In the run up to CES 2014, Samsung has announced a new Smart Home platform that will bring together TVs, smartphones, tablets, wearables and connected household items like refrigerators and air conditioning units. All of your beloved gadgets — assuming they’re compatible, of course — can be controlled with a few taps of the finger whether you’re at home or on the move.
There are three main Smart Home features: Device Control, Home View and Smart Customer Service. With Device Control, you can personalize the settings on your electronics and switch them on and off remotely; Home View gives you a glimpse of your abode when you’re away (thanks to the cameras built into your TV or other devices); and Smart Customer Service, as the name suggests, gives you a warning when your washing machine is about to break down or when your printer needs more ink.
Voice control will be included as part of the platform’s functionality: you can say “going out” to your Galaxy Gear, for example, and Smart Home will turn the lights off for you. If you have the right Samsung equipment and gadgets in your house, you can expect to be using Smart Home before the summertime. The company has said it is working with third-party partners to extend the platform to products and services that don’t have the Samsung badge.
“With Samsung Smart Home, we are bringing our capabilities as the world’s number-one manufacturer of smart devices to make the connected home a reality for consumers today,” said Samsung’s Wonpyo Hong in a company press release. “In the coming days, we will continue to roll out better home services to our consumers to enable them to keep enjoying a brand-new experience of ‘Smart Living and Beyond’.”
You can expect to hear more about Samsung’s vision for the connected smart home as CES progresses. Keep up to date with all of our coverage here.