Tag: Home of the Future

SmartThings, Samsung, & The Home of the Future

SmartThings CEO Alex Hawkinson and Samsung Electronics’ President and CEO, BK Yoon, outlined an ambitious vision of the future of smart homes at today’s IFA 2014 event.

Yoon expressed that someone’s home is generally the center of their life, and as such, homes should be personalized to meet each individual’s needs. He emphasized that a one-size-fits-all solution to delivering smart home technology would never work, and the home of the future should be one that’s proactive, flexible, and responsive.

After calling on the consumer electronics industry to agree on open industry standards so that the home of the future can meet the demands of people and adapt to their unique needs and lifestyles, Yoon invited Hawkinson on stage.

(Hawkinson appears at 37:40)

Hawkinson discussed how a busted water pipe caused more than $80,000 to his family’s home inspired he and a small group of founders to create SmartThings a little more than two years ago.

“It’s staggering that I knew what my friends were doing on Facebook but I didn’t know what was even happening in my own home,” he said.

Hawkinson discussed how SmartThings’ core vision has always been to be the easiest way for people to turn their home into a smart home, and that he believes that together with Samsung, SmartThings will be able to turn every home into a smart home.

“We are thrilled to work together with Samsung,” he said. “With the scale of resources and support from Samsung, we’ll be able to expand our platform to even more partners and devices. We’ve come so far, in such a short time, and are really excited for what’s ahead.”