CEDIA 2013

Two new products from Cambridge Audio caught my eye. It’s got that certain je nais c’est quoi that says I’d like to find a place to put it! First up is the three piece speaker system, the Minx M5. While the tiny 2” speakers in the cubes probably don’t produce bass frequencies as low as my IQ, the 5-1/4” subwoofer, easily placed at the foot of your desk, will certainly fill things out. With 60 watts of amplification built in, 15 for each of the satellites and 30 for the sub, it should have plenty of headroom to play cleanly to its limits. Best of all, the $299 asking price seems well set!

Proving the you’re never too far away from home to be in control, the Z-Wave Alliance sponsored a Himalayan expedition where climber Mariusz Malkowski went to the top of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world. When Malkowski reached the 29,609 foot summit, he Skype’d in live to the Expo show floor on a satellite phone. Malkowski said it was midnight his time with local temps at minus 40-degrees! Using his satellite phone, he was able to check the status of several Z-Wave devices, and after speaking to the assembled crowd for a moment, he then unlocked a Kwikset Z-Wave enabled door lock, and turned on Fibaro Z-Wave enabled lights and then adjusted his Remotec Z-Wave thermostat. Definite proof that you are never too far away from home for technology to keep you in touch!