I long for the days of my Newton eMate...20 hours of battery life on a single charge.

DO NOT go X10. I had X10 for years...the issues involved with line interference, reliability, and so on aren't worth the hassle. I moved away from that with our new home and went 95% Insteon.

I have a few old legacy X10 units for low voltage (remote control of the fireplace), but all other lights, outlets, and appliance controllers are all Insteon.

Indigo is something I've been using for years now...it is feature rich, stable, works with Applescript...you can tie it to Ir for use with Harmony Remotes. Remote Buddy allows you to tie remotes to the Home Automation through Applescript.

I even have scripts and automation tied to things like a laundry timer. Double tap the light switch in the garage and the timer starts. In 55 Minutes the lights toggle on/off and my laptop, kitchen computer, and my wife's laptop announce:

"Laundry Done"

I tie my home automation to EvoCam which is enabled when I leave the house. It turns on the iSight and records if motion is detected. Someone breaks in...lights come on and smile...two cameras are capturing and sending your image to my iDisk.

So all lights, fireplace, motion detection, cameras, timers, appliances, blah blah blah are all working.

I do have one proximity detector running as well. When I leave the house, my iPhone bluetooth tells the house I've left...turns on the security.

Ping me and I'll hook you up with some folks at Smarthome who make Insteon.

Joel,

I've written for O'Reilly on automation and been doing it for 10+ years. I've posted my system here before:

http://web.mac.com/agraham999/Rain_Barrel/Home.html#11

I have Video Cameras that do videoconferencing and also have cameras that record for security purposes and send the video to a remote location. I've even used Wi Fi cameras.

HVAC, lighting, vampire devices, motion detection, etc...I've got it all.

I don't bother with RFID since our house is small and I don't really want that tracked, even with presence/proximity detection, haven't yet found that useful.

The combination of Remote Buddy and Perceptive Automation's Indigo...tied to a Mac Mini...I have yet to find anything I couldn't do.

As for retrofitting...very little effort to do it and the cost isn't that bad. My energy savings alone pay for it.

If you want to chat about it, ask Mark for my email address, although I think you have access to it as a commenter.

Alan Graham

I've been a tech writer now for close to 10 years...prior to that I worked in the cutting edge in tech for another 6. I've written for O'Reilly, ZDNet, and tons of other tech publications...and I gotta say I've had a pretty good run of predictions. And the reasons I do pretty well is that I:

a) never forget that I'm a user/customer. I always think of myself and the people I know when writing about something. If I wouldn't actually part with my hard earned money for a product or service...I know it is doomed...no matter how cool it is.

b) I always get spousal approval. If my wife doesn't get it...a lot of folks won't.

I've been off on a few things...but mostly predicting what I think is the best technology on the horizon...and even then it is generally because I'm too early to the party.

On the pundit side however...these are folks who are paid to say crazy things to generate buzz and pageviews...whether quoted or actually writing the piece. Trash talk sells...we all know that.

I bought my iPhone the day they went on sale. I've never regretted it and it far exceeds any phone I've had...and I've had a lot. No device is perfect but it comes pretty darn close...close enough that my die hard Windows loving/anti cell phone brother-in-law is going to buy an iPhone and MacBook this year.

Well I'm now off gravy!

Joel,

Well it replaces it IF you have a computer tied to your stereo. That's a small group. But hey...yeah...it is cool. But for people who use their iPods or iPhones to jack into their stereos or dock...it does no good whatsoever.

It is a cool feature...no doubt, but I'd look at Remote Buddy if I were you...it controls EVERYTHING...not just iTunes. I use it for home automation and Front Row. When I click on Open Front Row, my lights dim, my stereo amp kicks on the right input, etc. I'll bet they release an iPhone app very soon.

Don't get me wrong though...I'll surely play with it. I can always tie it into my Sonos system!

Insteon for life.

I don't see the iPhone remote for iTunes as the big replacement for a Sonos. My Sonos isn't valuable to me because it has a remote or can be controlled from a computer...but because it gives me synced music in 4 locations of the house and plays multiple sources in different rooms. It also runs headless...pulling the music from the NAS Drive, no computer required.

Remote Buddy has had an iPhone remote for iTunes and other apps for some time now (albeit run as a web server/web page).

I think the remote is handy for people right now who simply use iTunes as their music library running from computer->stereo. Can it control an AppleTV? And for those who use a dockable solution...it is of no use at all.

So...I think putting in bold the "negates the need for a Sonos"...isn't quite accurate...since you have to have a computer directly connected to a stereo.

Just my $.02

Sell your Verizon stock!

