We’ve been following the advancement of LED light bulbs and now with yesterday’s news about Google’s ambitious plans for home automation through Android@Home, but we weren’t expecting to see a tangible product this quick. This LED light bulb from Lighting Science Group is the the first Android-connected product announced and the company plans on having this bulb available by the end of the year.
Retailing around $30, Lighting Science Groups LED light bulb also has an integrated radio that can be controlled by Google’s Android@Home protocol meaning not only can it be turned on and off but can be dimmed as well. Since the backbone of Android@Home is a low power wireless network it appears these radios could be integrated into a variety of products allowing them to be controlled through any Android device.
This is exciting news as we are certain adding these small radios to existing products should probably not be that much of a cost-prohibitive move. Imagine heaters or powerheads coming with Android@Home controllability built in. The possibilities are endless in the home as well as the aquarium hobby.
Will this mark the end of aquarium controllers? Smart companies will be able to monitor the success and growth of A@H and be able to tap into this solution to create a robust product built over the standard. Aquarium-specific functions could still be tapped into and delivered in a concise and tight online dashboard plus it could open the market for more 3rd party products to be able to work with aquarium controllers right out of the box.
There is still a lot of headway Android@Home has to endure before being accepted by the masses but this is one of the more promising technologies to come out of Google’s I/O Developers Conference.
