This is a new controller from Finland that uses a mobile phone for the control software with wireless (bluetooth) peripherals for switch input and sockets/external triggers.
Incode provided a unit for trial and these are some informal observations:
The unit can either be controlled using the phone’s 4 way navigation joystick and buttons, or by using switches (up to 4, though the scanning options are limited) through the wireless switch adaptor - the user can switch between different methods (e.g. switch to joystick) if enabled. The navigation menu is simple and icon based, with a larger icon displayed for the currently highlighted function. Voice prompts or sounds are available and are entirely customisable, with some limited prompts and icons built in.
Phrase menus - it is also reportedly possible to record phrases into the device and thus use it as a basic communication or memory aid.
The system is based on bluetooth, so to add a device the system will scan for it, detect it, and then add it automatically. In other words, you plug all the stuff in, tell the phone to look for it and then the phone will setup the menu to list all the avaliable items.
This can either be setup once at install, or you can set the device to rescan for devices occassionally. This is an interesting twist on the standard EC system setup and, potentially, would allow ‘self-installs’ by some users - quite a shift in thinking to existing systems.
Setup is pretty easy once you work it out. Once the phone has found all the devices you simply give them a label and tell the phone exactly how you want it to work - you can setup things like the type of output (latched, flip-flop etc) and the name that will be displayed, as well as the icon and prompt.
You can create folders/menus to put devices in if there are a few - for example organising by room.
TVs etc could be setup with the Audio Visual Adaptor - this wasn’t in our trial kit so we couldn’t try it. This could be a down side to the device, since I assume that you’d need a adaptor per room/device... We’ll have to check this.
This software provides a possible alternative to the Click2Phone in some circumstances - although since there is not a UK price, it is difficult to compare on value.
The software can be used using the phone’s inbuilt 4way controller, or up to 4 switches. Control of the phone using the software would probably only be advantageous for switch users, although the software does offer a simple interface that might be useful for some.
Contacts are added to a special group (brigston) on the phone to make them available within the software and they can then be scanned through. Unlike the click2phone, this does not appear to give a switch user full control of all the phone functions (e.g. sending a text message, adding new contacts), although on the flip side this means the interface is clear and simple.