Savant has come full circle. The company, which was the first control company in the industry to drop its dedicated touchpanels in favor of Apple iPad back in 2010, is introducing a new family of dedicated touchscreens called Wally.
The Wally lineup has been designed to blend seamlessly into any décor while placing climate, lighting, entertainment and more at the fingertips of the homeowner as well as the Savant Scenes technology that personalizes the smart home experience for each user.
The Savant Wally touchscreen product line includes high-resolution color utilizing technology from the company's Pro Remote. Wally can control climate, lighting, entertainment and activation of Savant Scenes from a small, in-wall form factor.
Wally touchscreens utilize a presence sensor to activate them automatically as a person approaches. The first Wally product to be available is a single gang 5.5-inch touchscreen (with 2.9-inch and 8-inch versions to follow later in the year).
For integators, the Wally product line is simple to install, fitting in a traditional single-gang enclosure and low-voltage powered using Power over Ethernet (POE 802.3af).
“Our network of integrators has reported a growing demand for dedicated touchscreens in an array of sizes,” says Savant CEO Robert Madonna. “Our premium lineup of Wally touchscreens gives homeowners an ideal solution for any décor or application while leveraging Savant’s class-leading user interface to bring the best control experience to any room in the home.”
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Wally touchscreens are available in white or black and will begin shipping in June, 2017.
The introduction of the Wally shows just how much the industry has changed. Madonna told CE Pro earlier this year that there was a need for a dedicated touchscreen in the control space, noting that people “don’t need an iPad on the wall just to turn their lights on and off.” The Wally also gives integrators another piece of hardware to sell with a Savant control system once again.
Back in 2010 when the first Apple iPads were introduced, then president Jim Carroll told CE Pro, “The days of making margins on expensive touchpanels are winding down” and that the focus for control companies in the future would be on software, not hardware. That software focus remains intact for Savant, with Wally as an added bonus.
