Google’s I/O isn’t all about mobile devices and Android @ Home is the finest example of this. After being done powering your mobile phones and tablets, Google is now inviting Android into our homes for a cuppa tea with this new home automation concept. Sure, apps that control the lights and act as a TV remote aren’t anything new, but with Android @ Home, every device in your house will be running Android and talking to each other, getting things done on their own.
Remotely turning the lights or air-conditioning on is so last year — with Android @ Home, you can set Google Calender events for tasks such as starting the washing machine or the automatic floor cleaner, not to mention recording your favorite TV show on your DVR. And it won’t just be the devices talking to each other – with voice command support, you’re the one who’s going to have the last word!
Home automation has always been an expensive affair with proprietary software that most often doesn’t work with other, similar systems, but Android’s popularity and prowess is likely going to drive adoption of the Android @ Home standard, finally making it a reality to sit down and talk to your microwave and explain to it the difference between thawing butter and pulverizing it.
When… is a good question. And ‘soon’ is not a very good answer.
