The Internet of Things (IoT) was the buzzword for all things smart for the home at the 2014 CES. Elegantly designed point solutions from light bulbs to door locks and surveillance cameras were on display at every turn. Qualcomm, Samsung and Technicolor wowed audiences with their visions for the Smart Home while Lowe’s and Staples showed off how they are merchandizing it in their stores. AT&T Mobility focused much of its attention at its Pre-CES Developers’ Forum on connected cars, but allocated significant time to cover Digital Life and its successful rollout.
Samsung led the charge of companies targeting the smart home market at the 2014 CES with a pre-show press conference that left little doubt about its intentions to enter the market. Smart home devices and services shared center stage with curved, 4K TVs and connected cars. Clever, single-functions devices aimed at DIY’ers are bound to whet appetites for more capable integrated solutions; thereby stimulating the broader smart home market. Overall the show provided a great warm-up performance for Google’s announcement days later that it would acquire Nest for $3.2 billion. See Google Buys Nest - Enters Smart Home Market ...Again!
If the introductions and developments during 2013 were not convincing enough, then the smart home announcements and demonstrations at the 2014 CES should convince even the casual onlooker that the era of mass market home automation is upon us.
Some highlights:
- Samsung charges into the Smart Home market
- AT&T brings down the wall around their Digital Home garden
- Lowe’s and Staples show how to merchandize the Smart Home at retail
- Qualcomm aims to cover the Smart Home with its AllJoyn Umbrella
- Technicolor offers its Qeo as an alternative to other peer-to-peer communications solutions
- Nest is cool …obviously, but don’t count out Honeywell
- Door locks from whom?
- Light bulbs for the dorm room from Lumen
- Blacksumac, Canary and DoorBot revamp in-home surveillance cameras
Check out full Smart Home coverage at CES 2014: Internet of Things Enters the Home.