This week’s SmartHome roundup features smart TVs in control of homes, an alliance for smarthomes launched at SXSW, and an Android tablet for all your home automation needs.

Smart TVs to control your home

Samsung and startup VTouch are working on a deal that would allow the South Korean giant to incorporate gesture controls into its smart TVs in the future.  The purpose of adding gesture controls to smart TVs is to eliminate the need for remote controls so users can rely on using hand gestures to make the TV do what they want, like changing channels, adjusting the volume, getting more information about the show they are watching. However, one the most notable features would be to gesture-control the connected home right from your Samsung TV.

“It will be a new interface that drops the usage of cursors, allowing the user to point to objects that exist beyond the TV screen,” Kim Seok-joong, the chief executive and founder of VTouch said.

Despite its obvious benefit for smart TV owners, the deal is not yet set in stone, as Samsung is currently making use of PointGrab’s motion-sensing technology in its current line up of Smart TVs.  PointGrab is also heading towards the elimination of cursors and integration with other connected devices, and if it succeeds, Samsung may not need VTouch.

Connected Home Developers Garage

At SXSW 2014, device and application developers were invited to attend the Connected Home Developers Garage hosted by iControl Networks, Silicon Labs, and Time Warner Cable, on March 9, 2014.

The Connected Home Developers Garage featured app and device makers leading the smart home development such as Pebble Watch, Life360 and Zubie, who discussed innovations in the Internet of Things space, particularly how home systems will be the central hub for smart apps and devices in the future.

Attendees also had a chance to join the  iControl OpenHome Partner Program, which would allow them to integrate devices and apps with iControl platforms that power North America’s most notable connected home solutions offered by companies such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Rogers, Bright House Networks and many others.

Android tablet for home automation control

Currently, home automation solutions come with apps so you can easily control them remotely using your smartphone or tablet.  The problem with that is, there’s too many apps to manage! Talk about app fatigue.

HomeSeer, a company that specialized in home automation, recently launched an Android tablet specifically designed to control your smart home.  The WFTT07 runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and features a 7”-touchscreen, a rechargeable Li-ion battery, microSD card slot, built-in speakers, WiFi enabled, and works with thousands of Z-Wave products from companies such as Cooper, Schlage, Kwikset, Baldwin, Yale, GE, Honeywell, Leviton, Linear, Everspring, Evolve, Fibaro, FortrezZ, Aeon Labs, RCS, to name a few.

The device boots to HSTouch smart home app so users can readily control their home connected devices at any given time, but if you done with tweaking with the settings of your smart appliances, the WFTT07 functions just like any Android tablet which means you can download apps even if they’re not home automation related.

The WFTT07 is now available for purchase for only $169.95, but you can get it for only $149.95 if you use the coupon code TT-20.

photo credit: samsungtomorrow via photopin cc