RTI began shipping a new flagship handheld remote control with a high-resolution 4-inch capacitive touch screen and programmable soft-touch buttons. The second-generation T4x has a smaller form factor than the previous model, integrated grip sensors to keep the device awake during use and an accelerometer for instant-on activation. It integrates 802.11b/g/n wireless Ethernet, which enables viewing of Motion JPEG video, wireless program updates and enhanced two-way communication, said the company. The dual RF platform supports 433 MHz RF for one-way control and 2.4-GHz Zigbee for bidirectional communication with music servers, lighting and HVAC systems, it said.

Savant is embedding its new smart home software in the Smart series sound bar, the first “of many” coming Savant products to bring Siri and HomeKit compatibility to the company’s connected home experience, it said Wednesday. HomeKit-compatible products will directly control HomeKit and Savant third-party devices via the control company’s software, allowing users to manage door locks, smart thermostats, light bulbs and other compatible devices using Siri on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, HomePod and through the native voice button a Savant Pro handheld remote. The company also introduced a high-fidelity smart audio amplifier that will support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit and streaming music services, featuring 24-bit 96 kHz music playback with ultra-low latency and 125 watts per channel power. An onboard digital signal processing engine has an equalizer and was optimized for Savant loudspeakers including its small-aperture Power over Ethernet speakers, said the company. The SmartAmp will be available in the summer for $699, it said. Also Wednesday, Savant said New Home is its first partner for its breaker companion modules, saying the intelligent modules were designed to snap into standard breaker panels, allowing homeowners to add energy management services to their smart home. As part of a Savant control system, the modules provide energy usage and reporting data across all electrical load types and can be the foundation for a net-zero-compliant home design, it said. The modules meet California’s Title 24 energy regulations and are Apple HomeKit-compatible. Savant is developing intelligent automation for New Home that will allow lights and color temperatures to be set at certain levels based on executed scenes; it will also enable a single room or entire home to be put into a default circadian rhythm mode to promote health and wellness. The Savant partnership is part of a new initiative called EVO Home Tech, about “updating today’s new homes with tomorrow’s ideas,” said Megan Eltringham, New Home corporate vice president-marketing. The homebuilder will unveil the program throughout 2019, offering homes with increased connectivity, customization and wellness features, she said.

Hubitat’s Elevation mobile app is available for Android and iOS users, giving customers availability of remote access, presence detection and push notifications for their home automation systems from smartphones and tablets, said the company Thursday. The mobile app offers geofencing -- only transmitting that a geofence boundary has been crossed -- ensuring that GPS data “stays on the device, is never transmitted or stored and users’ location privacy is protected," it said.

Dahua Technology announced an integration with Control4, its first with a home control platform. Dahua’s Internet Protocol cameras, Pro and Lite series network video recorders (NVR) and HDCVI video recorders are integrated with Control4’s Composer HE 2.9.0 automation system, it said Wednesday evening. Dahua NVRs support motion detection to trigger events on the Control4 system’s watch menu and alert a user of suspicious activity, it said. The Dahua NVR driver provides Motion JPEG and H.264 video feeds and allows integrators to select stream quality, it said.

Savant added high-resolution 4K video tiling capability, available via IP Video input and output modules, for viewing of multiple 4K/60 4:4:4 video sources simultaneously on a single display. Custom integrators can offer the feature with no added costs or specialty equipment required, said the company.

Savant expanded its controllable shade line, adding new bracket styles, low-voltage modules and enclosures, and hidden pocket mountings, it said Thursday. The low-power architecture enables integrators to position up to three five-channel power modules inside an enclosure so they can specify just the power needed for each installation. Savant plans low-voltage keypads, due this year, designed to fit into the same enclosure.

Smart speakers with voice assistants will penetrate 47 percent of U.S. broadband homes by 2022, said Parks Associates Thursday. Its surveys found 43 percent of U.S. broadband homes consider voice control “an important feature when selecting their next streaming media player or smart TV," it said. Those using a voice-enabled app or device “are interested most in simple functions via voice,” with half saying they want voice to turn a TV on and off, while more than a third (37 percent) “are interested in controlling the volume,” it said. Other findings: (1) Nearly half (45 percent) of U.S. broadband homes rated “unified” interfaces as important in their next streaming media player or smart TV purchasing decision; (2) Use of voice control for video is still in “its infancy,” with only 3 percent of U.S. broadband homes reporting that they use voice commands when watching a movie or TV program.

TP-Link announced the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi power strip Thursday, with six outlets that can make any powered device a smart product, said the company. Users can control a device from inside or away from the home, and monitor energy consumption by app, it said. If a device is using too much power, it can be shut off via the app, said the company. The $79 device, with surge protection, can be voice-controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant or Microsoft Cortana, it said.

Crestron announced a partnership with Basalte for the company's Deseo line of room controllers. The minimalistic controllers were certified Crestron Connected and dealers can use them to program functions and scenes for lights, temperature, shades and other devices over the Cresnet bus cable connection using Windows SIMPL programming, said the company.

Crestron announced a Pyng operating system upgrade with availability tied to the release of the CP3-R 3-Series control system due to ship next month. Pyng OS 2 adds integration of video control and distribution for Crestron's DigitalMedia products, along with AV receivers, local sources, set-top boxes and remote controls, said the company. The cloud-based Pyng OS 2 enables integrators to configure, control and support clients’ systems remotely, Crestron said, and end users can control a system via remote control, keypad, touch screen or mobile app.