We've heard these comments before not just from Verizon and Palm...but Dell, Creative, Motorola, MS. This is not the type of talk that makes me think they take the threat seriously.

If you look at Apple's sales, iPod sales are down because the iPhone has replaced it. I can speak from experience having a Pebl, Samsung, Blackberry, and Sony phone all in the same year...the iPhone has been the best of the bunch and the upgrade in both hardware and software is only going to boost the success of the device.

Regardless, when I hear management make comments like this I sell stock because I know they aren't using critical thinking and instead are behaving like an ostrich with its head in the sand.

Kinda surprised the JJ Adams one isn't up there...I thought it was outstanding.

Does it have call waiting or do you have to use the keyboard for the other ear? I hear you hang up by unplugging the computer.

What's up with Sony lately?

Ummm...and if you need to use the mouse while talking? Do you then just roll it across your face?

Actually you can hide all your gear (if properly ventilated. Here's what I use:

http://www.smarthome.com/59500.html

Allows Ir transmissions through any cabinet.

To AKBAR56

The TV is on a articulating arm. It can be lifted away from the wall and down. Our sofa also has a high back so it really isn't an issue.

Mine isn't futuristic, but I think it works well.

42" Plasma with a custom built in storage area for all the gear. In-wall surround speakers. Behind the TV is a Mac Mini as media server, Sony 7.1 surround amp, Sonos, EyeTV, 300GB NAS drive, 1TB media drive, Home Automation system, Cable Box, UPS.

Here's one image:

http://web.mac.com/agraham999/Rain_Barrel/Home.html#14

A close up:

http://web.mac.com/agraham999/Rain_Barrel/Home.html#16

Amp & Sonos:

http://web.mac.com/agraham999/Rain_Barrel/Home.html#17

And Mac Mini:

http://web.mac.com/agraham999/Rain_Barrel/Home.html#18

I love the design as the plasma looks like a framed painting over the fireplace, and all the cables are hidden.

Well at least when you burst into flames, you aren't too far from cooling your burning flesh. That seems like good industrial design right there.

Anyone wanna wager their biggest client is the White House?

I know I would...isn't that the movie with Greta Garbo?

Actually...seems like they proved Darwin right.

While I have fond memories as a child...waking up on the farm with the soft sounds of the percolator, I don't care for the coffee from it. Personally I don't like my coffee boiling over and over...

First I'll come to the defense of the drip machine...but not just any drip machine. My own machine is the Bosch Porsche...pricey at (originally) over $300...for one thing it brews at a proper and consistent temperature...hitting 200 degrees. It brews into a glass lined thermal carafe...and the ergonomics of the machine are outstanding:

http://www.wholelattelove.com/articles/bosch_porsche_coffee_maker.cfm

But it is tricky to beat a french press...however I also use another method which is the Evo Solo CafeSolo.

http://www.evasolo.dk/products-cafesolo.html

You can even get matching sugar and milk containers.

http://www.evasolo.dk/products-sugar.html

I tend to change my brewing daily depending on my mood and the coffee I choose.

I recently moved to Portland...buying a new house. I had Comcast come in and install their internet and cable. I've got the internet and cable on separate lines.

When I first started using the internet here I was amazed that my download speed was almost double that of my signal in San Francisco.

However I've noticed since I started buying iTunes shows and torrenting files here...my connection has dropped in speed significantly.

I've gone from torrenting at 50-150Kbps to 10 or less...and the other night my iTunes purchase took an hour to download what normally would take just a few minutes.

I know they are throttling my connection...so as soon as FiOS is here...a four year Comcast customer is leaving. I'm not even going to go into all the other crap they have put me through with billing errors and whatnot.

I guess if you have cheap knives you can use this...but I wouldn't put my global knives in one. Buy a proper double sided whetstone and learn how to sharpen a knife. I'm not sticking a $150 knife into a $150 machine to "practice on" until I get it right.

If you are worried about sharpening by hand, buy an angle guide that clips to the back of your knife to help you with the right angle. You can sharpen 5 knives by hand in about 15 minutes.

As someone whose been using Roombas now for maybe 4 years...I've learned a few ways to keep them running a long time.

I clean my Roomba with compressed air all the time...plus a little WD-40. Once the warranty ran out I took it apart and did a thorough cleaning. I've done this twice on both of my units and they are still running years later. I do replace the battery and the brushes about once every 14 months...since I use these puppies several times a week.

I've decided to upgrade to the new Roomba...but I'm sold on the technology...and I also use my Scooba a couple times a week (over a year old).