08.29.2007 — Elan Home Systems is bringing out a new Ole touchpad that is twice is good as the original.

Introduced last year, Ole has been one of Elan's most successful launches. The interface has a small LCD screen, surrounded by virtual buttons embedded on a static, decorative display. Elan calls it a "Film Interactive Touchpad" or FIT.

At CEDIA, Elan will introduce a larger Ole, the Ole XL (extra large), featuring an OLED display that is twice as big as the original. "You only have to toggle through three screens to see all of the sources," Moore says. The display also provides more text-based metadata (8 lines x 20 characters) than the smaller version.

Moore adds that the larger screen provides higher resolution and allows larger icons than its predecessor.

The Ole XL fits in the same backbox as the original Ole--great for upgrades.

More VIA!

One little problem with the pre-made Ole templates is that they don't match the design of Elan's more customizable VIA! touchscreens. Thus, it can be challenging to mix-and-max interfaces in a single home.

Now, however, Elan is introducing templates for VIA! touchscreens that match the designs of Ole. At the same time, the company has a new industrial design for the VIA! touchscreens, which now have flatter, more elegant bezels like the Ole's.



Now, one home can have a variety of user interfaces that look similar across the board.

"It's challenging to make all of the interfaces look good together because of their different capabilities," says David Moore, manager of interface products. But Elan managed.

In addition, Elan is introducing a giant 10.2-inch in-wall VIA! touchscreen for less than $2,000. And because all VIA! panels can deliver live video, "This one is like an affordable controller and TV in one," says VP of marketing Cat Fowler. "It's a price point that no one else is at."

Elan is also scaling down, with the new-and-improved VIA! 4.0-EM four-inch color LCD touchpanel. New features include a local RJ-45 port; dedicated power connector; quick-connect terminals for IR in/out, sensing and 12 volt; and slim-line wall plates available in Ole styles and colors.

Since all of the Elan interfaces now look alike, the company is calling its products the "Best Front Line in the Business."


Preliminary Specs – Ole XL

- 2.1-inch, 16-bit 262k color OLED display
- Viewing angle: 180 degrees up/down, 180 degrees left/right
- Multiple pages for easy source selection
- Screen size: 3 3/4 inch diagonal
- DVD/DVR menu navigation, numeric keys and more
- 36 slide-in designer film styles
- Fits in a standard 2-gang box
- USB port for easy downloads
- Compatible with any standalone system
- Programming with VIA!Tools
- Largest touch-control area of any 2-gang product in the market today
- Light sensor for auto dimming and brightening
- Audible touch feedback through built-in speaker
- Integrated IR receiver
- IR in/out port on back for quick connection of external IR signals
- Seven frame color options


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