The Savant Pro Remote with new 8.0 software is now shipping. The product, announced earlier this year, “hit record pre-order numbers within days,” according to Tim McInerney, director of product marketing for the home automation company.
The Pro Remote, with its hard buttons and high-resolution touchscreen, enables control of most home systems including lighting and temperature; however, its claim to fame is as an A/V controller that makes it simple to play and view content, whether through TVs or music streamers.
A speech-recognition engine is built into the remote itself — not in the cloud or the home automation hub — for instant response to spoken commands.
The 8.0 software that accompanies the remote provides many new services and a revised interface that offers more one-touch options for users.
The new Pro Remote is shipping before Savant's DIY version of the product, known simply as the Savant Remote.
When Savant announced the DIY product last year, professional integrators clamored for their own version, which Savant promised to ship before the DIY model.
When the DIY product does ship soon, it will be available first to dealers before consumers can buy it direct from BestBuy.com or other mass-market outlets.
DETAILS: Savant Announces 8.0 Home Automation Software, Pro Remote, Improved UI, Autonomic Inside
UPDATE: Don't forget about 8.0, the new software platform that adds a whole host of features and a more functional UI. A dealer comments below:
Just got my hands on 8.0 and upgraded my Savant Pro Host to the latest software version. Adding SONOS was a breeze and I was extremely happy with the robust performance. Most of the improvements were in the Savant app itself, it is even sexier and the functionality is superior. However, the software improvements are also worth mentioning. You can now preview your app before you launch it, saving you time and money. Looking forward to getting the remote and tying everything together, but the 8.0 app (now available in the app store) is good enough! Congratulations to Savant for a game-changing release.
CE Pro has more details as well as screen shots in our original story about 8.0.
Please add your experiences in the comments section below.
