Ivee Sleek makes home automation chatty (pictures)
CES marks the debut of a working Ivee Sleek prototype, a voice-controlled home automation device that lets you control your thermostat or get weather updates with the sound of your voice.
Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
The Ivee Sleek wants to be friends with all sorts of home automation devices. Connect it with your Nest thermostat and you can control your home environment by asking for a particular temperature or simply requesting that it be warmer or cooler.
2 of 5 Amanda Kooser/CNET
Ivee Sleek guts
This is a peek at the lovely innards of the Ivee Sleek. The Ivee team had to throw together a system from the guts of a prototype to demonstrate it in the Wi-Fi-unfriendly environs of the CES 2013 show floor in Las Vegas.
3 of 5 Amanda Kooser/CNET
Ivee ingenuity at CES
Though the Ivee Sleek works over Wi-Fi, the Ivee team had to build a system on the fly to work over Ethernet at CES. External speakers and a microphone made for a successful demonstration. The actual product is much tidier.
4 of 5 Amanda Kooser/CNET
Taking commands like HAL 9000
The Ivee Sleek is due out this summer for $199. This picture shows the Sleek screen in listening mode during a demonstration at CES. The ideal distance to speak to Sleek is from about 5 feet away, though it may be able to hear commands from as far away as 15 feet.
5 of 5 Ivee
Ivee Sleek talks back
The round design of voice-controlled home automation device Ivee Sleek's "voice" could be a subtle nod to HAL 9000's shape.
