News & Press
In the News

Some of Exceptional Innovation's recent news highlights...

CEDIA News Roundup
09.05.08

Lots of announcements for CEDIA this year, and lots of press:

Everyone's hopping on the iPod/iPhone bandwagon, says Electronic House—but why wouldn't you want to control your home with your iPhone? Yes, Life|ware is adding iPod/iPhone client interfaces.

CEPro covers our new high-density television initiative in Niveus, Lifeware Stretch Media Center with Support for 8 CableCards, 10 Extenders. Get some specifics in The Wall Street Journal MarketWatch.

Gizmodo Australia calls the LMS-810 the Baddest Media Centre PC Money can buy. Need we say more?

Disney Innoventions Dream Home News Roundup
06.17.08

The Innoventions Dream home, controlled by Life|ware, was opened to great fanfare at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA yesterday and it's getting some great press!

See a video tour of the home at disneylandevent.com.

UltimateAVmag.com wants to know when can I move in?

USA Today says Disneyland opens Dream Home with futuristic flourishes.

The Austin American-Statesman has some cool video in Disney's (new) house of the future.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Step into house of the future at Disneyland exhibit.

Life|ware Controls the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry's Green Home
05.21.08

The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry recently opened a new exhibit. Smart Home: Green + Wired, Powered by ComEd and Warmed by People's Gas is a 2,500 square-foot home built in the museum's back yard. It's a fully-functional, three-story home that aims to show museum visitors how energy efficiency and green building can be combined with and enhanced by the latest in home control technology.

The home is controlled by Life|ware, provided by Life|ware dealer Rick Simpson of 3G Applications in Chicago, who donated his time and resources for the exhibition.

The full story (with slideshow!) is at CEPro, or you can learn more about it at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry's exhibit page.

Life|ware Teams with RTI
04.01.08

Life|ware is all about incorporating the best technologies available, and we're always looking for ways to provide our dealers and their customers with even more choices. To that end, Life|ware announces a partnership with RTI, a leading manufacturer of innovative remote controls. RTI's Life|ware-compatible remotes — the T2-C, RK-3, T-4 and the recently announced T3-V — provide the end-user a unique control solution without having to launch a television interface.

Electronic House has the scoop.


Life|ware Wins Two 2008 CEA "Mark of Excellence" Awards
03.17.08

Life|ware has done it again, winning two CEA Mark of Excellence awards announced at EHX. Life|ware 2.0.3 won in the Best Control System category, and our Life|media LMS 754 server won in the Best Media Server category.

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees! Check them out on the CEA website.


Mike Seamons Leaving Life|ware for Microsoft
03.13.08

Mike Seamons, one of Exceptional Innovation's founders, will be leaving Exceptional Innovation to become a product manager in Microsoft's eHome group. Mike has been an evangelist for Media Center for years, and, as EI CEO Seale Moorer says "Mike is so passionate about Media Center, and that voice is better coming from within Microsoft instead of outside by you and me."

CEPro's Julie Jacobs has the scoop here.

EI's Mike Seamons to Moderate EHX Opening Keynote Panel
02.26.08

The Electronic House Expo (EHX) announced today that Mike Seamons, Vice President of Marketing for Exceptional Innovation, will moderate its opening keynote panel for the upcoming EHX Spring 2008. The panel of industry experts will offer insights on custom electronics trends from leaders in both integration and manufacturing.

The EHX keynote will kick off at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 13 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL and feature the following influential panelists:
For more information about EHX Spring 2008, check out their website.

Life|ware Demo at the International Builders' Show
02.15.08

The Orlando Sentinel has an article and demo by Life|ware's Jason Leonardelli from the International Builders' Show. Jason shows off some of the features of the NextGen home built for the show—a home that not only shows off Life|ware, but was also built to withstand natural disasters, and to be energy efficient and have a minimal impact on the environment.

Check out the article and video at High-tech houses let you run things by remote

Disney Dream Home News Roundup
02.14.08

Lots of reaction to the news that Life|ware, along with partners Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Disney, will power the ultimate digital home attraction at Disneyland. Here are a few:

From Engadget, Disney brings back the House of the Future

From Electronic House, "House of the Future" Returning to Disney

From TMCnet, Disneyland Resort to Showcase Cutting Edge Technologies in Innoventions Dream Home

Life|ware to Power Disney Dream Home
02.13.08

Life|ware, along with partners Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Disney, will power the ultimate digital home attraction at Disneyland, set to open this May and run for five years. Life|ware software will be integrating the smart systems in the home into one seamless interface on TVs, PCs, touch screens and more.

