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| Volume 2 Issue 4 August 1997 |
Features
Columns
Reviews |
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This issue marks the completion of our first year with the HTINews ... I can hear you all cheering and congratulating us ... thanks. Home Automation has taken some great strides in that year and many new products are available for us to play with. HomeVision, Stargate, ActiveHome, Home Director, HAL2000, HomeVoice, Cyberhouse, MASS to name just a few. The HTINews has been at the forefront announcing and reviwing these new developments.
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So ... what's in store for the next year? Well, if Home Plug and Play even comes close to fulfilling it's expectations then I think we're all about to witness historic strides for the consumer electronics marketplace. It's amazing to me that 40 zillion people tuned in to see a little lego vehicle bump into rocks on Mars and yet I don't think more than a handful (lucky HTINews readers included) are even aware of what is in store for their future here on earth. Even Bill Gates hasn't said a word ... oh but he will. Be sure to read the Introduction to CEBus submitted by Ken Wacks and follow that up with the new CEBus / HPnP Column by Brian Baker and you'll understand what I mean.
And that ain't all. I had a blast reviewing HomeVision and HomeVoice this month. Star Trek fans get out your cheque books. Now your house can take verbal orders via HomeVoice (even without a communicator) and HomeVision can "Make it so"!!!
As always, we are indebted to those individuals who submit content for the HTINews and the companies who support us with their advertising. Without these great folks this publication would be a flop. You can help by sampling their wares and telling your friends to tune in. Special thanks to Brian Baker for agreeing to contribute a CEBus column in each future issue.
Our Update Mailing List is growing daily. If you're not on it yet then now is a good time to sign up (Click Here). It's the only way you'll know when news breaks in the Home Automation world. We don't bother you unless there is an important development or a new issue is online.
One more thing ... we've got some new features at HTI Home Toys that you should check out. There's the Home Automation and Security Directory (search for companies in the industry), the Tips and Tricks Archive (All the entries from our contest in one place) and we want your input for future developments so please take a moment and look at our Survey.
In This Issue:
- Features
- Uncle Phil - Part 4 - Complex Residential Coupling by Phil Kingery
- Structured Wiring - Steve Shepard with some great wiring advice.
- Intro to CEBus - What is CEBus? - Ken Wacks explains it well.
- What's Driving HA - Driving Forces of the Automation Industry by William C. Klopp
- Easy Automation? - Tony Stewart's views on the Home Automation scene.
- HA on a Budget - or "How I stopped worrying and learned to gradually raise my house's IQ" by Jonathan Somers
- Indoor Irrigation - Automated Systems Water Houseplants By Stuart D. Snyder
- New X-10 Modules - Two-Way Lamp and Appliance
Modules with Status Polling, Automatic
Status Response, and Automatic Gain Control (A.G.C.) By Dave Rye
- Products and Services
- Shows and Conferences
- Columns and Regular Features
- Brian Baker - CEBus - Brian will write a regular column to keep us up to date on the latest developments - This month "Home Plug and Play Plugfest"
- Dave Rye on X-10 - More Questions and Answers
- What We Need Is ... - Tell us what Home Automation Gizmo you need and read ideas from others.
- HTI Survey Says ... - We're doing an upgrade ... what do you like about Home Toys?
- Editorial - Words of encouragement about Home Plug and Play as well as thoughts on Structuring your Home Controller Logic.
- Letters / Events
- Reviews
- HomeVision - In depth review of this Total Home
Control solution.
HomeVoice - The new age - control your house with your voice.
- HomeVision - In depth review of this Total Home
Control solution.
- Tips and Tricks - Contest
- New Contest - Enter to win a copy of HomeVoice software
- Current Entries - Vote on the current batch of entries.
- Tips & Tricks Archive - Past and current entries ... some great ideas.
- News Releases
- HTINews Archives
- More About HTINews and Home Toys
We at HTI strongly support the shareware concept and would like to apply the same principles to this newsletter. If you like what you see and want to support HTINews we welcome your donations.
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Home Toys 1997
