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(3/22/00)
First the Net went portable. Now it's going practical. Forget about plug-and-surf Web computers such as the iMac; we're talking about stoves that store recipes, and toilets that email personal information to your doctor. It sounds like just so much new-millennium hype, but Net-enabled appliances are the first wave of a complete revolution in home design--a revolution that's happening right now. CNET gives you a room-by-room look at what's coming.
The (Inter)Face
of the Future
The
key to making the home of the future work is communication. Here are a few
interface technologies that will get your household gadgets
talking.
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Technology | |
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Who's Backing It | |
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What It Does | |
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Where You'll Find It | |
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| Bluetooth | Nearly 1,500 companies, including Ericsson, Motorola, and Microsoft | Networks devices via shortwave radio links | Cell phones, PDAs, mobile PCs | |||||||||||
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| Microsoft Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) | 3Com, Hewlett-Packard, Maytag, GE, IBM | Networks devices via Net standards such as IP, HTTP, XML | PCs, "intelligent" appliances, cell phones | |||||||||||
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| Home Linking Technology (HLT) | Thalia (Sunbeam) | Uses electrical lines to network HLT appliances | Sunbeam appliances such as the Thalia HomeHelper console and the HLT-Smart Coffeemaker | |||||||||||
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| Jini | Sun Microsystems, Sony, Cisco, Motorola, Oracle | Uses Java programming language to instantaneously connect devices | Printers, PDAs, cell phones, home appliances | |||||||||||
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| Strings | BeComm | Runs on top of operating systems, allowing disparate devices to communicate | Home appliances, servers, networking and enterprise equipment | |||||||||||
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| Home Audio/Video interoperability (HAVi) | Sony, Philips, Sun Microsystems, Pioneer, Sharp | Ensures interoperability between networked digital audio and video devices | Cable modems, set-top boxes, digital TVs, Internet TVs | |||||||||||
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More
Home-of-the-Future Resources
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| Living by the Clock The Thalia TimeHelper is no ordinary alarm clock. Sure, it tells time and has a snooze button, but thanks to Thalia's Home Linking Technology (HLT), this clock also controls all the other HLT appliances in your house, from the coffeemaker to your electric blanket. It'll be available in late 2000. |
| A Warrior's Technology Bluetooth networking technology is named for Harald Blĺtand, a tenth-century Viking king who united Norway and Denmark. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group hopes to similarly unite all manner of electronic devices under one standard. |
