The Louisiana based company Home Automation (HAI) has recently announced a new module for the Philips TSU9800, a universal remote control. The new module offers several improvements, such as enhanced connectivity with home ethernet networks and improved language support. Existing owners of the remote as well as new buyers could benefit from the new update.
Pronto Link, the remote control’s system, allows a homeowner to use a single remote to do various tasks such as controlling a home theater; adjusting lights, temperatures, and security settings, and controlling multi-room audio systems, such as the Hi-Fi by HAI system. Screens are preprogrammed in Pronto Link, so an installer can easily merge the HAI functionality into a standard Pronto project.
Now, HAI has announced that a ProntoScript integration module for the Philips TSU9800 Pronto remote is available as a free download. Among the new features you can find integration with ethernet-enabled HAI Omni and Lumina family controllers. Owners of former models Philips TSU9600 and TSU9400 could benefit as well, since the module has been designed with backwards compatibility.
The main improvement of the new module is the additions of multiple language support: all versions of HAI’s Pronto Link software are available in Chinese, Russian, and Hebrew, in addition to the existing English interface. This is good news for foreigners and HAI consumers worldwide, but since high-end remote-controlled systems are available mostly in English affiliated countries one could assume that there are few people concerned with this issue.
The Pronto TSU9800 merges functionality and design. It features a high-quality 6.4-inch VGA color screen and a practical docking station. The docking station itself is somewhat flashy, with ambient lighting, but the option to completely hide all cables makes it more elegant. The high-resolution display is the largest in Philips’ Pronto line, providing better readability and ease of use.
This innovative remote supports 802.11g Wi-Fi connectivity and it also has RJ45 ethernet input. Furthermore, it is compatible with SONOS, squeezebox, Clipsal C-Bus, and many other brands, and two-way control is available via IP. The Pronto Link uses secure, encrypted Wi-Fi to exchange commands with the HAI controller, leaving the user the sole person who can control the house. According to Philips, the TSU9800 is the “Ultimate Universal Remote” – and it is priced accordingly, at about $3,000, thus making it a very “high end” gadget.
TFOT has also covered LWUIT, a unifying user interface (UI) library for mobile devices built upon Sun’s well-known Java platform, and Luxeed, a unique LED-based keyboard. Other related TFOT stories include two products by Art Lebedev Studio: the Optimus Upravlator, an innovative input device which resembles a touch screen and can be programmed to perform various tasks, and the Optimus Tactus Keyboard, which have programmable keys and a unique design.
For more information on the new module for the Philips TSU9800 Pronto Remote, see HAI’s press release.
