Our love affair with Plex continues - it's the media centre that just keeps on giving!.  After another suspiciously quiet spell from the team, they have just revealed a huge raft of new features to the platform.  The highlights include an official Windows Client, MyPlex Cloud based media sharing plus all new desktop and 2nd generation mobile clients too.  Check out the videos after the jump...

A beautiful new Wi-Fi learning thermostat has been launched by Californian start-up 'Nest'.  You 'train' your thermostat by setting the temperature you require at each particular time of day.  Once the first week is completed the system has an idea of what temperatures you want when.  As the weeks go on the makers say it gets more and more accurate, having learned your lifestyle.   The stunning industrial design and click-wheel interface are clues to the background of the companies founders - two ex-Apple employees from the iPod team.  Check out the all details and three videos after the jump...

Russian smart home software developers, iRidium, have  announced a new type of license for their AMX control application.  The 'Ultimate License' for iRidium Mobile offers an unlimited number of control panels for complex control of audio/video equipment, and home automation from any device...

Crestron have released their official Android apps to add to their existing iOS offer.  The Mobile and Mobile Pro apps will turn any Android device into a fully functional Crestron touch screen, giving users control of a vast array of home automation subsystems like lighting, heating, entertainment and security....

We're getting pretty tired of waiting (and waiting) for LG to update the ST600 firmware so the Plex Media Link app can actually play the popular video formats we all use.  It's entirely possible that the lack of love LG are showing the ST600 may even mean it's hurtling towards being cancelled!  That would be pretty sad as it's never even got the chance to show what it can do yet.

Meanwhile back at the ranch we're looking around again for that magic £99 box to bring our Plex library to secondary zones around the house (bedrooms etc).  The guys working on Plex for Samsung have made great progress and their widget is looking really polished.  Perhaps best of all, in addition to Samsung TV's it also works on Series C and Series D Samsung Blu-Ray players which you can pick up for as little as £89.  Check out the video of Plex for Samsung...

The new Marmitek BoomBoom 75 Bluetooth Music receiver allows you to play music from your smartphone to your hi-fi system.  It can remember up to 8 different Bluetooth devices and you can use it to give you a similar experience to Apple AirPlay.  You could, for example, watch a movie on an iPad whilst sending the audio to your HiFi.  Being battery powered (and charged by USB) we can see a use for this in car too if you have an AUX In that you want to upgrade to Bluetooth. Read on for the price and specs...

A short time ago Tim Cook took the stage for the first time as the CEO of Apple at their Cupertino headquarters.  His presentation finally put an end to the usual wild speculation and rumour of the last few months.  So here are all the important specs of the new hardware along with some surprises too - check out our iPhone 4S cheat sheet for everything you need to know about the new hardware and that 'game changing' voice assist software that's baked right into iOS 5...

Amazon have just announced their new Kindle 'Fire' tablet.  So far other tablet computers have been similar in specification to the iPad (or in lots of cases not nearly as good) yet they've been the same price.  With inferior UI's and Apps stores too there's been zero reason to buy them, especially as they've been pretty much the same price as an iPad too.  Although a different form factor at just 7 inches, the $199 price tag means the new Fire is less than half the price of the iPad, so at last there's a compelling reason to consider something other than the Apple device in the 'post pc' tablet market.  Read on for all the specs and the skinny on the link to Amazon Prime Bezos has cleverly integrated into the offer...

One of the most common questions we've heard over the years on Automated Home is how can I control my heating when I'm away from my house or holiday home.  Well here's a really interesting new product that offers a solution at a price that's more more affordable than the systems we've looked at in the past.  We talked to the guys at VVS Technologies about their new heating to cellular interface hardware called 'HeatSlave'...