In the month of March we saw product rollouts, awards and recognitions, and the explosion of new technology. Between the increasing popularity of NFTs (nonfungible tokens) as the new currency for purchasing digital art and tracking the aftermath of the Perseverance launch, we couldn’t be more excited to bring you the news curated specifically for you, designers, architects, developers, and lovers of home automation.
2021 Forbes Travel Guide
Lutron has had quite a busy Q1. Aside from an exciting product release, they’ve also been named the “Official Light, Shade, and Temperature Control Provider of Forbes Travel Guide.” The Forbes Travel Guide is compiled annually, each brand is meticulously selected to represent the best in the luxury hospitality business and is assessed to meet Forbes’ discerning standards. Forbes says, “Light becomes an amenity with Lutron.” From London to Macau to Mexico to your home or corporate space, Lutron brings the same unparalleled standard.
Savant Adds Zoom Room Feature
We’ve been adjusting to WFH culture and modifying our spaces for over a year now and most of us have finally found a rhythm that works by now. Savant has recently added a feature that won’t require any strenuous construction of your schedule or even much effort at all: Zoom. Instead of struggling to get your AirPods’ microphone to work and adjusting your vision to a small screen with too many people, just tune in from your entertainment system. All the Savant amenities you’re familiar with—crisp sound quality, easy interface, preset scenes (lights will dim or brighten automatically at the beginning of a call), and smart connectivity (background noise is muted for smoother streaming)—will translate to your WFH experience. When your call is over, your home goes back to your previous light setting, so you can continue your day.
Clubhouse Fills The Gap of Conversations Today
Speaking of Zoom culture, who doesn’t miss regular, stimulating conversations? The new social app, Clubhouse (which is accessible only through the App Store), seeks to fill this pandemic-related void by creating a platform similar to Zoom but without the effort of video and with the social aspect of a chatroom or casual professional event. This trending app also speaks to the culture’s desire for exclusivity, seeing that Clubhouse is invite-only—and the invites are running out quickly. The allure of Clubhouse lies in being an active participant (or fly on the wall) in rare, real-time dialogue featuring professionals from all industry backgrounds and cultural behemoths like Bill Gates and Oprah. It is engaging and honest, like a millennial socratic seminar. At the moment, it is so new that it is not yet available for connectivity with smart speakers or entertainment sets, but we won’t be surprised if that feature rolls out later this year.
Caseta by Lutron Outdoor Plug
Most city dwellers are not strangers to turbulent weather—whether it be polar vortexes or hurricanes, inclement weather can damage your outdoor system. Fortunately, Caseta by Lutron has released an outdoor smart plug that is set to be available for purchase by the end of this month. According to the Lutron website, the outdoor smart plug is IP-65 rated, meaning it is protected against powerful streams of water from any direction and impenetrable by dust. Aside from its epic ability to withstand extreme circumstances, the outdoor smart plug extends connective to your backyard and pool house so you can watch live concerts while you sip Palomas outside or tune into family Zoom calls from the pool, any time of the day.
Overall, the tech news this month was diverse, with respected hospitality mentions, cutting-edge apps, and everyday life hacks.
Responsive Living, the term coined by Acoustic Architects founders, Aaron Flint and Spencer Hauldren, is the concept of seamlessly enhancing the client’s unique lifestyle using smart home technology. Responsive Living allows you to interact with your space via touch input, voice command, and predictive automation, placing you in full control of your home.
If you would like to learn more about integrating new systems into your smart home system, feel free to connect with us. We will be happy to schedule a demo with you.
For more information, visit acousticarchitects.net.
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