An offshoot of the mobile device thread: what would you like your device to do???

[Jag_Warrior]

My girl has been on my back because I have a very old cellphone (10 years old). She and her sister get new iPhones about every 2 years. From the data I've read, most people tend to get new cellphones or mobile devices about every 18-24 months. But I don't text, FaceBook or tweet. I use my phone to talk and that's it. So I've found no reason to get a smartphone and double my carrier bill. I do carry an iPod Touch, which I use to get real time information when I'm near WiFi. But even it's over 2 years old now. To me, there's just nothing earth shattering about what any of these devices can do right now.

What would change my mind?

For me, let's assume it's an Apple device, so I'll use Siri. But whatever Google/Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone is using for voice commands would work too.

Siri, start my Jaguar at 6:15AM M-F if I'm at home and if the temperature is below 32 degrees.

Siri, instead of the Jaguar, start my WRX (AWD car) at 6:15AM M-F if I'm at home and there is more than 3 inches of snow in the 24 hour forecast for a 100 mile radius of my home.

Siri, start the coffee maker at 6AM M-F if I'm at home and at 10AM on Saturday and Sunday if I'm at home.

Siri, send me one alert each, on the day before, for all of the birthdays that are in my contacts list - for my mother and my girlfriend, send me daily alerts beginning a week in advance of their birthdays.

Siri, when I am departing my home location, five minutes after I have left, adjust the thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer and 60 degrees in the winter. When I am within 10 miles of my home, traveling in the direction of my home, adjust the temperature to 72 degrees in the summer and winter.

Siri, always record any TV show with "F1", "Formula One", "GP2", "Le Mans", or "sports car" in the title/keyword section. And add 1 hour to any live broadcast. Never record a show with the word "Kardashian", "Jersey Shore", "Snooki", "Lohan", "Real Housewives" or "Palin" in the title or keyword. And if anyone other than me attempts to watch such a show, say the word "stupid" 8 times and then change the channel to the History Channel after 30 seconds.

Siri, send me alerts, until I respond to the alerts, whenever the stock ABC reaches a low of $29 or a high of $39 or when XYZ reaches a low of $44.49 or a high of $68.76.

Last task, Siri: on the morning of my birthday every year, tell me that Salma Hayek and Sofia Vergara called to wish me a happy birthday, while they were frolicking together in a hot tub on the French Riviera - and they wished I could be there. Note: if you detect my girlfriend's iPhone within 50 yards of me, do not deliver this message until she's left the state. Thanks, Siri. You're a doll.


Those are (in my mind) just "simple" if/then conditionals that many of us worked with in basic programming classes in the 1980's. Some of that is just for S&G's (or because I have mental issues). But some are things that I really think would take mobile OS's out of the infant/toy state that I think they're in now. Within 10 years, I really don't see why all of of that functionality can't be delivered to phones and devices that are in our homes and cars - some of it already is... but it's hardly widespread, secure or reliable. As long as the delivery is reliable and secure, what would be the problem?


So what are some mobile OS tasks that you'd like to see, which would make you think that mobile technology is more where it needs to be??? Don't get hung up on a brand. Could be iOS, Android, BlackBerry, WP or the new FireFox. Heck, call it something that isn't even around yet.

[Jag_Warrior]

Can Google, Apple, or Samsung Lead the Internet of Things?

MarketWatch reports that neither Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) nor Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) made Goldman Sachs’s (NYSE:GS) list of companies best positioned to lead the innovation that will drive the development of the Internet of Things, a far-reaching network of everyday devices, which Goldman Sachs projects will connect 28 billion devices to the Internet by 2020.

Both Apple and Google have made moves toward building out successful mobile ecosystems — iOS for Apple and Android for Google — into hubs for innovation for Internet of Things fixtures, particularly smart homes. Google acquired Nest Labs, which then opened its Nest Developer Program to make its smart home platform an open-source hub through which third-party manufacturers’ devices and outside developers’ apps can communicate. Apple’s HomeKit, similarly, is being developed as a framework for the communication and control of smart home devices.

MarketWatch reports that Goldman Sachs cites two categories of technology as particularly crucial to the Internet of Things revolution. Those are “communications technology” — like Wi-Fi, cellular service, and “fog” computing — and hardware, like sensors, connectivity devices, and microcontrollers. It’s widely expected that Wi-Fi connectivity, rather than cellular connectivity, will drive the Internet of Things, and Goldman Sachs expects manufacturers of Wi-Fi chips, like Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), plus hardware manufacturers, like Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) and Ruckus (NYSE:RKUS), to benefit.

[airshifter]

Bumping an older thread, just to keep up with things that change....

While investigating options with programmable/remote access/smart thermostats I realized that things are changing for the better.

Several now allow settings specific to the type of units you use for your heating. This includes settings for when auxiliary heat is used for those with heat pumps. You can set them to conserve more energy with a wider temp range allowed, or kick the extra heat up early to keep you more comfortable. This includes thermostats that consider this factor when heating the home up from a cooler night setting.

A number of thermostats now include motion sensors. If your programmed "away" temps are in effect and you or someone else walks in the door, it detects the motion and turns on the appropriate climate control. Some use sensors on the thermostat itself to "learn" the habits of the occupants, and when they all leave.

At least a few models now look at outside weather, along with forecasts, to save you money. This includes looking at humidity levels and in some cases quick moving weather. If a big cold front is coming and your house is in "away" mode,it might start warming the house earlier than usual for your arrival, if that is more energy efficient.

And at least a couple models now use geofencing, and at least one of those has an option for the distance you must be from the home for the thermostat to put things to the "home" setting, anticipating your arrival.



And I hate to admit this, but choosing a new thermostat has now for me become like building a new computer or picking a new phone. I may well end up spending more just to have the fun of the tech side of experimenting with it. And it looks like I might be picking a model with geofencing, since it seems more suited to our less than predictable routines.

Tech can be fun!

[Mark]

All sounds pretty fun! I've looked into that sort of thing before and things like remote activation but it's nothing that can't be done with a more basic timer based model.

[Jag_Warrior]

Have any of you looked into Peel lately? Seems like they've made some changes and improvements over what they were all about at first.

TV-remote app Peel adds connected-home commands to its repertoire

Peel is about to truly become the “smart universal remote” app that it has always claimed to be. The company, fresh off a $50 million investment from Chinese internet giant Alibaba, has announced that it plans to add connected-home commands to its TV remote app, which it claims handles over 7 billion infrared (IR) remote commands each month from upwards of 100 million smartphone and tablet users.
The app—named Best Mobile Photo, Art, Video, or TV App during the 2015 Global Mobile Awards at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today—can already control TVs, set-top boxes, game consoles, and other entertainment devices by either tapping the host device’s onboard infrared or—in the case of an iPhone or iPad—using Wi-Fi. Next month, the app will updated with a new feature that enables it to relay commands to a large assortment of connected home devices—thermostats, lighting, garage doors, security systems, smart plugs, air conditioners, blinds, locks, etc.—over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and infrared.
To spare you the hassle of always having to deal with multiple devices separately, the expanded Peel app will allow for the creation of so-called “Peel-in” presets for controlling multiple devices simultaneously.
“A Peel-in living-room experience might involve simultaneously turning on the TV and sound system, closing the blinds, adjusting room temperature, and lowering the lights, all with the tap of one button,” Peel co-founder and chief product officer Bala Krishnan explained in a press release.

[colingaar]

Hey, I think that technology has some really amazing potential that really isn't in wide use at this point. And that one touches more on the predictive side of things that I originally mentioned.