Economy & Business

Wands revive memories of the smart home dream

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2020/11/23 18:16

Today's Vocabulary

1. integral (adj)
necessary and important as a part of a whole

2. herald (v)
to be a sign that something important, and often good, is starting to happen, or to make something publicly known, especially by celebrating or praising it

3. overhyped (v)
to advertise or praise something more than it deserves in newspapers, on television, online, etc., in order to make people excited about it and want to buy, try it, invest in it, etc.

4. enthusiasts (n)
a person who is very interested in and involved with a particular subject or activity.

5. efficiency (n)
the good use of time and energy in a way that does not waste any

6. wands (n)
a special thin stick waved by a person who is performing magic tricks

7. accessible (adj)
able to be reached or easily gotten

Wands revive memories of the smart home dream

It’s not quite Harry Potter, but plenty of magic enthusiasts have fashioned their own wands and used them to control devices around the home.

 Look online and you can see hobbyists attempting to turn on the TV, control lights and other devices at home.

 This sparked an idea for Matthew Cortland and, during lockdown, he started a business – Wands & Wizard Exploratorium, in Soho, London. He bet that he could teach people about technology, while having some fun at the same time.

 At workshops customers learn how to make wands that can control other products like locked chests and dragon egg lamps. His wands use the same sensors and circuits that are integral to the internet of things.

 (IoT) – the idea that almost every device you can think of can be connected to the internet and monitored for greater efficiency and convenience. “[IoT] is very accessible and well-documented. It’s a mature form of technology that’s been around for years and has never been implemented in quite this way,” he tells the BBC.

 The IoT was supposed to herald the smart home era, allowing you to control all sorts of devices in your home, wherever you are. But, according to Paul Miller, principal analyst at research firm Forrester, “the smart home was massively overhyped by vendors, analysts and the media.

 IoT industry watchers say the smart home now consists of smart speakers, smart heating, lighting and utilities, and smart appliances.

 So what happened to the smart home dream? According to Forrester, by the end of 2020, there will be only 37.4 million smart home devices in UK homes, and almost half of them are smart speakers.

Resource: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54718750

Discussion
  1. If you could change anything about your present home, what would it be?
  2. What kind of housing would you prefer?
  3. How important is security? How do you make a house secure?
  4.  

I think we have to act like stars because it is expected of us. So we drive our big cars and live in our smart houses.

Maurice Gibb

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