Ebook: Inside the Smart Home

"A fascinating insight into potentially one of the most exciting developments that affects each and every one of us as we move forward into the 21st Century. This book indicates the direction industry must take if we are to achieve the dream of living in a Smart Home." Steve Hearnden, Mobile Telecommunications Consultant, UK

"A timely and much needed compliment to more technology-led explorations of the Smart Home. It draws attention to the complexity, diversity and conceptual richness of domestic life and critically reflects on the adoption and use of technologies in the home to date." Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Sapient Ltd, UK

If the predictions of leading electronics and consumer companies are to be believed, in the future you may never again have to worry about forgetting to switch the lights off, or locking the front door when you leave your home. Even mundane chores such as visiting your local supermarket to stock up your fridge will become a thing of the past, as the Smart Homes of the future will be able to decide what is needed and order them for us. Inside the Smart Home looks at the designs and technologies behind these new innovations, along with their time-saving, environmental and security benefits, amongst others. Despite these clear advantages however, Smart Homes have so far failed to reach the levels of success originally anticipated, thereby forcing designers to further examine the roles and practicalities of these new technologies. Through the use of detailed case studies from such international giants as Orange, Ariston, Philips Electronics and Electrolux, this book clearly demonstrates what will be possible for our domestic settings in the future if we continue to develop the concept of the Smart Home.

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"A fascinating insight into potentially one of the most exciting developments that affects each and every one of us as we move forward into the 21st Century. This book indicates the direction industry must take if we are to achieve the dream of living in a Smart Home." Steve Hearnden, Mobile Telecommunications Consultant, UK

"A timely and much needed compliment to more technology-led explorations of the Smart Home. It draws attention to the complexity, diversity and conceptual richness of domestic life and critically reflects on the adoption and use of technologies in the home to date." Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Sapient Ltd, UK

If the predictions of leading electronics and consumer companies are to be believed, in the future you may never again have to worry about forgetting to switch the lights off, or locking the front door when you leave your home. Even mundane chores such as visiting your local supermarket to stock up your fridge will become a thing of the past, as the Smart Homes of the future will be able to decide what is needed and order them for us. Inside the Smart Home looks at the designs and technologies behind these new innovations, along with their time-saving, environmental and security benefits, amongst others. Despite these clear advantages however, Smart Homes have so far failed to reach the levels of success originally anticipated, thereby forcing designers to further examine the roles and practicalities of these new technologies. Through the use of detailed case studies from such international giants as Orange, Ariston, Philips Electronics and Electrolux, this book clearly demonstrates what will be possible for our domestic settings in the future if we continue to develop the concept of the Smart Home.

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"A fascinating insight into potentially one of the most exciting developments that affects each and every one of us as we move forward into the 21st Century. This book indicates the direction industry must take if we are to achieve the dream of living in a Smart Home." Steve Hearnden, Mobile Telecommunications Consultant, UK

"A timely and much needed compliment to more technology-led explorations of the Smart Home. It draws attention to the complexity, diversity and conceptual richness of domestic life and critically reflects on the adoption and use of technologies in the home to date." Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Sapient Ltd, UK

If the predictions of leading electronics and consumer companies are to be believed, in the future you may never again have to worry about forgetting to switch the lights off, or locking the front door when you leave your home. Even mundane chores such as visiting your local supermarket to stock up your fridge will become a thing of the past, as the Smart Homes of the future will be able to decide what is needed and order them for us. Inside the Smart Home looks at the designs and technologies behind these new innovations, along with their time-saving, environmental and security benefits, amongst others. Despite these clear advantages however, Smart Homes have so far failed to reach the levels of success originally anticipated, thereby forcing designers to further examine the roles and practicalities of these new technologies. Through the use of detailed case studies from such international giants as Orange, Ariston, Philips Electronics and Electrolux, this book clearly demonstrates what will be possible for our domestic settings in the future if we continue to develop the concept of the Smart Home.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xi
Inside the Smart Home: Ideas, Possibilities and Methods....Pages 1-13
Front Matter....Pages 15-15
Smart Homes: Past, Present and Future....Pages 17-39
Households as Morally Ordered Communities: Explorations in the Dynamics of Domestic Life....Pages 41-62
Time as a Rare Commodity in Home Life....Pages 63-78
Emotional Context and “Significancies” of Media....Pages 79-97
Front Matter....Pages 99-99
Paper-mail in the Home of the 21st Century....Pages 101-114
Switching On to Switch Off....Pages 115-126
The Social Context of Home Computing....Pages 127-162
Design with Care: Technology, Disability and the Home....Pages 163-179
Front Matter....Pages 181-181
Towards the Unremarkable Computer: Making Technology at Home in Domestic Routine....Pages 183-206
Daily Routines and Means of Communication in a Smart Home....Pages 207-225
Living Inside a Smart Home: A Case Study....Pages 227-246
Smart Home, Dumb Suppliers? The Future of Smart Homes Markets....Pages 247-262
Back Matter....Pages 263-264

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"A fascinating insight into potentially one of the most exciting developments that affects each and every one of us as we move forward into the 21st Century. This book indicates the direction industry must take if we are to achieve the dream of living in a Smart Home." Steve Hearnden, Mobile Telecommunications Consultant, UK

"A timely and much needed compliment to more technology-led explorations of the Smart Home. It draws attention to the complexity, diversity and conceptual richness of domestic life and critically reflects on the adoption and use of technologies in the home to date." Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Sapient Ltd, UK

If the predictions of leading electronics and consumer companies are to be believed, in the future you may never again have to worry about forgetting to switch the lights off, or locking the front door when you leave your home. Even mundane chores such as visiting your local supermarket to stock up your fridge will become a thing of the past, as the Smart Homes of the future will be able to decide what is needed and order them for us. Inside the Smart Home looks at the designs and technologies behind these new innovations, along with their time-saving, environmental and security benefits, amongst others. Despite these clear advantages however, Smart Homes have so far failed to reach the levels of success originally anticipated, thereby forcing designers to further examine the roles and practicalities of these new technologies. Through the use of detailed case studies from such international giants as Orange, Ariston, Philips Electronics and Electrolux, this book clearly demonstrates what will be possible for our domestic settings in the future if we continue to develop the concept of the Smart Home.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xi
Inside the Smart Home: Ideas, Possibilities and Methods....Pages 1-13
Front Matter....Pages 15-15
Smart Homes: Past, Present and Future....Pages 17-39
Households as Morally Ordered Communities: Explorations in the Dynamics of Domestic Life....Pages 41-62
Time as a Rare Commodity in Home Life....Pages 63-78
Emotional Context and “Significancies” of Media....Pages 79-97
Front Matter....Pages 99-99
Paper-mail in the Home of the 21st Century....Pages 101-114
Switching On to Switch Off....Pages 115-126
The Social Context of Home Computing....Pages 127-162
Design with Care: Technology, Disability and the Home....Pages 163-179
Front Matter....Pages 181-181
Towards the Unremarkable Computer: Making Technology at Home in Domestic Routine....Pages 183-206
Daily Routines and Means of Communication in a Smart Home....Pages 207-225
Living Inside a Smart Home: A Case Study....Pages 227-246
Smart Home, Dumb Suppliers? The Future of Smart Homes Markets....Pages 247-262
Back Matter....Pages 263-264
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