Since HAL's initial release a little more than a year ago, we have issued more than a dozen software updates, free to registered users via the HAL website at www.AutomatedLiving.com. New technology has reduced download times substantially. Downloading HAL updates should take no more than 15-minutes with most modems. If you have been updating HAL regularly, you have already noticed this improvement. If you are working with a very early version of HAL, and would like the update via CD, please call us at 888 663-5500 (A shipping and handling charge of $7.50 will apply). To verify your HAL version number right click on the HAL Ear icon in the Windows system tray, then left click on About. The HAL Information screen which appears will include the HAL version number.

 LOOK WHAT’S NEW IN v1.2.12

Second Thermostat Control Now HAL2000 gives you the ability to control a second thermostat.

Microsoft Outlook Interface If you use Outlook to manage your personal information including phone numbers and calendar events, HAL2000 will now let you substitute your Outlook databases for those included with HAL. Calendar information will reside in a new HAL section called Reminders. If you use another personal information manager (PIM), HAL includes a utility to translate those phone numbers into the HAL phone Directory. You tell HAL whether to use your Outlook database in a new option box located in the Personal Assistant Configuration screen.

Attention Word Recognition Improved If HAL has a habit of speaking when not spoken to in your home, then you’ll be pleased to know that v1.2.12 has expanded the voice recognition parameter controls for Attention Word recognition. You’ll find the new controls on the Voice Recognition Configuration screen. The new parameters will download in default settings. Adjust them to find the settings that best fit your environment.

Sports Scores by Team If you’re a user of HAL’s Internet sports news feature, you’ll be happy to know that now you can ask HAL for individual team scores rather than wait for the score you want in the recitation of all that day’s scores from that particular sport.

Self-Repairing Internet You may have noticed suspensions in your Internet information automation. These are due to web site changes beyond HAL’s control and fixes have generally had to wait for the next HAL update. Now, HAL will make Internet repairs on the fly by securing a file from the HAL website during automatic Internet updates.

There are many other changes and new features in Version 1.2.12. We strongly recommend that you review these, after you install this new version, by going directly to the ReadMe option in the HAL program directory. Click Start in the Windows system tray. Then click Programs, HAL2000, ReadMe. The ReadMe file will open using one of your word processing applications – probably Notepad. Scroll down to Errata for HAL2000. Review the items with 1.2.12 in the left margin.

The HAL Help File is constantly being updated to reflect the changes in the program. The new help file user interface makes it easier to use than ever. From most open HAL screens, press F1 to open up HAL Help. You may also click on the Windows Start button, Programs, HAL2000, HAL2000 Help.

Many of you have inquired about the ‘listening’ wall switches that have been in development for the past year. We have been waiting for one of our partners to fabricate the chip needed to boost the powerline bandwidth to the degree needed to conduct a fully duplex conversation with the computer. The chip is still in development and we are no longer prepared to speculate on when delivery might take place.

In the meanwhile, Microsoft has announced a licensing agreement with California based chip maker, Intellon, to develop a chip that will generate as much as ten megabits of bandwidth on the powerline. This would be enough bandwidth to network computers and move full motion video over the powerline. It would be more than enough bandwidth to enable communication with HAL over the powerline via light switches containing speakers and microphones.

Bottom line, our commitment to hands-free communication with HAL throughout the home remains stronger than ever. Other HAL partners are working to develop radio frequency (RF) devices to enable hands-free, wireless communication via small ‘information hubs’ no bigger than ash trays that would house a small microphone and speaker. Other HAL partners are developing hands-free communication with HAL via the existing home phone lines. Stay tuned – we’ll keep you posted on the development of these solutions as they progress. We know you’re anxious – so are we!

TAPI is the abbreviation for Telephone Application Programming Interface. It is the industry standard developed to facilitate the interoperability of telephony devices and the software programs written to control them. In theory, any device – like a modem – that is TAPI compliant, should respond to all the commands delivered by TAPI compliant software.

This is a very important relationship for HAL’s telephony-rich feature set, which requires the service of a voice/data modem. In fact, HAL is one of the most robust modem applications available today. Very few modems have included all of the features necessary to be fully HAL compatible. As a result, our customers’ choice of modems has been severely restricted. The ModemBlaster (DI5600) from Creative Labs/Digicom continues to be the modem recommended for use with HAL.

TAPI compliance should open up a much broader menu of HAL compatible modems. Our work to convert HAL to full TAPI compliance is complete. TAPI will be implemented our next HAL2000 release, version 1.3, now scheduled for early Spring. HAL will be fully TAPI compatible in that release. Unfortunately, many modem manufacturers are advertising TAPI compliance - and not full TAPI compatibility. TAPI compliant is something less than full TAPI compatibility. Modem makers are often leaving out certain TAPI features in order to reduce manufacturing costs. In many cases, these are modem abilities that are required by HAL. For example, the ability to pick up any phone in the house, press the # key, and talk to HAL, depends on the modem’s ability to detect when the telephone handset is on or off hook. This is a TAPI feature, but numerous modems that advertise TAPI compliance do not include this ability.

Users may test the TAPI compatibility of their modems by using the TAPI test program included in release 1.2.12. To use the HAL TAPI Voice Modem Test Drive (VMTD) program, click Start in the Windows system tray, click Programs, HAL2000, TAPI Voice Modem Test Drive.

We continue our search for modems that are fully TAPI compatible and we are working with modem partners including Creative Labs/Digicom and 3Com to ensure a broader modem selection for HAL users. We thank our users for their patience and we are convinced you will agree that the final TAPI implementation in HAL will have been worth the wait. TAPI will improve HAL’s telephony performance.

 This is the first edition of the HAL Users’ News. A new edition will be sent to your email address quarterly or with every HAL update. In our next issue, we will introduce the new features in HAL2000 version 1.3, including full TAPI compatibility and a newly revised graphical user interface. Here’s a sneak preview of HAL’s new user interface, scheduled to debut in v1.3.