OpenHAB (open Home Automation Bus) has reached a major milestone in its development, after two years in development the open source platform is now at version 1.0. OpenHAB allows you to communicate with the different appliances in your home; you can chat using Jabber or Google Talk and use your Google Calendar to set off events.
With a budget of 25 million euros ($32 million), the Swedish Energy Agency is to setup a smart grid project in the rural town of Gotland Sweden. The pilot project will demonstration smart grid in a rural area and allow the agency to carry out research and development in fields that will affect the quality of electricity supply, as well as market application for integration of renewable sources.
Today the world received its first dual mode femtocell or small-cell base station supporting both 3G and LTE simultaneously. Developed by NTT DOCOMO, the new femtocell units will make it even easier for homes in mobile signal dead spot to remain connected.
The Femtocell device is plug-and-play and provides 3G/LTE service coverage in a range of up to a long distance, depending on actual conditions. It automatically configures itself upon connection to the surrounding devices in its surroundings.
Mobile devices are too small to give the quality sound that some music deserves; therefore, to get the quality you want dock/connect the device to an adapted entertainment system. Phorus has decided to address both issues with a new DTS based solution. They have adopted the DTS Play-Fi wireless technology to create a new entertainment package for Android based devices. The Play-Fi solution has a Receiver, Android App and Speakers.
Technology startup Tado has launched its internet-connected home thermostat. The now device is operated by an app on your smartphone and reacts to the weather forecasts to change your indoor climate. You home heating system is connected to Tado via the app on our phone and unlike traditional thermostats; Tado does not have knobs, buttons, or even a display.
Now YouTube is on the mobile to TV streaming, the company announced on their blog that their work in progress is coming to fruition. With the YouTube app for Android, you can find the video you would like to watch and stream it to you Google TV. The app plus your phone will behave just like your remote control, you will be able to pause, skip or scroll to the next video from your mobile or tablet - click the TV icon that appears, and the video will play instantly on your Google TV.
BMW is collaborating with AT&T and Tendril to launch the BMW i Born Electric Tour Hackathon, an event that will allow developers to create software solutions that will interlink electric vehicles (EV), mobile devices and the home. The seven-city event is expected to hightlight BMW’s sustainable and holistic approach to technology and lifestyle and at the same time creating innovative solutions for the future connected home.
Virgin Media customers are in for a treat this Christmas; the company has launched its cloud-based entertainment service, “Virgin TV Anywhere”. The Virgin TV Anywhere service will allow Virgin customers to watch Cable via their smartphone or tablet using a downloaded app or via a browser. There are social functionalities integrated in the service that allows customers to comment on TV shows.
I don’t think you will need to buy another NAS Drive after this one. The AS 6 Series has three models to suite your current and future data needs. You can get an 8-bay down to a 2-bay: 8-bay (AS-608T), 6-bay (AS-606T), 4-bay (AS-604T) and 2-bay (AS-602T). The features of the AS 6 Series extend into the commercial use as well so depending on your need for a NAS there is one here for you.
If you are not ready to spend big on a Smart TV or you want to extend the features on your existing Smart TV, then these latest releases from Netgear could be the answer. The company has release three new Netgear streaming players (NeoTV, NeoTV Pro and NeoTV MAX) that give you access to some of the best on-demand and subscription services.