Your Phone Will Control Your Home

We knew it was coming, but Google finally today announced Android@Home, Google’s new open framework to allow your Android mobile device to (eventually) control everything in your home – music, lighting, security, cameras, doors, appliances, you name it.  I think the “home” is a next big frontier of unexplored opportunity and is going to create an entire new ecosystem of startups and companies focusing on the intersection of mobile and home.  While Microsoft (Kinect), IBM and HP have been in this home sensor space for years, Google has a history of changing the game and bringing new technologies to the masses through their open development platforms.  Google Chrome OS, with 160M users and Android, with exponential growth and now the leading mobile operating system in the world, are two examples of Google’s ability to create explosive products and platforms.

Over just the past decade, we’ve seen a migration in opportunity from initially web only, then to mobile smartphones, then to mobile connectedness to others through applications and social media, which by the way is not nearly fully exploited yet.  It seems with Google’s announcement today, at least one next evolution of connected technology is our mobile device as a true connector to everything in our lives – people, home, car and every activity that fills our day.

Consistent with other Google applications, Android@Home is an open platform that encourages any developer to create applications that operate on the platform.  Google with their worldwide influence, has a unique ability to define and lead game changing technologies by first defining the platform standard, then opening it up for developers everywhere to create applications, increasing consumer adoption and ultimately leading to exponential scale.  Google’s vision in this case is to create a “smart home” by having millions of developers building applications that over time will completely automate your home through your mobile device.  Pretty cool George Jetson stuff that he might have developed at Spacely’s Sprockets!

I’m excited to see what will happen over the next 12 months in the home automation space now that Google has officially entered the market.

Now, if only Google could create a platform for increasing home values to 2005 levels, I’d really be impressed 🙂