Control4 Shows Bigger, Better Home Automation App Store

Control4, developer of popular, affordable home automation systems, introduced its app store last September. But during CES 2010, you can see how beautifully the store is coming along.

Now called 4Store, the offerings are wide-ranging, to say the least.

On the more practical side, there are apps for Netflix, eBay and energy monitoring and management. But then, there are also apps for wine management (eSommelier) and games.

There is even a first aid app that walks you through the steps of helping a sick or injured member of the household. Simply select the category – airway or bleeding, for example – and follow the steps in the tutorial.

Consumers can download the Control4 apps – some are free, others cost a small fee – from any television touchscreen or other user interface in the Control4 ecosystem.

The apps are all made possible by Control4’s OS 2.0, which is expected to be released in the first half of 2010, according to the company.

2.0 offers a rich, streamlined development environment for third parties. Pioneer, for example, created an app specifically for its own A/V receivers, adding access to the full gamut of settings available for the products.

Black & Decker built an app for its Kwikset wireless, automated door locks. Users can track the comings and goings of family members, set passwords and do all of those other things one does with Zigbee-enabled locks.




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