IT NEWS

IT NEWS

Smart Home Connected Appliances to exceed 10 million Installed by 2017

A new report from Juniper Research forecasts that the installed base of connected appliances in Smart Homes will beat the 10 million mark by 2017, rising from 4 million in 2013.

The new report - Smart Home Ecosystems & the Internet of Things – found that consumer awareness of connected appliances, such as smart fridges and washing machines was gradually increasing, but that such devices are not widely considered to represent attractive purchases.

According to the report, smart appliances remain a niche item, given high retail prices, poor use cases and security concerns. Whilst the technology to leverage IoT (Internet of Things) devices is already available, no service provider has yet made a system for intelligent automation available to consumers.

The report observed that CE manufacturers such as Samsung and LG are pushing ahead with their range of ‘intelligent’ appliances as part of their wider Smart Home strategies. Samsung is the first major CE manufacturer to demonstrate an entire ecosystem of appliances and technologies over its ‘Smart Home Service’ platform. However, this service only functions with Samsung products which, the report argues, will likely stunt the growth opportunity, and discourage the brand-agnostic consumer.

Other key findings include:

• Deploying Smart Home services in the cloud will reduce the need for expensive Smart Home device processors, and allow these devices to benefit from the power of Big Data.

• Service providers should encourage a user community to help diversify Smart Home application possibilities to cater for individual needs.

SOURCE MYJOYONLINE 

Google Glass available to anyone for one day only

ave you been pining for your very own wearable $1,500 Google Glass but weren't sure how you, a regular nondeveloper residing in the United States, could procure one?

Tuesday will be your lucky day. Google is opening sales of Glass for one day only to any adult in the United States who wants one of the devices. In true sale fashion, Google is throwing in free frames or sunglasses for those first-time customers and the supply is limited. Sales start at 9 a.m. ET on April 15, but people can sign up now with Google to receive a reminder.

This is the first time the device has been available to the general public. So far, the face-mounted computers have been sold only to Google "Explorers," the company's name for early adopters. At first only developers could buy Glass, but Google slowly expanded the program to include regular people. Some were hand-picked, others applied to be Explorers through Google contests by sharing what cool projects they would do if they had Glass.

In the year since Google Glass was first shipped, it has been lauded as the future of computing, criticized for hastening the death of privacy, and mocked for looking silly. People wearing Glass have been banned from bars and restaurants, given tickets for distracted driving, and dubbed "Glassholes." It's been a busy year.

Glass mounts on a pair of compatible glasses and positions a small display above the wearer's right eye. The wearer uses Glass to access the Internet and can simply look up to see things like directions, notifications and content from custom Glass apps on the screen. It is controlled by voice or using the tiny touch pad on the side.

The device's most controversial feature is a small camera that can record 720p video or snap still photos. There's no indicator light showing when the camera is on, though Glass wearers say the display lights up, so it's not a secret.

Google and Explorers say that more education and exposure is needed to dispel privacy fears and for the technology to be embraced by the general public. This one-day sale could lead to a lot more people donning the devices. We'll have to see if that helps or hurts the Google Glass cause.

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