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‘Home Automation’ Stories

Nest updates smart thermostat with new features

, Apr 5th 2012 Discuss [4]

Nest, the company behind the smart thermostat of the same name, has issued an update that brings several new software features. The company has been listening to customer feedback, and designed the update around some of the requests. The new features are aimed at saving you money, in line with the product's mantra of energy efficiency and ease of use. Read The Full Story

Qualcomm Atheros joins Internet of Things with tiny comms chip

, Mar 20th 2012 Discuss [0]

Qualcomm Atheros has jumped onto the Internet of Things bandwagon with a new chipset, the AR4100P, intended to give your washing machine, lighting and just about anything else a direct line to the web. Adding WiFi 802.11n to the existing AR4100, the new chipset has its own IPv4/IPv6 TCP/IP stack and promises a straightforward and affordable route for manufacturers to get their hardware hooked up to a smart home system. Read The Full Story

ThinkFlood motorized in-wall iPad dock hands-on

, Mar 14th 2012 Discuss [2]

In-wall iPad docks are neat, but motorized in-wall iPad docks take some beating for tech-cred. Home automation and distributed media specialist ThinkFlood is appealing to our geekier nature with its new, electrically-powered wall mounting kit for the iPad: simply press the button and the cradle opens out to allow you to slot your tablet in place. Check out our hands-on impressions - and a video demo - after the cut. Read The Full Story

AT&T Digital Life home automation revealed and detailed

, Feb 23rd 2012 Discuss [3]

This week the folks at AT&T are coming on strong with a home automation solution for not only the US market, but the rest of the world as well. Targeting international service providers with their own unique platform for remote monitoring and automation, AT&T is letting the world know that they've got exactly the solution anyone might want for keeping an eye on their home outside the home with their own smart devices and wired computers. This solution is set to entice not only end users, but providers who will aim to rebrand the service for their own and offer up multiple forms of home automation for their customers. Read The Full Story

MOTHER artificial intelligence forces nerds to do the chores… or else

, Feb 21st 2012 Discuss [1]

If you've ever been inside a dormitory full of computer science undergraduates, you know what horrors come of young men free of responsibility. To help combat the lack of homemaking skills in nerds everywhere, a group of them banded together to create MOTHER, a combination of home automation, basic artificial intelligence and gentle nagging designed to keep a domicile running at peak efficiency. And also possibly kill an entire crew of space truckers if they should come in contact with a xenomorphic alien - but that code module hasn't been installed yet. Read The Full Story

HVAC stalwart Honeywell could’ve bested Nest decades ago

, Feb 3rd 2012 Discuss [2]

It seems that one of the world's largest thermostat makers, Honeywell, had a learning unit quite a few years before the now-popular "Nest" did, and nixed it soon after its conception. Speaking with Honeywell's President of Environmental and Combustion Controls division miss Beth Wozniak, GigaOM's Katie Fehrenbacher found that Honeywell decided to drop the program because people wanted to control their temperature themselves. We must wonder if the folks at Nest will run into the same problem with everyday citizens when they release their product this year. Read The Full Story

TI spurs Internet of Things with easy-embed WiFi chip

, Jan 18th 2012 Discuss [0]

The "Internet of Things" drive, where every electronic device can communicate with each other in a mesh of digital linkery, continues to gather pace, with Texas Instruments unveiling a low-cost embedded WiFi chipset targeting everyday gadgets. The TI SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 is described as a "self-contained 802.11 network processor" that minimizes the effort involved at making consumer, home and office devices internet-aware. Read The Full Story

ZMote Smart Cord makes home automation Bluetooth-simple

, Jan 16th 2012 Discuss [0]

Home automation needn't be difficult if there's just one or two things you want to turn on and off remotely, with the ZMote Smart Cord packing Bluetooth into a regular power cable. A three foot extension cord with a regular US three-prong plug and outlet, a compact box partway along contains a Bluetooth chip that can be used to turn the power on or off from your iPhone, iPad, other smartphone, tablet or laptop. Read The Full Story

Energizer Edge Accent Light hands-on

, Jan 10th 2012 Discuss [4]

Here at CES we are seeing all sorts of exciting and innovative products and this one in particular was so unique that I had to share. This is the Energizer Edge Accent LED Light and it will never burn out, and never go bad. We have a few more photos and a quick video after the break. Read The Full Story

Belkin WeMo promises iPad home automation

, Jan 10th 2012 Discuss [4]

Home automation is something plenty of geeks dream about, but has a reputation for being tricky and expensive to implement; now Belkin hopes to address both of those concerns with its new WeMo standard. Using a combination of a WiFi-enabled AC plug adapter - which can be remotely turned on or off - and a WiFi-enabled motion sensor, along with a free iPhone and iPad app, WeMo promises to make setting up a smart home headache-free. Read The Full Story

LG to unveil Smart ThinQ next-gen smart appliances at CES

, Jan 5th 2012 Discuss [4]

LG has announced that it will be showcasing its next-gen Smart ThinQ technology for smart appliances at CES next week. The new and improved Smart ThinQ will help make home appliances more efficient and allows users to better monitor and manage their home energy usage. This technology will work in tandem with LG's new Home Energy Management System (HeMS), which allows for connectivity across home appliances and with Smart TVs, PCs, and smartphones. Read The Full Story

Nest iPod-style Smart Thermostat gets a detailed teardown

, Dec 22nd 2011 Discuss [2]

A few months back we reported on a device called the Nest Learning Thermostat. This iPod-esque smart thermostat is available now and comes from Nest Labs - led by ex iPod chief Tony Fadell. The neat little gadget they've created will awake when you walk by, learn your ways and habits, and even save you money while it heats or cools your home. Thanks to Sparkfun we now have additional details and a full teardown of information. Read The Full Story
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