From the AP, Disneyland Revives "House of Future"

Want to see what the 1957 house looked like? From techradar.com, Disney's New "House of the Future"

More Life|ware coverage from CES
02.04.08

Video from MSNBC with Mike Seamons showing off the advantages of Life|ware in a home office. MSNBC: Your Business

UK Times Online reviews Bill Gates' keynote address, and discusses the key technologies at CES. Gadgets Swamp Our Digital Future

CEPro discusses why UMPCs are besting Sideshow devices in home automation. Windows Sideshow at CES: Bad News, Good News

The Sydney Herald higlights the emphasis on "green" technologies at CES. Server farms eating electricity

Life|ware NextGen Home Video from CES
01.30.08

Channel 10's Nic Fillingham interviews Life|ware's Jason Leonardelli in the NextGen home at CES. The video is six minutes long, and provides a nice introduction to Life|ware features. Automate your home with Life|ware

And over at The Digital Lifestyle Video Show, Ian Dixon posted a "sneak" video of one of the presentations in the NextGen home. He says "It's a bit cheesy but it's fun and they did a good job showing off the features without going technical." Video of the NextGen home at CES

Electronic House features Life|ware in "Convergence and the Media Center PC"
01.25.08

CableCARD™ makes Windows Media Center the perfect DVR, but it's so much more than entertainment. How Microsoft's Media Center is getting its due. Convergence and the Media Center PC.

NextGen Home a Hit at CES
01.10.08

Mike Seamons takes a reporter on a tour of the NextGen home, and a Leggett & Platt representative shows off their Life|ware connected bed. Story and video at High Tech Home is a Hit at Consumer Electronics Show.

CES Day 1 News Roundup
01.07.08

It's day 1 of CES, and Life|ware already has some buzz to report.

Earthimes.org says At last tech industry takes energy-saving seriously, quoting Life|ware's Mike Seamons:

"Green is becoming a big part of why a connected home makes sense."

Life|ware and our partners are featured in an NBC Nightly News broadcast. Check out the video at Latest tech toys unveiled at CES.

Life|ware 2.0.3 Released
12.21.07

The latest release of this industry-leading digital entertainment and automation software is highlighted by increased functionality, more connected partners and quicker dealer installations. Attendees can see the 2008 CES Innovations Award Honoree live at the groundbreaking Next Gen Home Experience.
Read all about it at Yahoo! News

ADT Teams with Life|ware
11.19.07

Life|ware and ADT security systems have teamed up to integrate ADT into Life|ware's home control. Customers will be able to access Life|ware's complete home control and entertainment, and ADT's security services through Life|ware's simple, elegant interface. When they're away from home, they can control all the systems through a secure Web connection.
ADT teams with Life|ware

Life|media and Life|ware Partner News Roundup
11.16.07

More Life|media buzz, and new connected offerings from Life|ware partners.
Sound and Video Contractor: Exceptional Innovation and Others Advance Media Center Platform at CEDIA
CEPro: Inside the Life|media Media Center PC from Exceptional Innovation
Engadget: Life|ware's quad-CableCARD™ Life|media systems get (more) official
CEPro: Media Center to Support 4 CableCARD™s
TWICE Magazine: EI Expands Hardware, Partner Selection
TWICE Magazine: Russound Bows Smart Media Console Server
TWICE Magazine: Niles Bows Expanded ZR Series Receiver Line
TWICE Magazine: EI Expands Hardware, Partner Selection

Technomenities
09.11.07

Dealerscope identifies a trend at CEDIA they call "Technomenities"—home automation that links users to community-based services like dry cleaning, pet sitting, grocery delivery and more. Life|amenities is one of these exciting new solutions. "Technomenities": The Pleasure-Tronics Trend at CEDIA '07.

MORE CEDIA Buzz for Life|media
09.11.07

In their CEDIA coverage of Life|media, Gizmodo enthuses it's hardly working, using just 57% of its processing power while feeding and recording all that video. Life|ware Shows Quad-Recording Media Center with Four CableCARDs™.

Exceptional Innovation Set to Ship Life|media Media Center PCs. The first 50 CableCard-ready LifeMedia Media Center PCs from Exceptional Innovation are set to ship. Built on Intel's Viiv platform, the units promise unparalleled media control, automation integration.

Engadget enjoys a Hands-on with EI's Four-CableCARD™ 754 LifeMedia Server.

