(UPDATE: new Sonos CEO responds) When Sonos surprised home-automation dealers with an auto-update that crippled some functionality, they should have communicated better. It’s not always about the technology.
Julie Jacobson
Julie Jacobson is founding editor of CE Pro, the leading media brand for the home-technology channel. She has covered the smart-home industry since 1994, long before there was much of an Internet, let alone an Internet of things. Currently she studies, speaks, writes and rabble-rouses in the areas of home automation, security, networked A/V, wellness-related technology, biophilic design, and the business of home technology. Julie majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, spent a year abroad at Cambridge University, and earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a recipient of the annual CTA TechHome Leadership Award, and a CEDIA Fellows honoree. A washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player, Julie currently resides in San Antonio, Texas and sometimes St. Paul, Minn. Follow on Twitter: @juliejacobson
Julie Jacobson's Latest Posts
New Sonos API Disrupts Home Automation Integration, But Lays Solid Foundation
Integrators were peeved when Sonos implemented its new API for smart-home integration, stripping certain functionality from unsanctioned drivers, which will all be blocked soon. Control4, Sonos and dealers respond.
Ahead of its Time: Destiny Networks Redefines Hands-free Home Automation, Introduces AI (2002)
A look back at a company that pioneered hands-free home automation 15 years ago, introducing artificial intelligence to the smart home before it was a “thing.”
Builders Show 2017 in Tweets: @CEDIA #JJTakeover
CE Pro’s Julie Jacobson takes over the @CEDIA Twitter account during IBS 2017. Here’s the show in Tweets, including gems from Panasonic, Legrand. Rayva, OneLink and the home-builder community. #JJTakeover
IoT Candles, Vacuum Laundry Chute and Other Super-Cool ‘Technologies’ at IBS 2017
Beyond traditional smart-home products, we spied some other interesting home technologies at the 2017 Builders Show – magnetic laundry vents, interchangeable electrical outlets, IoT candles ….
Smart-Home Hangover May Push Builders to More Established Home-Tech Brands
IBS 2017: Smart-home technology has burned home-builders in the past. Now that they’re embracing it again, will they lean on the home-technology establishment, including product providers and installers?
The Most Interesting Use of a ‘Microbot Push’ Automated Button-Presser
App developer Howie Cooperstein uses Microbot Push to press the button on a Philips Hue bridge.
ADT Makes History: Disarm Security System Via Amazon Alexa Voice
CES 2017: How ADT convinced Amazon to allow voice-based disarming for security; also, new ADT Canopy security partners revealed, including LG Smart Security, powered by Zonoff.
Vivint Partners with Best Buy on Smart Home; Builds out Sky AI; Teams with Airbnb
At CES 2017, Vivint announced a partnership with Airbnb, showcased new AI features of its security and home-automation platform, and said little about smart-home trial with Best Buy.
IoT at CES 2017: Battle of the Home Automation Start-Ups
New home automation hubs at CES 2017 feature built-in cameras, artificial intelligence and predictive algorithms, voice control, security monitoring and more.
Power-Cord Warning: Don’t Even Think About Mounting Your LG Wallpaper TV Like That
You know that ribbon power-cord that connects the new ultra-thin LG Wallpaper to the connection hub? You can’t hide it behind the wall.
Making Dumb Things Smart: 8 Very Interesting Non-Invasive Problem Solvers at CES 2017
CES 2017: Devices that automate your dumb shades, tiny robots that press buttons, motors that turn knobs … and other non-invasive solutions for making dumb things smart.
