Samsung Demos Tizen-Powered Smart Home
The same day that Apple unveiled its HomeKit platform to integrate various connected home devices, Samsung was showing off a similar concept at the Tizen Developers Conference in San Francisco. We took a stroll through a mock-up of a living room to see how Tizen could be used to control everything from your lights to your air conditioner to your robot vacuum.
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Much like HomeKit, the Tizen smart home platform is designed to be controlled using a smart phone or, in Samsung's case, the Gear 2 smartwatch. By saying a phrase such as "I'm going out" into the Gear 2, the smart home interface would automatically turn off the lights, turn down the air conditioner, and start up your robot vacuum cleaner.
When you return, simply say "I'm home" into your watch, and the lights will turn back on, the Roomba will dock itself, and the AC will adjust the temperature to your desired level.
The race is on to see if Samsung or Apple will win the contest to control your home from your smartphone. Although Samsung had a working prototype at the Tizen conference, we still might lean towards Apple gaining greater acceptance.
For one, Apple highlighted a number of major third-party partners, including Honeywell. Second, in order to reap the benefits of HomeKit, consumers will simply need to update their iPhones to iOS 8. In Samsung's case, consumers will need to purchase a new phone with an entirely new OS, although Tizen could gain momentum as the company pours more resources into the platform.
Whoever wins out, it's clear that when the two biggest names in mobile tech are both looking at how best to control all the gadgets in your house. Your abode will never be the same.
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