January 5, 2007 -- ELAN Home Systems (www.elanhomesystems.com), a manufacturer of multi-room audio/video and home control systems, will mark the European debut of its Olé film interactive touchpad at this month's Integrated Systems Europe (ISE - www.iseurope.org) show.
"Being in tune with our international dealers' needs, we feel certain this product can fulfill their desire for a serious upgrade in user interface design at a great price point," says Paul Starkey, ELAN's vice president of sales and marketing. "With Olé's unique ability to transform itself, literally in seconds, to match any client's décor and its European designer bezel options, this product is a home run for all of us. We are excited to share this product with our international customers first hand at ISE."
The film interactive touchpad was first introduced in the US last September at the CEDIA 2006 show in Denver, Colorado. According to ELAN, in the two week period surrounding the product's launch, dealers booked orders for approximately 10,000 units of the touchpad. The company says that it has since significantly stepped up production to accommodate demand for the product.
According to ELAN, the Olé system combines the speed, graphics and response of an LCD touch panel with the simplicity and pricing of a keypad. The system features photographic quality, backlit slide-in films that can be custom-matched to 7 different frame colors, available in both U.S. and European styling.
The films are offered in a variety of styles, themes and colors designed to match a range of home and personal tastes. The films also offer a choice of 13, 17 and 25 function layouts, providing end-users with control options ranging from basic to complete whole-house control.
The product uses touch-sensitive overlays to detect finger presses over fixed-position "hot spots." The number of hot spots is determined by the film selected, and is automatically remapped during programming to suit each film. The system also features a 1-inch, 65,000-color, graphical OLED display which continuously guides and informs users as to source and system status through real-time feedback. Through the combined use of films, function layouts, OLED and frames, the company contends that the Olé system delivers an effortless level of customization for touchpad control throughout a home.
The system is compatible with all ELAN multi-room controllers. Its IR-learning capabilities and on-board, non-volatile flash memory also allow it to be used as the primary user interface for any system, ELAN or otherwise, says the company.
"We are excited to offer a product that, hands down, is one of the most compelling new interfaces to enter the market in years," concludes Starkey. "With its sophistication and power, Olé is a serious step up in user-friendly, in-wall controls for audio/video systems. Dealer response thus far has been overwhelming, and we expect the huge demand for Olé to continue as a result."