Google has announced a barrage of new services, including one designed to provide the best home automation technology. This is part of an attempt to compete with Apple by embracing an area outside that company's expertise. The new system, called Android @ Home, would allow people to control their lights, speaker systems and thermostats via apps on their phones.
According to a Google exec, the company is looking at the entire home as an accessory, with Android as the OS for the home. Google is partnering with Lighting Science, which will sell bulbs that can interface with the platform by year end. The system could facilitate an alarm clock that slowly raises the lights and turns on music in the bedroom. The company is counting on the imagination of the Android developer ecosystem to come up with creative ideas for the new system as well.