According to Nokia, the NHCC will allow third-party developers to create services that are added onto the accessibility platform. That way, you'll rarely come across an incident where some new smart home tech you bought doesn't actually work with your main controller. NHCC works with Z-Wave, ZigBee and KNX, three of the most common command languages for home networks. It will be launched some time in 2009. [Nokia via Treehugger]

The mirror isn't a mirror at all but a huge touch-based LCD equipped with cameras, so you can touch icons of clothes and see an animation of how you would look without having to try them on. This is the first step towards robopocalypse, if you ask me, but the models in their pristine all-white apartment don't look too scared.

OK, so the design maybe a little limited because the rotation occurs about the wall outlet rather than a power lead, but it is a step in the right direction. Now all you have to do is replace all the outlets in your house, it cannot be that hard, but it is probably harder than not doing it and just finding another socket to get you juice from. The swivelling excitement shall set you back a reasonable $10 per pair and the sockets are available for purchase online. [Product Page via Gizmos for Geeks]

They have some pretty cool stuff, like Logitech Harmony Remotes, speakers, X10 automation, and other stuff to make sure you never have to get up from your couch again. But if you're going to do that, at least get an exerciser or something. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Smarthome]

Sure, it's $15,000, but Best Buy says it will install this entire system in your house, anywhere you are. But there are no substitutions in this package, so if you already have a home network, a PC or an Xbox 360... tough. And, they're not going to be installing those light switches, for inexplicable reasons. But something like this might be very difficult to get going on your own—especially if you're not, uh, technologically inclined.

Is this a rip, or what?

So the prospective customers of this ConnectedLife.Home package don't have an Ethernet network in their house? Obviously, this system is not aimed at the geeksters. Perhaps that's why Best Buy sees fit to charge $15,000 for $10,000 worth of equipment. You think that's steep? Try getting an installer to put in a Crestron/AMX system in your house: that'll be $50K please. This racket is along the same lines as Best Buy's high-margin practice of charging $75 for a $12 HDMI cable. There is an asymmetry of information here, where the uninitiated fall prey to those with a little bit of knowledge and a big-box store.

The home automation business is the stomping ground of a special breed of professional installer, people who are in business for themselves and pray upon the technophobe with lots of disposable income. As soon as you say the words "home automation," the price tags spiral into the realm of the absurd. One telltale sign you're about to be fleeced: these companies never call the place where you're living a "house," it's always referred to as your "home," which has a warmer sound and seems to get people to want to spend more money. Expect the words "family" and "children" to be used a lot, too.

You'll also notice that it's nearly impossible to find the prices of the individual items in this special ConnectedLife.Home package. That's because many of the components are sold and marketed within the realm of the professional installers, who buy this gear wholesale from suppliers and then mark it up to a price this well-heeled market will bear. For instance, Lifeware home automation software and its associated equipment is commonly quoted at around $2 per square foot. This means that commonly-available LCD panels, a bit of home automation software and everyday networking technology is fattened up with margins not seen anywhere this side of a Rolls-Royce dealer.

Since the home automation industry is in its infancy, there are no economies of scale to bring prices down, nor is there much competition between these clubby companies. It's similar to the situation in the home theater industry (which is now just starting to loosen up a bit) where as soon as you utter the words "home theater," prices are suddenly quadrupled.

To be fair, putting this stuff together and making it all work is quite difficult, and in many instances, impossible. The installers bring expertise that very few people possess in integrating home automation equipment. None of it is anywhere near what could be remotely called plug-and-play. Sure, Best Buy's $15,000 price tag sounds like a lot, but it's a step in the right direction—quite a bit better than the $50,000 you'd pay for a Crestron system.

Those bonanza days for these installers are numbered, however. I'm thinking that as soon as all this technology is completely wireless and plug-and-play, all that will be left for installers to do will be to mount a few panels on the wall, the equivalent of hanging a picture frame. And who needs an installer for that? – Charlie White

Best Buy, Exceptional Innovation and ConnectedLife.Home [CEPro]

Another hack I am working on... would be to just pick up the wii-mote, select a light (by using a combination of LED's on the wiimote to show which light is selected) then hold A and wave the wii-mote up to dim the lights up, and wave it down to dim the lights down.

Nintendo Wii Controlled Smarthome [LiquidIce's Nintendo Wii Hacks (via)]

Some cameras won't work below certain temperatures, and any camera lens that's iced over is not going to be much good, either. This one solves those problems with an on-board heater, allowing it to bring you crispy-clean pictures at temperatures down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The 768x494 camera is NTSC and PAL compatible, and has a 1/3" Sony CCD picking up all the action (or lack thereof) through a 3.5mm - 8mm zoom lens. With its removable sunshade to protect against the hot weather, the 520TVL has all the bases covered for $400. – Charlie White

Product Page [Smarthome, via CrunchGear]

Smarthome Solar Security Camera [via sci fi tech]

This will certainly be welcome inside that car that can heat up to well beyond 150 degrees on a sunny day in late July. Plus, you can use it inside the home or office, too. If you have to spend your day around those cold-blooded fussbudgets who must be from the planet Vulcan, insisting on maintaining temperatures that are well above 80 degrees inside, there's an AC adapter that lets you use this coolness indoors, too. Does it feel like it's hotter than a June bride in a feather bed were you are? Sweet, blessed relief is on the way. – Charlie White

Product Page [Smarthome, via Crowded Brain]

They're made of glass and metal, and can be mounted using a ground stake and hanging ring, where you can either stand them up on a table or stake them in the ground, hanging them up to a height of 33 inches. Smarthome says these flickering lights will last up to 10 hours on a solar charge, and the LED lights inside are good for 30,000 hours. – Charlie White

Product page [Smarthome, via uber gizmo]

Hybrid Living Home Almost Complete [treehugger]

If that UPS guy keeps complaining about finding the address on your house, here's a simple—and green—way to make sure it never happens again. From Smarthome comes the Solar Address Light, a piece of signage that will illuminate your address using solar power. The 4-inch numbers should be visible from up to 500 feet in the dark and it takes just 4 hours of sun to power it for 3 nights. Basically works with a built-in light sensor that will realize when it gets dark and duly activate the lights to go on—turning them off when the sun comes up. And if you want to put the sign in a shady area, the solar panel can be detached and moved up to 8 feet away. Just $50.

Home Is Where the Solar Address Light Is [Treehugger]