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| EMagazine Volume 5 Issue 4 Aug / Sep 2000 |
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Toys Article - August 2000 - [HTI Home Page] |
DIY Marketing Program Promote Your Products and Services [Click Message To Learn More] |
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By Peter Radsliff |
In a recent article, computer columnist John Dvorak, blasted the brave new "smart home" world of networked appliances and home automation. He groused about the silliness of turning lights off via the Internet, the complexity of having a networked fridge and how oxymoronic it is to have mood lighting in an energy-efficient house. And he's right. It's time for the spin-meisters to take a deep breath (I'm one of them) and look at what's really going on here.
First of all, let's give credit where credit is due. Two IBM commercials went a long way towards popularizing the vision of having an Internetworked-Home. In one commercial, a couple vacationing in Venice turns off their gas stove from the gondola via webphone after visions of domestic Armageddon. In another spot, an appliance repairman shows up on a service call after being e-mailed by the refrigerator (maybe the Maytag repairman won't be so lonely after receiving 1,000 e-mails each day). Both of these garnered an incredible amount of industry and consumer attention.
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Deregulation in utility markets and the explosion of the Internet have given birth to an entire class of company looking for different ways to create revenue in the New Economy. Internetworked-home technologies make it possible for companies as diverse as an electric utility, phone company, cable TV service, Internet service provider, home builder or web search engine to offer a secure web page to control your home devices and appliances. Your "home's home page" is a big Killer App. Once your eyes are glued to a single electronic domicile, all sorts of companies can sell you things. The reason this is such a Killer App is that these companies typically have trouble creating and maintaining a close connection to their customers. What could be better for them than a service offering a "remote control for your home" to create the connection between you and them?
But the true value is not only for the company vying to offer you a home page for your home. Just imagine your cable company tempting you with free movie channels if you share your viewing habits, or your electric company offering a discount on your bill if you participate in a program to automatically lower your thermostat in times of energy shortage. The possibilities offered by an Internetworked-home are almost endless, and are yet to be fully explored.
Soon, a number of different companies will fight for the chance to be your home's home page. The beauty is you retain control over who you give it to. Whether it is the electric company, phone company, an Internet portal or even your home builder, you can choose who offers you the best value. Choice may initially cause confusion, but it also drives competition. Ultimately, consumers will be the beneficiaries of a strategy that drives competition and offers higher benefits for lower cost.
So, how does getting a "home's home page" connect your appliances to the web? Programs are starting this Fall where energy providers will offer Internetworked light switches, outlets, thermostats, Internet gateways and secure home control web pages to customers as part of a program to save on their electric bills. New home builders will offer the same type of Internetworked-home systems to bring home control and neighborhood services to their new tenants. The upshot is you will be courted, cajoled and kowtowed-to by different companies trying to get a piece of your home's action. Ultimately, you'll still need to decide what technology to put in the walls. We're betting it'll be Aladn, the only simple and affordable solution out there. It's time to start realizing that you hold the key to a much larger puzzle than you thought.
Peter Radsliff creates the Aladn(tm) marketing vision for Sage Systems as their Vice President of Marketing. His experience as a brand builder extends back 16 years at the consumer electronics accessories giant Monster Cable and scuba diving equipment leader Oceanic. At both companies he pulled together his expertise in industrial design, product development and marketing to create industry-leading products and marketing programs which helped drive both companies to the top spots they hold today.
Peter helped develop the first scuba diving computer interface and played a large role in simplifying the complex presentation of information a diver sees underwater. He will bring this understanding of how to simplify the user-experience to the Aladn Internetworked-home control system.
You can test drive Aladn yourself by visiting the "live demo" section of www.Aladn.com. You can register for a password to control appliances in the Sage Systems offices and see the results on a live webcam. Try it for yourself and let us know what you think; e-mail: info@Aladn.com. You can learn more about Sage Systems at www.SageSys.com.
