#android@home

New Post has been published on http://www.androidaplicacionesgratis.com/android-y-bluetooth-smart-conectando-cualquier-cosa-a-internet/

Android y Bluetooth Smart: conectando cualquier cosa a Internet

Dediquemos unos segundos a pensar sobre el futuro de la tecnología en general: cada uno tendrá su visión de la historia, pero probablemente la mayoría de historias coincidirán en que casi todos (por no decir todos) los componentes electrónicos que tenemos a nuestro alrededor estén conectados, de una forma u otra, a Internet. Este concepto es bastante conocido con el nombre de el Internet de las cosas, probablemente hayáis leído sobre ello antes.

Ahora volvamos al futuro: puede que, gracias a que Android (y a unos cuantos factores más) está profundamente integrado en los consumidores y los fabricantes, el paso para que todo lo que nos rodea esté conectado a Internet esté mucho más cerca de lo que podamos pensar y no sea un simple sueño para el futuro.

Todo esto comienza con el artículo de Jim Zemlin, director ejecutivo de la Linux Foundation, en BusinessWeek. En el comenta que Android está dominando el mercado de los dispositivos móviles, pero que lo más importante de esto es que los fabricantes de Hardware y las compañías de Software son expertos en Android: cada variante de pantalla, sensor, chip… esta hecho o ha sido preparado para funcionar con Android, lo cual nos da la posibilidad de coger cualquier producto y transformar Android en lo que sea que queramos.

Saltemos por un momento de Android a una forma de enviar datos: supongamos que queremos una forma de saber si todas las ventanas de nuestra casa están cerradas o cuanto pesamos hoy, por ejemplo. Gracias a Bluetooth Smart (también denominado como Low Energy por su bajo consumo), una tecnología que se especializa en diseñar productos que necesiten enviar o recibir unos datos en concreto y un dispositivo que esté preparado para usar Bluetooth Smart podemos saberlo en el momento. Sumemos todo esto a que Android va a empezar a soportar Bluetooth Smart nativamente, y entonces tendremos como resultado una forma ideal para los desarrolladores de conectar sus productos con el gigantesco ecosistema de Android.

Sí, el Internet de las cosas podría despegar gracias a Android y Bluetooth Smart: el potencial que ofrece la tecnología no ha hecho más que nacer con dispositivos como receptores GPS o sensores cardíacos, puesto que podríamos implementar Bluetooth Smart en cualquier sensor que nos podamos imaginar. Controlar la temperatura del horno, comprobar si alguien ha entrado al jardín de nuestra casa o saber si la lavadora que hemos puesto hace un momento ha terminado desde nuestro Android sería perfectamente viable gracias a este sistema.

Y a todo esto, parece que Android va a tener poca competencia por el momento en este sector: entre que actualmente nadie se interesa por las plataformas de Microsoft (según palabras de Philip DesAutels), y que Apple parece estar “desinteresada” en hacer funcionar productos que no son de Apple en iOS, Android tiene todo el camino libre para avanzar en este campo a falta de que otro oponente decida meterse de lleno. La cuestión es que Google parte con una gran ventaja a la hora de desarrollar este concepto gracias a Android: cuenta con una base de usuarios gigante, el apoyo de los fabricantes… 

Existe una especie de ley que dice que, si algo puede tener conexión a Internet, estará conectado a Internet. El futuro parece estar encaminado a ello: proporcionar una interconexión entre todos los dispositivos que usamos, sean del tipo que sean, y los dispositivos móviles parecen ser la puerta al usuario perfecta (es algo que llevamos todo el día con nosotros y perfectamente conectado). Google con Android tiene mucho camino hecho, además de haber presentado proyectos que van en esa línea como Android@Home.

Todo indica que el momento en el que nuestro móvil sea la puerta a nuestra casa va a llegar más pronto que tarde, y Android se presenta como el candidato perfecto a ocupar el puesto de puerta. ¿Con qué nos sorprenderán en el futuro? ¿Qué esperáis como resultado de todo esto?19

El artículo Android y Bluetooth Smart: conectando cualquier cosa a Internet se publicó en El Androide Libre (El Blog Android de referencia. Aplicaciones, noticias, Juegos y smartphones Android Libres)

New Post has been published on http://projectopenhand.biz/is-there-still-hope-for-googles-disappeared-androidhome-and-nexus-q/3304

Is There Still Hope For Google's Disappeared Android@Home And Nexus Q?

Two years ago, Google’s Vic Gundotra keynoted the company’s 2011 I/O developer conference, and one of the big surprises of the day was the launch of Android@Home, Google’s attempt to corner the home-automation market. At the keynote, Google also showed the first prototype of what would later become the Nexus Q “social streaming media player” that it gave to every I/O 2012 attendee.

