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| EMagazine Volume 5 Issue 3 June / July 2000 |
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Toys Editorial - June 2000 - [HTI Home Page] |
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In
early May I went to the Connections 2000 conference in San Diego. This show
brings together a multitude of Home Automation and Networking gurus and industry
leaders. My overall impression of the state of the industry is that
manufacturers and service providers have moved beyond the hangups related to
standards, protocols and other technical issues to getting products to market
that work for any current or future standard. The focus is turning toward
services that can be provided over a broadband connection via a residential
gateway (aka ... cool stuff being piped through a black box). This is great news
for consumers and homeowners. It means that the next phase will bring some
incredible and tangible information services and
entertainment options into our homes along with some pretty handy communication
and lifestyle improvements. Have a look at my summary of the conference ... click
here.
Some
exciting news for us at HomeToys this month. We're working with Cisco Systems
to provide a co-branded
news page on their website. This page will be updated every 2 weeks with
content from both companies to provide readers with up to date knowledge of the
industry. We were also featured in a Smart Computing Magazine article
about Home
Control Systems. Other alliances and media announcements are in the works as
we work to spread the word and help to make the industry grow.
In this issue we received some great articles about controlling your home or cottage via the internet. I must admit that when this was suggested to me a few years ago I thought the idea was a bit far fetched and I couldn't really see the need for it. Of course at that time the only way to get to the internet was via a slow telephone dialup connection and the thought of waiting 10 minutes for a graphic to load made the whole exercise seem fruitless. Nowadays we have our broadband internet connection ... instant access at any time. In addition there are several mini-cam products that actually allow us to monitor the home or cottage visually and servers that can allow us to control almost anything we like. Not for everyone perhaps but I think many will adopt this technology in a hurry. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I did. Special thanks to all of those who took the time to share their knowledge with us.
The next issue will focus on this mysterious Residential Gateway. What is it and what can it do for us? There are already several on the market and it looks as though your Phone or Cable Company may be the ones that install it in your home, thereby offering a multitude of new services including a secure broadband connection to the internet as well as a personalized interface to that sometimes confusing cyberworld. If you'd like to share what you know please contact me and I'll walk you through the process of submitting an article.
The HomeToys Mentor Section is proving to be a popular read and we are working to add experts to help you sort out the special requirements of a home of the future. Currently Wayne Caswell is keeping us up to date on the Data Networking topic and Reza Raji covers Home Control Networks. Would you like to become a mentor in your area of expertise? Please email bobh@hometoys.com if you do.
As always I ask that if you like HomeToys and what we provide for you ... the best way to show it is to support our advertisers and sponsors. Click those banners and check out these Hot Products. For those of you in the industry who would like a presence at HomeToys, we have several ad opportunities available which are both creative and effective. Click here to see the options and help us spread the word.
Enjoy!
