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IFA 2014: Samsung takes on Apple HomeKit with Samsung Smart Home

Samsung has announced Smart Home, its forthcoming platform for the emerging Internet of Things. 

Going toe to toe with Apple’s HomeKit, Smart Home promises to put IP security cameras, digital door locks and smart plugs at your fingertips. 

You’ll be able to use S Voice on Galaxy devices and Gear watches to issue commands. Geolocation data will trigger lights, air conditioners and heaters to regulate the temperature of your home upon your approach. 

This woman has no left arm.
This woman has no left arm.

As well as playing into customers Dick Tracy and Star Trek fantasies, Samsung Smart Home also promises to let you monitor your energy usage and let you work out which appliances are making the biggest dents in your heating bills. 

Like Apple HomeKit, Samsung Smart Home will be an open standard available to all smart home manufacturers to use. The SDK (software development kit) will be released later in the year. 

While no manufacturing partners have been announced Samsung has mentioned that robot vacuum cleaners will be supported, so we’d expect to see things like iRobot’s Roomba, LG’s Hom-Bot or even Samsung’s own Navibot and Silencio products supported. 

Wonpyo Hong, President, Media Solutions Center, Samsung Electronics said: “We are excited to deliver a Smart Home experience which will make our customers’ lives easier, with innovative products that help everyone’s day to day routine, such as managing home security and energy consumption.

“The Samsung Smart Home will continue to evolve through the development of new services to enable our customers to enjoy their lives in truly smart ways.” 

The not very cryptic name for Samsung’s smart home ecosystem has been revealed ahead of IFA 2014, the annual trade show hosted in Berlin. 

Samsung will demonstrate uses for Smart Home-compliant devices at IFA 2014, the Berlin-based consumer tech show that kicks off later this week. 

In November, Samsung will show off the latest developments with SmartThings at its Developer Conference in San Francisco. Samsung acquired the smart home hardware and software makers last month. 

While it’s owned by Samsung, SmartThings will continue to run as an independent company while Samsung continues to develop its own Smart Home ecoysystem. 

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