Samsung Announces 'New Era Of Smart Home' With Single App, Protocol For Controlling Home Devices

Getting in some early news, Samsung has -
as part of CES 2014 - announced its new
Samsung Smart Home service, a means by
which users will be able to control all their
connected home appliances (from
refrigerators to air conditioners to smart light
bulbs) through a single app on their
compatible smartphone, tablet, smart TV, or
wearable device.
To start, the service will cover three main
areas, which Samsung identifies as Device
Control, Home View, and Smart Customer
Service.
Device Control, as you might guess, allows
users to control home devices using a mobile
device remotely. The feature also allows for
voice commands so if, for example, you're
going to bed, you could tell your smart TV
"good night," and it would know to turn off
and tell the lights to dim gradually.
Home View will give users a peek inside their
own home with "in-built appliance cameras,"
while Smart Customer Service will notify you
"when it's time to service appliances or
replace consumables." hat is perhaps more interesting than
Samsung's initial offering - which will roll out
across Samsung's own devices and
appliances "in the first half of 2014" - is that
the manufacturer has developed a "Smart
Home software protocol" that will allow other
device and appliance manufacturers to gain
compatibility with the system.
Exactly who will jump on board with the
protocol remains to be seen, and Samsung
notes that "initial deployment" of the service
will cover a range of Samsung Smart TVs,
home appliances, and smartphones, with
support for more products and third-party
manufacturers coming later.
Samsung also notes in its release that it
plans to expand the service to home-energy,
secure home access, healthcare, and "eco
home applications" through unspecified third-
party partners. For the full announcement, hit
the link below.