ELAN’s® New Olé™XL Touchpad Honored With 2007 EXC!TE Award

LEXINGTON, KY — ELAN Home Systems, a leading manufacturer of award-winning Multi-Room audio/video and home automation systems, announced today that Custom Retailer Magazine has honored the company’s new Olé™XL Film Interactive Touchpad with a 2007 EXC!TE Award. Custom Retailer Magazine’s prestigious EXC!TE Awards are bestowed upon products that best exemplify innovation, technology, and impact within the custom consumer electronics industry. The announcement was made by Paul Starkey, ELAN’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

The OléXL product was debuted for the first time at CEDIA 2007 in Denver three weeks ago. The new OléXL delivers the same extraordinary functionality and value as the original, groundbreaking Olé™ but adds a much larger OLED display screen for more metadata feedback and customization. OléXL features a 2.1” extra large OLED display that provides a viewing area for multiple custom source select pages with brilliant, colorful icons for each source, DVD/DVR menu navigation and numeric control. The larger display also provides room for more detailed graphical and text “Now Playing” information from a variety of source components. Additionally, ELAN has developed 30 new, cool graphical source icons which Dealers can use to customize the display area, while adding to the “state-of-the-art” look.

In 2006, ELAN changed the landscape of multi-room system control with the introduction of Olé and its patent-pending combination of touch screen functionality, keypad-like simplicity, affordability, and unmatched customization. Now, with the addition of OléXL, there are two best-of-breed options from which homeowners can control all their entertainment, and more, throughout the house.

As the world’s first Film Interactive Touchpad (FIT), ELAN’s original Oleì married the speed, graphics, and response of a traditional LCD touch panel, with the ease and pricing of a traditional keypad. A radical departure from hard button keypads, the Oleì family of products offers the largest all-touch surface in a double-gang, in-wall product and an extraordinary level of flexibility to match every Client’s décor. It’s easier-than-ever installation and VIA!®TOOLS programming saves Dealers valuable time, thus increasing profits and efficiency.

Beyond offering expanded customization of control and metadata feedback through its larger display area, OléXL’s creative and stunning selection of thirty-six photographic quality, backlit slide-in films can be custom-matched to 7 different frame colors which are available in both Standard and European styling. These distinctive films match the existing Olé lineup and are offered in a wide variety of styles, themes and colors ranging from the mountains to the beach; from gemstones to football and more. Designed to match virtually every personal taste, OléXL films also feature a simple, intuitive button layout.

The Olé family provides a solution unmatched by any company in the custom business. It is a touch sensitive control pad with loads of feedback and colorful graphics, yet it does not carry the price tag of LCD touch panels. Because of the magic of Olé, Custom Dealers now have the ability to offer a great looking, touchpad with all the must-have features at a price that fits more clients than ever before. With the two Olé models, Dealers and customers now have access to even more options.

According to Grant Clauser, Editorial Director of Custom Retailer, “ELAN continues to deliver innovative, top-notch all-touch interfaces that are among the most compelling and consistently reliable in the business. Following on our recognition of the original Olé with a 2006 EXC!TE Award, Custom Retailer is very pleased to once again honor ELAN Home Systems’ next generation OléXL Film Interactive Touchpad with a 2007 EXC!TE Award.”

“We are very pleased that Custom Retailer has already recognized OléXL with its coveted EXC!TE Award,” said Paul Starkey. “Olé has set a whole new standard in user interfaces by providing a control product that allows more people in more homes to enjoy such custom, yet affordable, technology. With OléXL, we’ve delivered a product that continues to raise the bar in the category, while offering Dealers and Consumers even more awesome entertainment control options.”

Added Bob Farinelli, President of ELAN, Sunfire and HomeLogic, “It’s a great honor for Custom Retailer to once again recognize the impact that our Olé products have made and are continuing to make within the custom installation marketplace with the EXC!TE Award. At CEDIA this year, the new OléXL model generated great excitement and an overwhelmingly positive reception from our Dealers, and winning this award certainly adds to fuel to the fire.”

ELAN’s OleìXL will begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2007 at a MSRP of $580.00.

Custom Retailer’s annual EXC!TE Awards pay tribute to products that best exemplify the excitement and growth of the home electronics industry. Recipients are selected through consultation among our editors, contributors, selected retailers and industry observers, as well as through reader nominations received via e-mail and fax. The EXC!TE Awards honor products that are exceptional in terms of innovation, value, market presence or market impact. EXC!TE winners have distinguished themselves as the leading lights of the business.

About ELAN Home Systems:
ELAN Home Systems is a leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video and home automation systems. Based in Lexington, KY, the company’s systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use “whole house” experience. The company’s unique products provide complete lifestyle, feature-rich solutions, yet can be configured to fit the specific needs of every homeowner. ELAN products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select dealers and distributors throughout the United States, Canada and 58 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.

ELAN is a trademark of ELAN Home Systems, LLC, Lexington, KY. Ole and VIA! are registered trademarks of ELAN Home Systems, LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.