Connect with us

Accessories

Google’s @ Home: Lightbulbs Now on View

Published

on

Google’s @ Home initiative announced at Google I/O makes some sense and sounds like a tinker’s delight and yet on the other hand it makes me wonder if this will have the feel of many of Google’s Beta roll outs. I would hope not. Gadget users will put up with Beta vagaries, heck, we’ll even spend bucks on Beta hardware if it is wrapped up and marketed as something news. But, I don’t think the home market will be as kind (or is that naive?)

In any regard, it looks like we’re seeing pictures of some of the early market light bulbs that will be available for @ Home. These are made by Lighting Science who promises there will be many more as this is all scheduled to begin rolling out at the end of the year. The early pictures (this one courtesy of Gizmodo) looks much like some of the LED bulbs you can already find on the market, and Lighting Science says this new @ Home equipment will be priced similarly.

Of course you will need and there will be some adapters that you need to plug in to your house to make this all work with Android and with the @ Home devices and gear. So, I think we have lots to learn about this down the road before we can get to excited by this. But the prospects sound intriguing.

So, here’s a question for GBM Readers. Does @ Home or other home automation of interest? Are you looking forward to being able to use your phone to control gear in your home? Let us know in comments.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    05/12/2011 at 12:00 am

    I think there is no question that it is of interest.

    What has been missing in the product space is a big enough name (or deep enough pockets) to really be the play-maker in that field.

    In that regard I think google is in a very different position than it finds itself in many of the markets it enters.

    I can’t imagine that any of these smaller companies are even large appliance manufacturers would not want a very recognizable name like “google inside” on their box.

    Of course, such deals are still not spoken of – but to make it all work that is where it is going to have to go.

    I think google is well positioned to make their framework THE de facto framework and finally make the idea homogeneous enough to really take off.

  2. Chad

    05/12/2011 at 1:39 am

    I love the idea i’ve been looking at home automation for a while and so far it seems too expensive or too propitiatory I hope it will be nice and open and work from many different devices…

    That said, i am worried about Google having a window into my home usage, but I’d probably allow it if the bulk of the cost was free, then google and collect all types of data around what rooms I spend my time in and how much light/ power my home uses…

    • Anonymous

      05/12/2011 at 2:50 am

      I don’t worry so much about google collecting data.

      As long as it is not tied to my actual identity.

      I mean – I don’t want them going … “mike is this age and has this income and lives here and drives this.. etc”.

      But if it is just, “this guy never goes for deals on tweener music but might try your lunch deal on that sandwich” then that is cool with me.

      Same for home data collection. I think that data is actually useful to them and to me as a consumer in a generic way.

      What I worry about more is security breeches.

      It is one thing to worry about some &$((*$ stealing my credit card info, but it is an entirely other thing to worry about them setting my thermostat to 100 degrees and my freezer to ‘off’ or whatnot.

      I would love to be able to really keep track of my electrical usage per appliance though – in an easy, ongoing, and systematic way.

  3. Chrisphickie

    05/12/2011 at 3:04 am

    If they can integrate/automate remote video monitoring from multiple cameras at home, I think they will have something. Controlling a light bulb? Not so exciting.

  4. methos1

    05/17/2011 at 1:17 pm

    .

  5. Mjs1231

    05/17/2011 at 1:31 pm

    google home is part of a larger agenda

    look at this

    https://www.freedomworks.org/blog/jborowski/must-see-video-rand-paul-on-light-bulb-ban-during

    they are trying to force legislation to force everyone to get these bulbs.

    why ?

    look.

    https://www.prisonplanet.com/what-else-will-the-governments-special-chip-in-your-cellphone-do.html

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/17/internet-kill-switch-woul_n_615923.html

    its all part of the continuity of agenda plan. It’s being rolled out across ever nation.

    You tech think this is liberal and loving are fools.

    you being herded in to highly compact prison like cities where no human activity goes un monitored.

    WAKE UP.

    RON PAUL 2012

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.