Dealerscope proclaims Life|ware Unveils New Media Center Servers, Microsoft Shows UP. Exceptional Innovation, the developer of the Life|ware home control and automation platform, has moved more into the hardware side and has formed closer relationships with Microsoft and other manufacturers.

CEDIA Buzz for Life|ware
09.06.07

In Exceptional Innovation Delivers Turnkey System for Wired and Wireless Homes, CEPro suggests that Exceptional Innovation has discovered the home automation industry's "Holy Grail—reliable home control that's sophisticated enough to execute a variety of commands and manageable enough for installers to implement consistently at a scalable series of price points."

See a review and slide show of Life|amenities, coming soon to a hotel near you. Schedule spa treatments, buy tickets for shows, or order room service and a movie from your hotel TV. Exceptional Innovation Launches LifeAmenities for Hotels.

Check out our Life|media servers—among the first Media Centers to offer Quad Tuners—reviews and slide show from CEPro.

Audio Video Interiors Tours a Life|ware Home
June 2007

The Theater Inspirations column takes a tour of Woodland Hall, EI founder Seale Moorer's Life|ware connected house, and declares I Want That!

Digital Online Home on Smart Appliances
05.01.2007

Smart Homes, Smart Appliances provides a roundup of the new smart appliances—washers and dryers, ovens, refrigerators, shower heads, even smart toilets—and discusses how builders offering smart appliances like the Life|ware connected LG washers and dryers or TMIO ovens can give themselves a competitive edge.

New Dream Homes and Condos Showcases Life|ware
05.01.2007

Canadian magazine New Dream Homes and Condos on The Future of Home Automation Today.

Custom Retailer Magazine Lauds Life|ware/DSC Partnership
05.01.2007

Custom Retailer describes the Life|ware/DSC partnership as a way to
make it easier for home security dealers to enter the home automation and entertainment market.
Customers who discover the benefits of Life|ware for home security control and begin exploring other features of Media Center and Life|ware will be asking their installers for more. Lifeware Bundle Could Help Security Dealers Offer Home Automation/Entertainment.

Life|ware in Multi-Housing News
05.01.2007

In Smart Ways to Control Energy Usage, Multi-Housing News discusses how multifamily property owners are saving money and energy using automated systems. A highlight is EI's first multifamily project.

NextGen Home and Life|ware Highlighted in K/BIS Article
05.01.2007

An article on the NextGen home at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show & Conference notes that the "biggest highlight" in the home is EI's remote and touch panels, powered by Life|ware. NextGen "Industry Trends" Demonstration Home Only One of Its Kind at the World's Largest Industry Kitchen & Bath Show.

Vision Magazine on Web Services for Devices
March/April 2007

"The Digital Heart of the Home" discusses Web Services and its impact on the future of home automation. Life|ware is highlighted as a leader in adopting DPWS and encouraging DPWS-enabled devices. The current digital issue is available here. The article starts on page 12.

Modern Home Theater on "Understanding Home Automation"
Feb 2007

An in-depth discussion of the best choices in home automation, including Life|ware. The article is available on Modern Home Theater's website: Understanding Home Automation, Part One.

Residential Design and Build, "Total Home Control"
Feb/March 2007

Residential Design and Build magazine discusses Life|ware's benefits. Read the article: Total Home Control.

Web Services Fuel Device Control Nirvana
04.02.2007

CEPro's Derek Flickinger discusses the benefits of Web Services for home automation. Using Web Services to Control Devices through Vista Media Center.

DSC Offers Life|ware™ Powered Package
04.02.2007

CEPro reports on the new Digital Security Controls (DSC) DSC HOME Powered by Life|ware package. The package includes security, TV, and a media server, all web services enabled and powered by Life|ware. Read the article: DSC Tackles Home Automation with Life|ware Package.

First Dedicated Life|ware™ Showroom Opens in Naples, FLA
03.26.2007

Custom Retailer reports on Wireless Home, a Naples, Florida custom A/V and home control dealer which has become the first dedicated showroom for Life|ware. EI Lauds Opening of First Dedicated Life|ware Showroom.

Sound & Vision: Home of Tomorrow
03.14.2007

In an extensive profile of Exceptional Innovation, Sound & Vision says

We have seen the future, and it's in Columbus, Ohio.
Sound & Vision walks through Woodfield Hall, EI's showcase home, and likes what they see. Read the article.

