I’ve been busy working with on the new version of Myro:Home which will run on the 8″ in-wall touchscreen panels. My original plan was to have the same “downloadable” software being able to run on these types of panels, however, the truth is that these panels need special care in order to bring the best performance and stability. I’ve chosen Windows XP Embedded as the OS and can get everything running very quickly. Now, I’m working on adding in specific hooks to the hardware to take advantage of controlling the “bare metal” like LCD and GPIO. Since these devices are not full powered desktop PC’s where you can be a bit less strict using CPU cycles, you cannot afford running things that aren’t necessary. Heat is the biggest problem and when you put panels in walls where ventilation is an issue, you need to use less powerful (less heat producing) architecture.
In the end, I feel I will have a very powerful home control solution that is cost-effective and very competitive!