The UK’s technology trade association Intellect has published a report in which it predicts the UK’s connected home market could worth £3bn a year within the next five years. The report entitled “Connected Home – a Reality” looks at elements of the connected home and offers guidance on making it a reality for everyone.
Trilliant has launched a smart metering interoperability group to support UK utilities with their smart meter roll-out. According to Trilliant the group will offer utilities a clear low risk route for utilities to help consumers to cut their energy bills. The interpretability group consist of eight industry players including in-home display providers and energy and water resource management solution provider.
The UK energy management body OFGEM has approved the availability of funds for six smart grid projects across Britain. The money will be used to fund energy projects run by Distribution Network Operators (DNO). OFGEM is hoping that lessons learned in the pilots will help grid companies to develop the grid networks of the future. The £57 Million is being made available from the regulator’s £500 Million Low Carbon Network Fund.
The UK has joined the rest of the world to start its own Island smart grid project, called the EcoIsland Partnership on the Isle of Wight. Technology partners Cable&Wireless and Silver Spring Networks announced that they have signed a partnership agreement to participate in the project. Like Maui island smart grid project, EcoIsland will use a combination of renewable energy sources to provide electricity to the island’s inhabitants.
Oregon Networks, the developer of the Onyx media browser for IPTV devices has announced that Dixons of the UK will be using their Onyx media browser in Dixons Logik Smart TVs. The Onyx browser will be on the Logik 23’ LCD TV (L23IPTV), one of Dixons exclusive brands. The TVs are schedule to be available in time for the Christmas shopping, online at currys.co.uk and in outlets of Currys and PC world.
Dell enters Tablet market with ‘Streak’, a new android based tablet. The Streak tablet (see photo below) is due early June in the UK and will be sold exclusively by O2 the mobile phone and mobile network supplier. It will also be available in US but not until later this summer. We are not told who it the States will be the retailer and Dell is not giving anything away by saying about the price or if there would be a CDMA, LTE, or WiMAX version (i.e. Verizon, Sprint or Clear) available, so right now it is the usual GSM suspects AT&T and/or T-Mobile.
The Prime minister of the Britain today outline new measures to put British‘s home internet access inline with the rest of Europe and the world. At the moment majority of the homes in the country only has access to speed less than 4.5Mbps (megabit per second). The government is proposing a £6-a-year charge on landlines to fund the project.