When thermostats get connected …..

MSN Sympatico, in partnership with Cisco, has launched a new business portal in which I’m featured.

I’ll be offering up my thoughts, in the form of articles and video clips, issues related to innovation, trends and the future.

In this first video clip, I talk about the unique world of massive connectivity — a world where I can actually link from my cell phone into a cottage thermostat. One of my latest columns also focused on the continued trend to a digitized home — in Home, Smart Home, I take a look at some of the emerging technologies.

That future exists today : simply look to Proliphix. Plain old furnace thermostats — except with a LAN connection built in. You can access your furnace thermostat from anywhere via your Web browser, and so you can control the heat in a cottage or other remote location. And since Proliphix has also released an API, you can write a little bit of code to access and control it through your cell phone.

This is game changing stuff — in that a simple connected device will change careers, industries, design, construction. There’s also a huge impact on energy efficiency with this type of stuff; remote control and management at the residential level will will a lot of innovative, green solutions towards energy consumption.

I will be keynoting the Plumbing-Heating-Contracting-Cooling Association’s annual Construction Contractors’ Alliance Meeting in Dallas, Texas in February 2008, taking a look at some key trends occurring in the construction industry. This type of connected device, set to become a part of our digital lives, will certainly be part of the discussion.

Related postings:

• Article – Home, smart home
• Proliphix web enabled thermostats