Tech Mashup – Latest Introductions From the Smart Home Sector
Smart home products have literally revolutionized our lives today. Some of them work while some others don’t but what’s important is the fact that every invention is slowly heading us towards a new kind of lifestyle we only dreamt of living before. In fact, the popularity of these futuristic products have led BI Intelligence to say that “there are 1.9 billion devices today, and there will be 9 billion by 2018, roughly equal to the number of smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, wearable computers, and PCs combined.”
What makes this entire industry tick is the way they automate our lives and make our homes feel more connected than before. Today, it’s not unusual to walk into a room and expect the lights to turn on by themselves or wake up in the morning with the fresh aroma of coffee getting automatically prepared in the kitchen. So we thought why not make our monthly tech roundup highlighting the latest introductions from this branch of our life. Here’s what the smart home industry witnessed in January, 2015:
Nest Thermostat Proves That It Saves Energy
Nest has always been on the path of upgradation ever since the launch of their self learning thermostat. Now the company takes one step ahead in doing something no other thermostat maker has done till date. Nest wants to find out how much energy it saves for you and the results were shockingly pleasing. As stated on their blog, “On average the Nest Learning Thermostat saved US customers about 10-12% on their heating bills and about 15% on their cooling bills. We’ve estimated average savings of $131 to $145 a year, which means the Nest Thermostat paid for itself in under two years.” If you still don’t use this smart thermostat system, maybe it’s time you should.
Lockitron Introduces Bolt at $99
Locking and unlocking doors seems so cumbersome at times, especially when you leave your keys behind. But Lockitron is here to save you from facing that kind of situation by making your ordinary door lock go smart. Bolt and Bridge is a $99 combo using which you can lock and unlock your doors from your smartphone. A simple click will be enough to tackle your doors from here on. In case you’re worrying about security, Lockitron gives you the power to manage who can enter your house and when. Bridge connects Lockitron to the internet so that you’ll be able to open your doors from London when there’s a friend knocking at your door in San Francisco. Whoa!
Luna Makes Your Bed Go Smart
If you thought your plush bed had no scope of improvement, think twice after you come across Luna. It’s possibly the world’s first mattress cover which can track your sleep and even warm your bed whenever required. You won’t need to wear anything additional. Luna will make sure you get the best sleep by tracking your daily activities and sleep patterns. Overall, it’s a silent tracker which will always be your best guide towards living a healthy life.
Canary is a One-Stop Home Monitoring System
Canary was born out of the idea to simplify home security and make it affordable at the same time. It’s an entire security which is far less complicated and a much reliable solution to keep your homes safe. From air quality to home surveillance as well as live streaming HD video, Canary is capable of doing it all.
It’s True, Ring Doorbell Families Are Always Home
With video and audio recording features, the Ring Doorbell is here to save you and your home from burglaries and unwanted visitors. It connects directly to your smartphones and uses intelligent features such as motion detection to notify you of what’s happening on your grounds especially when you’re not around. Knock knock, the future of doorbells is here!
Microsoft HoloLens Merges Your Physical Home With the Digital World
Ever wondered how it would be like to live in a home that includes elements from both your real and virtual worlds? Microsoft HoloLens is here with the answer. It’s a whole new world where you’ll be able to experience the beauty of holograms in your everyday life. From popping up TV screens on any wall to playing virtual games in the real world, the number of possibilities these smart goggles bring are endless.
Piper NV Brings Night Vision Home Monitoring at $269
Piper all-in-one home monitoring system now announces a special Night Vision unit which will make it easier for you to track activities in the dark. As told by Techcrunch, “One of Piper’s differentiating features is its 180-degree video, offering an incredibly wide viewing angle for the user with a 3.4-megapixel camera. However, the Piper NV also includes automatic night vision which is kicked on once a room gets dark and allows the user to see everything in the room, night or day.”
Got wireless dead zones in your house? Try Eero
Eero is not a router. Rather, you can call it a wi-fi system which is fast and super stable. You won’t have to worry about dead zones anymore. It lets you grant access to your wi-fi with a simple tap of a finger on your smartphone. Creating a network is equally easy! Well, guess that means setting up your indoor wi-fi will no longer be a big pain.
Kuna is Today’s Digital Doorman
Before entering, most burglars knock or ring the doorbell to see if a house is empty.Kuna detects the visitor and immediately sends an alert to your phone. It’s a smart wifi camera and intercom built into an outdoor light.
Nucleus Intercom is Super Smart
Nucleus is a smart, Internet-connected intercom that lets you instantly connect with audio or video to anyone on the same system – whether they are in the next room or the next country. One tap and you can call your spouse for dinner, check on your baby, or have a face-to-face conversation with your aging parent.
Personal Robot is a Whole Smart Home Automation Package
Does a robot greeting you at the door sounds like a crazy idea? Not once you see the Personal Robot. You can ask her just about anything. She’ll understand you and will respond accordingly. She also communicates with all your connected devices via Wireless Z-Wave Plus, Zigbee, BLE, and Wi-Fi. You’re bound to admire this revolutionary form of artificial intelligence.
Whirlpool Kitchen Will Not Let You Waste Food
The future of kitchens would look something like this according to Whirlpool: they will act like touchscreens, and integrate with video conferencing, text messages and alerts from social-network feeds. You’ll also be able to put a pot or skillet anywhere on a surface, and it will detect the item, and start heating it up. Sounds like your kitchen is about to turn smart in the future.
This is a smart remote control system which will enable you to control all your smart home devices from one place. It includes two parts: the brain and the remote. The brain communicates with your devices and the remote allows instant control.
Picobrew Home Beer Brewing System
Finally we have Picobrew which lets you craft beer at home with a simple push of a button. The latest introduction is the PicoBrew Zymatic® Machine which has introduced the worlds first all grain, fully automatic beer brewing appliance. You can either choose from a list of 100 types of beers or brew something of your own kind.
That was what we had from the smart home industry for this month. In case you missed our previous roundup on the best crowdfunding projects of 2014, don’t forget to check here. Happy Gadgeting!
