Central Coast Audio Visual

Other exciting possibilities for Wazombi will come with further updates. The ability to automate shades based on the intensity of the sunlight entering the window -- as measured by the solar panel -- will be a big addition. And it should be active through a firmware update within the next few months. After working with Smart Shades for a couple days, though, it seems like a clever product that lacks polish and flexibility. Read more: http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/wazombi-smart-shades/

We might still be some way from coming home to robots doing the cooking and cleaning for us, but the age of widespread home automation has arrived. More and more people now have "intelligent" versions of devices like thermostats and lighting in their home, that either run automatically or can be controlled from a smartphone. But the home automation market is very much still in its infancy. There are many newly developed products from a wide range of companies and few of them are compatible with one another. This lack of standards signals a tough time ahead for both manufacturers and consumers. Read more: http://phys.org/news/2016-04-smart-homes-inhabitants.html

Cost is a major reason so many current smart home devices rely on the Internet for basic functions. Like a cheap laptop that runs web apps instead of locally stored programs, a smart thermostat or hub can keep costs down by shifting processor- and memory-intensive tasks to the cloud. "If you want to serve up information in a local context, you need the storage to do that," says Bob Sharp, executive vice president of Emerson, whose Sensi thermostats rely on the Internet for everything but basic on-device controls. Read more: http://www.fastcompany.com/3059023/smart-homes-not-until-theyre-less-dependent-on-the-internet

In the luxury market, smart home technology has become expected. However, as affordability, consumer demand and advances in technology continue to converge, new opportunities and market segments open. It’s fascinating to see how rapidly people are adopting technology, and from all demographics. The typical smart-home consumer used to be young and affluent. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/real-estate/article73666787.html

The Singapore government is testing a range of “smart city” technologies in one of the most extensive plans to collect data on daily living ever attempted in a city. Watch Video: http://www.wsj.com/video/singapores-smart-homes/8F0EBDC0-137B-45F5-87DF-78E04C9BCC22.html

Smart home technology is offering homeowners some compelling capabilities to make life easier. From smart appliances that speak to smart meters and schedule themselves to take advantage of cheaper electricity rates to smart lights that adjust their colouring for different needs throughout the day, there’s almost no limit to what smart homes can do. But, as with any technology purchase, consumers need to do their homework... Read more: http://www.ourwindsor.ca/community-story/6518788-smart-homes-demand-smart-consumers/

Construction of new homes fell in March by the largest amount in five months, with weakness in all regions of the country except the Northeast. Home construction dropped 8.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million units, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. It was the third decline in the past four months and left construction at its slowest point since October. Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/04/19/economy-home-construction-real-estate/83223854/