Much of the buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show has been about connectivity, specifically the way in which TVs are bringing Internet services into the living room. Kwikset went a few steps further and brought connectivity to the front door.

The company exhibited its SmartCode With Home Connect products, which allow homeowners to lock and unlock a door from anywhere in the world through the Internet or mobile phone. Among other features: Vacationers can set up the devices to send an e-mail or text message if a door is unlocked while they're away.

A deadbolt version of SmartCode With Home Connect ($349) was released three months ago. A lever- handle version (price not disclosed) is expected to be released before summer, a spokeswoman said. Both are targeted to homeowners who have or intend to install a home automation system, the increasingly popular technology that centralizes control of electronic equipment, lighting, security systems and more. 

The new products are the latest efforts by Kwikset to bring new lock technology to the mass market. They follow the release of SmartScan, a fingerprint-scanning deadbolt lock reviewed by Times columnist Dan Neil. For more information on SmartCode With Home Connect: www.kwikset.com.

--Craig Nakano

Photo: Courtesy of Kwikset

When the Sensia Internet radio from Pure premiered this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, it borrowed a page from the iPhone's playbook. What might otherwise look like a typical clock radio stood out with a 5.7-inch touch screen that can make channel surfing substantially easier, faster and more fun. Instead of dials or buttons, controls are manipulated by sliding, swiping or tapping a finger. The design includes an input for an iPod or MP3 player and a virtual keyboard for on-screen searches of stations or navigation of apps for Facebook, Twitter and more. Early reviews described decent sound quality considering the product's size; dual 30-watt speakers got high marks for clarity and sharp channel separation. With the optional battery pack, you can listen anywhere within WiFi range. Price: $349. And, yes, it has an alarm.

-- Jeff Spurrier

Photo credit: Courtesy of Sensia

A new wireless speaker system from Klipsch can deliver ambient party music from where you might least expect it: your recessed ceiling lights. The LightSpeaker showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show combines a 20-watt speaker with an LED bulb rated for 40,000 hours -- about 15 years of typical use. The device is as easy to install as a regular screw-in light bulb, and the energy-sipping LED substitutes for traditional bulbs that might consume three times as many watts, helping to pay for the gadget over time. That's a necessary selling point because a starter package (transmitter, remote control and two LightSpeakers) is $599, and additional LightSpeakers are $249 each. The sound quality isn't dazzling; the system is meant for background use only. But operation is easy: Connect an MP3 player, CD player or computer to the tabletop transmitter, and it can stream wirelessly 50 feet in any direction; the transmitter has two inputs, so you can have Bach in the bedroom and Kanye in the kitchen. Up to eight speakers can be used, each set for left or right channel separation, and the lights will work on dimmers. There's even an optional bracket if you want your music to come out of a lamp instead of the ceiling. 

-- Jeff Spurrier

Photo credit: Courtesy of Klipsch