Exceptional Innovation Featured in The Perfect Vision
03.06.2007

A Digital Home for the Rest Of Us is the title of The Perfect Vision's article about the way home automation and the home automation market has evolved in the last few years. Exceptional Innovation is cited as one of the major drivers of the shift to more modular, lower-cost and open-platform systems, and EI's Seale Moorer is interviewed in a sidebar Q&A. Check out the March issue! The Perfect Vision.

Exceptional Innovation Brings Bruce Hornsby to EHX
02.21.2007

Exceptional Innovation and CEPro present Grammy winner Bruce Hornsby at EHX Spring 2007 in Orlando, Florida! Hornsby will perform Friday, March 9th at 9:00 PM at the Orange County Convention Center's Linda W. Chapin theater. Attendees can get their tickets by visiting the Exceptional Innovation booth (#800) or CEPro in the show floor lobby. For more about the Bruce Hornsby show and Exceptional Innovation's booth at EHX, check out CEPro's story Exceptional Innovation Brings Bruce Hornsby to EHX.

Home-Product Heaven
02.16.2007

Dow Jones Market Watch includes Best Buy/Life|ware's Connected Home package in their top 10 items at this year's International Builder's show. Life|ware connected partner TMIO's Connect IO Intelligent Oven is also featured.

CES Roundup, Part 2

I4U News, 01.18.2007: Next Gen Home Walkthrough

CEPro.com, 01.18.2007: Touring the Next Gen Home

Engadget.com, 01.11.2007: NextGen Home Tour

TMCnet, 01.10.2007: New software merges devices and technology, as demonstrated at Next Gen Home

Gizmodo.com, 01.09.2007: Next Gen House: Life|ware Touchscreen Up Close

Gizmodo.com, 01.09.2007: Next Gen Home: Push Those Buttons, Never Get Up Again

Yahoo! Tech, 01.08.2007: CES 2007: Robin Visits the NextGen House

ABC7.com, 01.07.2007: CES Show: Bill Gates' Vision Coming to Life

Dealerscope (Video), 01.07.2007: CES Open Mic: Joe Paone Interviews Life|ware's Jason Leonardelli (5 min.)

Optimizing Media Center with Life|ware's Mike Seamons
01.05.2007

Mike Seamons tells CEPro how to get the most out of your Media Center PC. Optimizing Media Center: Stripping it Down, Setting it Up

Home of the Future with Life|ware
01.08.2007

From Forbes.com, video coverage of the NextGen house at CES. See How your kitchen may soon look, thanks to LifeWare, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard.


CES Roundup

CRN, 01.11.2007: CES 2007: Day in the Life of a Digital Integrator

CEPro, 01.09.2007: Monster First to Announce Media Center Extender; Teams with Lifeware

BBC News (Video), 01.08.2007: Multi-function gadgets rule at CES

My Way News, 01.08.2007: Gates Continues Push for Wired Homes

CEPro, 01.07.2007: Russound Launching Viiv Media Center with Lifeware

Electronic Design, 01.07.2007: The NexGen Home

StarTribune.com (Minneapolis-St.Paul), 01.07.2007: Best Buy says it has all you need to make yours a 'smart house'

Lifeware™ part of "ConnectedLife.Home"
12.20.2006

Starting next month, Best Buy will be selling a "ConnectedLife.Home" package using Life|ware™. The $15,000 price tag includes an HP DEC, a high-definition television, light switches, thermostat, two remote cameras, and software. For an extra $19.95/month, customers will be able to check their home over the internet. See Did you leave the light on? Check online.

CE Pro's Q&A with Exceptional Innovation's Seale Moorer
12.19.2006

CE Pro's editors interview Seale Moorer about Life|ware, Windows MCE and the direction of home automation. Read the article in the December 2006 issue of CE Pro, or online (extended version).

Exceptional Innovation Featured in the Columbus Dispatch
12.16.2006

As costs come down and technology improves, more Americans want home automation. Read the article Controlling Influence.

Mike Seamons' Article at Digital TV DesignLine
11.28.2006

While the automated home has been a sci-fi staple for many years, reality has lagged well behind. Read Mike Seamons' article From TV screen to Life Portal: The television as window into a truly digital lifestyle on Digital TV DesignLine.

Live from EHX!
11.16.2006

CE Pro's Jason Unger talks to Exceptional Innovation's Nicole Gersper about Life|point and Live|vision. Watch the interview at the CEPro Weblog or on YouTube.

CE Pro Reviews Vista-Ready Life|ware at EHX
11.14.2006

CE Pro's Julie Jacobson reveals a tantalizing glimpse of Life|ware for Vista MCE. More at the CEPro Weblog.

