control your home or HTPC without remote control or keyboard.

The U-Touch screen overlay is connected to the PC via USB and uses Windows or Mac based software to implement touchscreen. It can be placed even to window and will allow to interact with a monitor behind it. It possible to attache the U-Touch to the LCD or plasma with diagonal from 30 to 100 inch. So, it’s cover all range of existing “big screens”. The speed response is also acceptable. For example, 13 msec through 4 mm glass.

It sounds very attractive except fact that Linux doesn’t support. Also the price is unavailable. But I suspect that the big plasma with touchscreen (if it exists) will cost much more than the simple one with the U-Touch screen overlay.

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Since version 2.0.0.44 Plutohome started support Z-Wave devices. Using HomePro Z-Wave USB Interface you can easily configure your Plutohome system to control Z-Wave devices. Z-Wave is a modern wireless technology which use radio frequency (900MHz) to miscommunicate with its devices. It save you from wiring to automate your home (it’s a good solution in case if house already built).

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USRobotics announced its new Skype Certified Cordless Phone designed for home and small office use. The set includes the USR9630 Cordless Phone for Skype and the USR9631 Accessory Handset. The USR9630 base station connects to both a traditional phone line and an available USB port (it supports both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0) on a PC running Skype Internet calling software, to make and receive Skype calls and ordinary telephone calls.

Basically, the Skype USRobotics phone doesn’t have anything which can distinguish it from the bunch of others Skype phones. It might more reasonable to buy Siemens Gigaset phone and Gigaset M34 USB, which is compatible with both Skype and Yahoo! Messenger and looks more attractive.
The phone will be available in September for $119.99 and the accessory handset will be available in October for $69.99. It’s a bit strange because the phone cannot work without handset.

[via eHomeUpgrade]

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Boss - the world leader in the produsing of audio systems has announced a new line of car stereo. This line is notable by support Bluetooth, SD and USB. So, now it’s trivial to bring new music in your car. I read before about support iPod in several car producers. Boss did better solution because using USB you can connect many devices to your car stereo (iPod as well).
[via Akihabaranews]

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Evergreen “DN-UTV880/A” is a USB TV Tuner which has measures 94×26×11mm and weight just 31g but allows to record broadcasts directly to disk or DVD together with the bundled video recording software. It’ available now in Japan at the price of $71.40 only.

[via Thechblog]

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