This week’s Smart Living roundup features the expansion of an existing smart home partnership, a smart water sprinkler, and a new Bluetooth platform for the connected car.

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GE and Quirky launch more connected products

General Electric Co. will be selling its appliances business to AB Electrolux for $3.3 billion but that doesn’t mean its the end of GE’s consumer products. It still has its partnership with Quirky Inc. to deliver connected consumer products.

GE and Quirky recently expanded their partnership with the unveiling of seven new connected products. The new products include Tripper, a sensor for doors and windows; Outlink, a smart in-wall outlet; Tapt, a smart wall switch; Ascend, the smart garage door opener; Norm, a smart HVAC system designed to kill the traditional thermostat; Overflow, a smart water leakage detector; and Spotter UNIQ, a custom-made sensor kit.

Quirky also announced its First Smart Devices Microfactory located at Buzzell Electric Works building in San Francisco. It will serve as Quirky’s west coast headquarter where Spotter UNIQ will be built-to-order.

Blossom’s smart sprinklers

Some regions are facing extreme drought this year, making residents painfully cognizant of water usage and water waste. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the average American household uses 320 gallons of water per day with 30 percent of it devoted to outdoor uses. This outdoor water usage can sometimes reach 60 percent depending on how dry lawns and gardens are.

New technology from Blossom aims to reduce outdoor water consumption by as much as 30 percent by turning your existing sprinkler into a smart one. The Blossom Smart Controller connects to your existing sprinkler and can be controlled using the Blossom app for your smartphone or tablet, or use your computer to access the system. It uses real-time local weather data, satellites and meteorologist data to make the right adjustments in watering a user’s lawn or garden. Plus, Blossom divides the area into zones so the system can make better watering plans for different vegetation in the garden.

Blossom is currently a project on Kickstarter Inc. seeking to raise $30,000 in funding.

CSR1010 connected car platform

CSR plc, the company that delivered the CSRmesh platform to network an array of Bluetooth devices, announced the channel availability of the CSR1010 auto, the industry’s first AEC-Q100 Grade 2 Bluetooth Smart chip for automotive applications qualified for mass production. CSR1010 equips automotive manufacturers with the tools they need to add new features to existing infotainment systems, and to design innovative Bluetooth Smart applications for both inside and outside the car.

The Bluetooth Smart functionality allows drivers to use their smartphone or tablet to securely display and analyze vehicle diagnostics such as infotainment systems, engine, and fuel data. This makes vital car information available to drivers at all times.

CSR1010 has been designed, extensively tested and proven to operate in extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to +105°C, ensuring reliable operation in harsh automotive locations such as tyres or smart antennas. CSR1010 has been designed to support CSRmesh so more Bluetooth Smart enabled devices can be networked and controlled using the head unit display of the vehicle, smartphone or tablet.

Image via Quirky Inc.