I would be very happy to see my dishwasher communicate with the Freezer just like in animated movies. Well, soon these electronics will be able to function automatically, thanks to Samsung. On Thursday the company introduced its Gear S2 which is the seventh Samsung’s smartwatch. On the same day it launched the AddWash, Internet-connected washing machine that includes a small door to let you add forgotten items like socks, a SleepSense which is a sleep tracker you slip under your mattress to track your rest and SmartThings Home automation Hub and sensors.
The devices are basically home appliances that have been unveiled by Samsung to make work easier at home hence the need for a smart home. The essence is to move away from smartphones and develop a modified smart home. About eight months ago Samsung announced their intention to collaborate with other industries in order to unlock the future possibilities of the Internet of Things. A research was conducted and found that the number of IoT connected devices will number 38.5 billion in 2020, up from 13.4 billion in 2015: a rise of over 285%.
Samsung aims at making work easier at home by letting you do things like switching off your TV while you’re away from home and get notifications from your refrigerator that you’re out of food. Most of these home functions will be controlled by a gadget you wear on your wrist, which is easier to keep track of than your smartphone. People will not have to carry their phones constantly when they are at home but put on a watch the whole day.
“We see the Gear as being a great piece in that journey of the Internet of Things,” Richard Knight, head of global product management for Samsung in Europe, said in an interview. “It’s all about discover-ability and usability. Even pulling your phone out to unlock your door is already too much.”
Cnet reports that the new SmartThings home-automation hub will sync with the Gear S2 to send alerts to your wrist and let you check things at home, like door locks and the thermostat. Samsung’s new Car Mode for Galaxy app lets Volkswagen drivers use touch or voice commands to take calls, control music, get directions and listen to text messages out loud.
“Wearables and IOT are the two areas that vendors have identified as the next potential big computing markets,” Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said. Device makers “either see them as complementary to a successful mobile business, or, for vendors who are struggling, a potential new market where the leaders are not yet entrenched.”
“There are three things we want to give to consumers: peace of mind, control and flexibility,” Alex Hawkinson, CEO of SmartThings, said Thursday during Samsung’s press conference at the IFA electronics.
Also read: A developed Internet of Things in Kenya will enable a 25 percent economic growth
