AT&T Digital Life home automation Hands-on

The folks at AT&T have taken on home automation with a fury this week, showing off their new AT&T Digital Life system with a pack of iPads in a New Orleans home that's become fully controlled by the user. The user of course is you, the homeowner, and the way you're going to do it is with a fully customizable application (and environment) that AT&T will be making available in the near future. This system currently works on the iPad and can be seen in the hands-on video we've got here – witness the next level of fully integrated wireless home technology made simple, courtesy of your favorite big blue and orange phone company.

We got the opportunity to check out this new system as it was applied in this home in the kitchen, the den, and the living room. What we're seeing here is an extremely easy to use system with a drag-and-drop interface and connections to any and all of the electronics you've got in your home. In its most simple form, this means you can flip the lights on from your iPad. At its most powerful, AT&T Digital Life is able to protect your home from intruders with sensors that activate all the lights in your home, send out a massively loud sound to blast the eardrums of that intruder, and phone you or the authorities right there on the spot.

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This service will be working with a combination of Wifi, wired ethernet, and Z-Wave technology as well as 3G where applicable. You'll be working with window and door sensors for intruders, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for more protection from the elements, and everything from thermostats to appliance power controls on the fly. You'll have the ability to activate door locks, turn up your heat or chill the house down from your iPad, and keep your home green with moisture and power sensors of all kinds.

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You can even start a fire up – supposing you've got an electric-start fireplace, of course. This whole system is projected to be released sometime in the near future, but that's all AT&T is willing to reveal thus far. We'll get pricing and final release dates soon!