Apple has made public what I have suspected from a long time, they want a share of the home automation market. In addition to that they want your location data collected by their iPhone, ipad etc., to provide the service. In 2010/2011 Apple came under a lot of pressure to say why they were collecting customers location data and what they were doing with it.
German manufacturer tapHome has release a new home automation app for apple iOS devices based on Z-wave wireless technology. The app is free however, its part of a home automation kit, which features the tapHome’s EASYGate base controller, EASYPlug and the EASYPlugDim dimmer. The whole package can be configured to be hub of your home automation with the convenience of being controllable via your smartphone.
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.
It was never meant to be a competition in the way it has turned out, but there is a battle brewing between the two leading smart device operating systems (OS), Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Whether by design or co-incidence, Apple devices now play a major role in facilitating home automation; I would go as far as saying apple has now added home automation to its already established cool computing and entertainment solutions. Following very closely behind Apple’s iOS is Google’s Android platform as a possible option.
The AV Division of Yamaha has introduced five low to mid-market home theater systems, called the HTiBs (home-theater-in-a-box). Standard across the range is front panel USB connectivity for other digital media systems and 100W subwoofers. Some models offer network connectivity with AirPlay to extend the flexibility and connectivity Apple base systems plus Yamaha’s CINEMA DSP 3D home theater experiences. They are also eco-friendly with the ability to reduce power consumption by 20 percent.
Buffalo Technology LinkStation network storage family has been extended with the addition of the V-Series range of Network Attach Storage (NAS) solution. The new line consists of LinkStation Pro. LinkStation Pro Duo and LinkStation Quad. As Standard there is connectivity for the Apple range of handheld devices, automatic backup and the ability to access your LinkStation from anywhere in the world from a internet connection.
Gone are the days when a computer power is judge by the size of its case. Once upon a time when you need a powerful computer you would go out and buy the biggest mother board, a big case to fit it in and a big PSU (Power Supply Unit) to run it all; thankfully this is not the practice anymore. Thanks to Moors Law, Apple is able to give us a high performance computer in the form of the Mac Mini.
PacketVideo has released an update to its popular connected home tool TwonkyBeam. The new version 1.1 is to allow customers with Firefox browser and Apple Mac computer to get the same benefit that was available only to customers with PC and Internet Explorer. TwonkyBeam tool allows user to beam media content from popular Social Media websites such as YouTube, Last.fm and Flickr to connected devices throughout the home.
Bang and Olufsen, the developers of the Master Link Gateway home automation and control system has released a new application called BeoLink for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The new application is available as free download from the Apple App. Store. Owners of the Master Link Gateway can now access and control all home systems accessible via the gateway from any of the three Apple products.
Since the return of Steve Jobs to Apple we have been buying more Apple products than we did before. Their sleek design and beautiful colours have captivated world and has become a must have for many. Apart from the Apple Mac the other apple products are making a steady march into our homes not just for the mobile entertainment but also as part of our household appliances. Here on connectedhomeworld.com we have covered close to twenty products that will work with some Apple products whether it’s the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Apple Mac to help us control and manage the equipment in our homes.