Life|ware is Vista-Ready!
11.14.2006

Chris Lanier's News, Analysis and Opinion on Microsoft Digital Media Technologies discusses Life|ware at EHX, with links to the CE Pro articles. See the full article at Chris Lanier's blog.

Reuters Technology Week Visits CES
11.14.2006

Reuters Technology Week features Life|ware during their visit to CES. (CES section begins at 4:25.) Reuters Technology Week video

Life|point Featured in Electronic House Magazine
10.31.2006

Looking for "Control Nirvana", Electronic House tests the Samsung Q1 tablet PC with Life|ware installed and calls it "...ready for prime time." Check it out!
View PDF

Life|point Roundup


Custom Retailer Magazine on Life|ware™ at Magnolia
10.30.2006

Magnolia customers at two new stores in California will be the first to experience Life|ware™ in a retail setting. Read the article, and see our press release page for more details.

Chris Lanier reviews Exceptional Innovation's "Amazing Products"
10.05.2006

Chris Lanier's News, Analysis and Opinion on Microsoft Digital Media Technologies discusses Life|point, Life|storage, and Life|vision, and enthusiastically declares that
Exceptional Innovation's looks like the whole package that I have been waiting for since I first started using Media Center several years ago.
See the full article at Chris Lanier's blog.

SDM Reviews CEDIA
09.17.2006

SDM's eweekly newsletter highlights Life|ware at CEDIA. SDM Eweekly Newsletter.


CEDIA Home of Electronic Lifestyles Roundup

TWICE Magazine Reviews Life|ware at CEDIA
09.14.2006

Exceptional Innovation's multi-product launch at CEDIA highlighted Life|ware's capabilities. The HP DECs that have been certified to run Life|ware offer expanded functionality over the PCs traditionally used to control home systems, as does Life|ware's support for devices that use RS-232, IR and contact closures, and its expanded support for other types of home systems. Life|scene is also featured. See the full article at Lifeware Expands Options, Partners With HP.

"EI's Sci-Fi House" at CEDIA
09.13.2006

AVguide.com describes Exceptional Innovation's Sci-Fi House at CEDIA, saying
Freedom of choice is a strong theme, with a bewildering array of entertainment, information, and productivity possibilities within reach from almost anywhere in the home.
Avguide.com also posted a Life|ware demo.

DenverPost.com Business Pages on CEDIA and "Get smart for less"
09.11.2006

DenverPost.com's article about CEDIA focuses on how prices of the components of a smart home have fallen over the past few years.


eHomeUpgrade Blog Spotlights UMPC Life|Ware Home Automation Software
09.08.2006

The new Life|ware software for ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) lets you control your every aspect of your home through a wireless touchscreen you can also use to check your e-mail and surf the web. What could be better? eHomeUpgrade blog.

Opening New Windows - Digital Connect - Feb 2006.
"Exceptional Innovation placed its bet on Microsoft and turned its Lifeware home-control system into a sure thing"    read it

More from this publication

Media Center Madness @ EHX - CE Pro - June 2006
"Dealers pack(ed) the mock home to demo Lifeware and HP in a variety of scenarios, from the home theater to the laundry room."   read it

More from this publication

Life|ware Brings Home Automation to Your PC - AudioVideoRevolution.com
One company that is poised to capitalize on the increase of networked homes is Exceptional Innovation (EI). EI produces Life|ware; home control software for lighting, thermostats, security systems, cameras and media management systems.     read it

Robots, Toys and Developing Technologies - CES 2006 Report - HGTV
In the future, people will communicate with their homes through video screens that control everything.   read it

Digital Delivery Group to Distribute Lifeware Home Control Software - Sound and Video Contractor (svc.com)
Exceptional Innovation, manufacturers of Lifeware home control software, announced the signing of a national distribution program with the Digital Delivery Group (DDG). This agreement, coupled with the launch of Exceptional Innovation's Lifeware dealer training and certification, brings Lifeware 1.0.1 to dealers nationwide.   read it

Integrated Hotel IT platform Innovates, Personalizes Guest Experiences - Microsoft.com
While luxury hotels have prided themselves on remembering, and acting on, the preferences of their best customers, the Lifeware solution from Exceptional Innovation extends those capabilities further and makes them available to all of a hotel's guests.   read it

Podcasts

The Media Center Show
Mike "Digital" Seamons makes a guest appearance on the Media Center Show.

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