Technological and smart device leviathan, Samsung, has announced its plan to turn homes into smart hubs with its Android mobile devices controlling the action. Samsung is already at the forefront of the smartphone and smart TV market, but it also manufactures other products such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners. Now it has created a way for all of them to speak to one another.
Through a platform (unsurprisingly) called Smart Home, they intend to build an ecosystem that smoothly integrates all of your technology under one roof into a seamless unified experience. Although Samsung has made this momentous announcement at CES 2014, they are not actually introducing any of the smart devices just yet. Instead, they are planning on rolling out connectivity features over the next six months. They are also taking a page out of Google's playbook and developing a new mobile operating system called "Tizen." This OS, just like Android, will be open source and available to all. However, Samsung intends to allow multiple operating systems to have the ability to control the smart ecosystem. In fact, they even intend on integrating products that are produced by other companies as well.
This model is a direct contradiction to two of its major competitors, Sony and Apple, who have opted to keep all their services and products exclusive to their brands. Samsung is trying to exploit this fact, and confront perhaps its biggest challenge: Software development. They intend to distribute the OS later this year. Samsung is quick to admit that they have been lacking in software development and have been working to build a new OS to grow their success in the technology field.
The ultimate goal is to have a home that can be controlled by touchscreen devices. For example, if you're taking a flight out of town and forgot to turn off your lights at home, it's not a problem. Just turn them off on your smartphone. Did you leave the heat on at home when your weather app lets you know that your area is about to experience a warm front? Just turn it down on your tablet. This, along with the ability to remotely control your TV's DVR, switch things into power saving mode, and even make and receive a phone call from your fridge are coming soon, according to Samsung.
The implications of this technology are astounding. How could this kind of technology increase efficiency at the office? What do you think about this new technology? Leave your opinions in the comments.
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