Google announces Android at Home, functionality ideas seem endless

By Jared DiPane
last updated

Ever wish that when you were at home you could have nearly full control of everything in your house, right from your Android device? Google has just announced at Google IO that they will be bringing Android at Home to developers, giving them the ability to allow controls of just about anything from an Android device. Imagine being able to have your alarm clock app slowly turn on the lights, while starting your favorite music to wake up to, or having your lights turn on at certain times, controlled right from your device? Well, it is all going to be able to be accomplished soon enough as long as the developers are willing to take their imagination to the next level.

Jared DiPane
Jared DiPane
Jared started off writing about mobile phones back when BlackBerry ruled the market, and Windows Mobile was kinda cool. Now, with a family, mortgage and other responsibilities he has no choice but to look for the best deals, and he's here to share them with you.
32 Comments
  • What's next? Android refrigerator?
  • I think the idea is not to have Android "machines" but to have them compatible. I still think we just jumped beyond 2011 to like 2020 or something. Insane possibilities here.
  • I think its already have been done A few days ago I saw video of house (I don't remember where , probably on TiPb.com) controlled entirely by an iPad I guess its something like "Viper Alarm systems: or "OnStar system" which gives you the ability to control the basic functions of your car (u know , Lock\Unlock , Start the Engine , alarm , A\C ...etc) which is already available for IOS & Android OS
  • From what I've seen in automated homes, this has not been done. The iPad house is not an app you can pull up to control your devices. You actually have to wire up the house properly. This is completely different from buying a light bulb and having control over it. :-) Yeah, I've seen the car apps.
  • From what I've seen in automated homes, this has not been done. The iPad house is not an app you can pull up to control your devices. You actually have to wire up the house properly. This is completely different from buying a light bulb and having control over it. :-) Yeah, I've seen the car apps.
  • late.. They already have an android refrigerator.. I think LG is the manufacturer.. :)
  • A bit to much for me. I am still happy with my phone alarm waking me up. Now if there was an app that will notify me if the washer or dryer is done that would be nice.
  • I think it was at CES that LG announce this exact thing, a stove that can be pre-heated from your phone, the washer and dryer that alert you when finished, etc. it does seem a little much but at the same time this kind of stuff was coming and Google has merely provided a free OS for companies to use and skin for their products.. could be worse.. could be Windows Mobile running your fridge allowing you to get achievements for cooking different meals in your oven. :P
  • Could have been worse still and been Apple, instead of just tracking where you've been, they'd also know every little thing that you do in your home and when you do it.
  • That or tell you that you made the meat loaf wrong so your oven won't turn on
  • and you would definitely never be able to make pot brownies or foods shaped like penises such as hot dogs and popsicles
  • Can it walk my dog or wipe my a....
  • It can do BOTH.....SIMULTANEOUSLY!
  • YABBA DABBA DOO!!!!!
  • Yet battery technology stays stagnant.
  • Not necessarily for long: http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/37324/?mod=related&a=f
  • Seems pretty cool, but I don't see anything about making the batteries better, just making them more efficient for charging faster. If they could double the usable capacity of current battery technology, in addition to the story in the link you posted. As well as companies like Seidio and OEMs getting ahold of said tech to produce extended batteries for devices like my Droid Incredible.. then yes, I support this.
  • I don't argue with you on that point. While capacity is a burden, the idea that you could fully charge a phone in 30 seconds would certainly increase it's usability, and were that to become the case, I think you'd see capacity/longevity increases would soon follow as THAT would then become the sole topic of interest in that arena. Especially with more and more battery powered devices coming out there is going to be a lot of profit to be had by anyone who can figure out a way to make batteries more efficient, so I'm sure the research opportunities are not being neglected.
  • As great as this sounds, and it does sound great, they basically took Apple's AirPort Express product/idea and are running with it like there's no tomorrow. It'll be very interesting to see how this really pans out.
  • No they didn't. If anything, this is a reincarnation of Microsoft's basically failed attempt at bringing home automation to the computer. People are going to continue to face the same hurdles of overpriced options that make these technologies basically out of reach for the average consumer.
  • MicroSoft obviously got their timing wrong then, or didn't get any uptake because of the costs. But with free development tools and the technology already existing all around your home I don't see the costs being a major issue. They just need to make sure its easy to set-up and use.
  • Google is the next cyberdine, skynet. Judgment day is inevitable.
  • X10 and now proprietary versions of it, have had this control capability for years, but two things come together here in my mind: 1. the end devices, like stoves and refrigerators, are just now being instrumented to be controllable, 2. There's never been a big enough backing to pull all the pieces together cohesively, and we know Google has that kind of weight and influence. I guess it is possible they won't use x10 and the variants, we'll see. ADS
  • Right now it looks like they're gonna be using these boards: http://www.rt-net.jp/products/rt-adk and unfortunately all the development tools (that I can see) are (at least for the time being) limited to USB connectivity to the Android host device (aka no wireless controlling yet). If I'm mistaken please point me to the dev kit that allows remote connections but I think it's still gonna be a while before we see any REAL functionality out of this.
  • it would definitely be nice if it would work with all of my X10 stuff! I'm running the X10 Commander right now, but that doesn't integrate with all of the other Android apps..etc..
  • Well you can forget the toaster, HP/Palm already have that covered.
  • Until it can brew my beer for me, chill it down, and deliver it to me know matter where I am in the entire world, ehhhhh .. not impressed yet.
  • The ability to control thermostat is already done via WiFi (and even remotely) by some products, giving hourly, and even minute-by-minute temperature and heat/ac/fan usage charts. The ability to integrate that kind of thing into an Android platform along with other things like household lights and outdoor lighting on your house would be ideal. Ideally, you'd be given full control over outlets and could cut power to an outlet if you thought you needed to (left the iron on? turn off the power to it!) Check out www.ecobee.com for an example.
  • well I already can control all my lighting in my house wireless with x-10s and remote desktop
  • Its sounds cool , but what gonna happen when the Random reboots & the FCs starts , you will be a prisoner in your own house
  • What happens when some one tap in\hack the frequency ?
    You will be rubbed or worse
  • Android@Home by Google is an interesting move in many aspects. It has a great potential to become the "Android of home automation", but also raises many issues and questions to be addresses. See http://blog.millennialnet.com/2011/07/13/where-is-google-going-with-the-...