Jetsons, Here we come!

Call your oven from your cell phone. New WiFi technology makes it possible. Hold on to your remote controls, your living room is about to go Wi-Fi. Better wireless-fidelity technology able to support high data rates is making it possible to share Internet access between any number of home devices, including home-entertainment equipment. Until now, the home office was really the only room taking advantage of Wi-Fi, wireless local-area networks (WLAN) based on IEEE standards for 802.11b. But high-end Wi-Fi variances, such as 802.11a and .11g, are promising big things for homeowners. Imagine TVs that not only stream movies from the Internet, but also let you see what's happening in another room. Or refrigerators that keep watch of expiration dates and let you download recipes from the Web. And smart ovens that keep your casserole cold until programmed remotely to "Start Cooking." "This is why the consumer-electronics industry is so excited," says Senior Industry Analyst Sean Wargo, Consumer Electronics Association. "There's much content that can be shared throughout the home." Wargo admits it will still be some years before every device, from PCs to TVs to appliances, has its own built-in wireless card. But, he says, the industry is making big strides, as more and more consumer-electronics products are Wi-Fi enabled. That point was driven home at the recent 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Read on for some of the latest wireless home wonders at CES. Home control at the touch of a button. That's what you'll get with the new Modero line of touch panels from ). The highly graphic panels use up to 24-bit color depth to display 16 million colors with 160° viewing angles. Sensors within the panels automatically adjust to the display under changing conditions. For example, a built-in motion sensor "awakens" the