The automated apartment of the (near) future

The room depicted in the photo at left might look like your average well-furnished living room in your average pricey loft apartment in downtown Manhattan. But it isn't: it's one of the rooms that was featured in a model apartment for the Z-Wave Alliance's demonstration of home wireless control earlier this week. The apartment was packed with hardware, software, and futuristic controllers that can make everything from the thermostat to the window blinds accessible at the push of a button. Check out CNET News.com's photo-adorned coverage. Z-Wave home control might be a few years away from hitting the average American household, but it seems like a very promising solution for couch potatoes.

Wow, I didn't mention "The Jetsons" a single time!