I saw CasaWorks for the first time at CEDIA. They make controls software that runs on standard windows (maybe also Linux) platforms. Their product offers the control and presentation layer (i.e. the user interface and the set of rules that fire off when you change a scene). They interface with standard IP enabled IR systems, Lantronix, etc.
A cool feature of the user interface is that you can re-author the control pages in the developers tool, and then push screens out to tablets and controls, without having to re-compile. The authoring tool seems pretty straight forward and there are many pre-canned control routines.
The resulting functionality for the homeowner approximates that of an AMX/Crestron system. The really cool part is that the integrator can do the project with a fraction of the resources because Casa Work's has streamlined so much of the development framework and infrastructure. Perhaps the biggest challenge is the integrator has so many hardware options it might be a bit tough to sort through the best set of off the shelf hardware to complement the CasaWorks software, but I am sure that will work itself out.
I core architecture is service oriented in nature, though the development team seems to have kept the framework fairly proprietary. The advantage is the system is more stable than media center on vista. In the long run though, Microsoft/exceptional innovation may close the gap. I think CasaWorks services the customer looking for a more sophisticated solution than Lifeware, but doesn't want the expense of Control 4, AMX or Crestron.
