Home With the Jetsons? 
Futuristic home-automation device answers voice commands

by James A. Martin, special to PC World 
May 13, 1999, 3:05am PT 

You're going to meet a client for dinner when a horrible realization hits
you: You forgot to set the VCR to tape tonight's Ally McBeal. No problemo:
Just pick up the cell phone, dial your home number, punch in a few codes, and
voila - Ally will be waiting when you get home. 

That's the image of the very near future - July 1999, to be specific -
according to a small Atlanta company that has developed a new home-automation
computer. The CoolMan system is a voice-activated, wireless remote-controlled
Pentium III device that plugs into your home entertainment system. With it,
you can control any household device that uses an infrared remote, according
to Gary German, CoolMan's chief executive officer.  

With CoolMan, you can adjust thermostats and lighting, control a
home-security system, and surf the Internet for the latest weather forecasts
and headlines. The computer can even read your e-mail read aloud to you.
Because the device features a built-in speech recognition engine from Lernout
& Hauspie, you can perform actions by speaking simple commands, such as
"CoolMan, dim the lights," in person or over the phone.  

CoolMan includes a built-in video camera, so consumers can send and receive
video e-mail, as well as a wireless keyboard, microphone, mouse,
radio-frequency joystick, software, and voice mail and caller ID
capabilities. The device will be available to consumers in July for $499,
including installation and programming. There's also a $49 monthly fee that
includes full Internet access, according to German. CoolMan will be sold
through the company's Web site and by a national electronics chain, though
German couldn't name the retailer yet due to continuing negotiations.