Monday, January 26, 2015

As always, January brings one of my most anticipated events of the year - the global consumer products exposition simply referred to as CES.

In this segment, we'll start taking a look at some of the innovations that will begin finding their ways into more homes and more conversations with folks building and retrofitting homes with smart technology.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) that hosts CES announced at the show this January, that an application called Roomie Remote is the winner of the 2015 Mark of Excellence Awards for Home Technology App of the Year.

The Mark of Excellence awards recognize the best in custom integration and installed technology from manufacturers, distributors and systems integrators.

Roomie Remote is a universal remote for home theater and automation that uses wifi to control thousands of devices like TVs, cable and satellite boxes, receivers, Blu-ray players, lights and thermostats.

Roomie includes extensive innovative control features such as auto-discovery, gestures, virtual remote, compatibility with over 200,000 commands, complete iTunes and Sonos control, synchronization across multiple devices, customization and proximity automation features.

The latest app supports devices including:

• Apple TV: A truly unique breakthrough, Roomie now features direct network control of all current Apple TV generations including gestures, media feedback, and keyboard support.
• Nest Thermostats: Official, supported control over Nest thermostats including commands to set cool/heat points, fan timers, and away status.
• Roomie Blaster: New infrared adapters available from the Roomie Store provide infrared control with no additional purchase.
• Lutron Caséta: Auto-discovery and control over Lutron Caséta SmartBridge Pro lighting/shades.
• Extra Device: The core Roomie application now supports 3 devices up from 2. This change is retroactive.

Stay tuned for more 'reports from the floor', scoping out some of the most interesting and cool item on display this year at CES.

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