Fast forward to today, just a few weeks before the next I/O, and home automation is still clunky and dominated by the same players as before, with the possible exception of Nest. Google has barely mentioned Android@Home since 2011. The Nexus Q never even made it to market after Google “postponed” it just before it was scheduled to launch. Unlike other Google products, both Android@Home and the Nexus Q currently live in no-man’s land where forgotten Google products wait before they are either resurrected or put out on the curb with the rest of its failed products at the next spring cleaning.

While most neglected Google products disappear sooner or later, though, the Nexus Q, which got mostly negative reviews, still lives on an unlinked page on Google Play. The Nexus Q was Google’s first attempt at designing its own hardware, and while the Q was a great hardware product, it felt like it was intentionally held back by its software, which was extremely limited.

The hardware still looks great today, so maybe it will make a return at I/O this year, but hopefully as a fully featured media player with app support that’ll let you run the majority of your Android apps on a TV. I don’t have very high hopes for this, but it’s definitely a possibility, given that its internals were essentially those of a high-end Android phone. When it “postponed” its launch and gave a free Q to everybody who pre-ordered one, Google said it did so because it wanted to make the Q better – and what better time to show how much it has improved it than at I/O 2013?

The Nexus Q was just one piece of Google’s larger Android@Home home-automation vision. Android@Home was supposed to revolutionize home automation and turn Android into the operating system for your home. It would let you control everything from your heating system to your washer and dryer, alarm clock, lightbulbs (Google even had a partner for this “launch”), entertainment system and every other appliance. Since I/O 2011, we haven’t heard anything about Android@Home. Google still features the Accessory Development Kit on its homepage, but that’s less about @Home than about talking to gadgets like a Fitbit over Bluetooth.

I will just come right out and admit that I was not one of the people lucky enough to attend the Google I/O 2011 event. In fact, I was kind of bummed about not being able to attend it (tickets "sold out" almost before they became available) and at the time I focused my attention on other projects to console myself.

However, I'm seeing more and more mentions of Google's new API called Android@Home. It's basically a way for Android devices to talk to and control other devices - even wirelessly.

Here is an LED light bulb from Lighting Science that has a built-in wireless transceiver. It operates in the 900Mhz spectrum (which is less crowded than WiFi in the USA) and it forms a mesh network that can ultimately connect to your cable or DSL modem.

The upshot of all this is that you could control all of the lights in your house (or any Web-connected building) using your Android device. From anywhere, as long as there's a working Internet connection.

Another, not insignificant fact is that wireless Internet connections are about to become a lot more common.

Pause a moment to let that sink in. This is huge. Why? LED bulbs use but a tiny fraction of the electricity consumed by incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs even consume a lot less energy than the compact fluorescent bulbs. LEDs produce very "natural," full-spectrum light - in contrast to the ghastly pallor of flourescent bulbs. And LEDs don't contain lead or mercury like flourescents do. Less energy, less toxic waste. Multiply that by the millions of light bulbs around the country, and you have something of an environmental revolution in the making. Perhaps we can even avoid building more nuclear or coal-burning power plants. Win.

Back to Android. The direction is clear: Android will become the hub, not just of your communications, but of your home. Garage door opener? Probably. Door key? Yep. TV remote? Check. Thermostat? Yes. Home surveillance/security camera? You name it, Android is going to do it. In spades, if Google has its way.

Kudos to Google (and Lighting Science) for a brilliant idea that is bound to bring a lot of benefits to society.

Now lets think about the other side of this. Privacy and security. Google is poised to make another invasion - this time into your home. The amount of personal data that could be had from this: truly staggering. Or, to put it another way, how do you feel about Google bugging every room in your house? Think it won't happen? What's to prevent it?

Given the demonstrated fact that the government can and does often obtain data from Google, through specially-designed backdoors, what's to stop Uncle Sam from spying on you as well?

And then, there's the vast network of third-party corporations that do business with Google. They already track your movements across the Web - what's to stop them from doing it in your home?

I'm not claiming ill intent on the part of Google. To the contrary; this is a work of staggering genius. What I am saying is, what safeguards will there be to protect us from abuse of the system?

I will go out on a limb here and speculate: there will be absolutely no meaningful safeguards. Other than the ones that will be devised by the hacker community. Therefore, I invite you to participate in such development or support those who do. If privacy matters to you.

Posted by brentwhopkins

via th3volution.blogspot.com

Check out my guest post on the new blog of my buddy Kidromulous!

Google has just announced that accessories will be available for their android@home system by the end of the year.

The idea is to be able to control the devices in your home from your Android smartphone.

Lighting, dishwashers, heater timers and so on can be controlled and monitored from wherever you happen to be.