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There are plenty of homeowners who would love to nurture a luscious garden in their backyard. But even the thought of adding this responsibility to their already overflowing agenda (rise, make coffee and breakfast for the kids, get everyone out the door before 7 a.m., work all day and then conjure up a dinner from somewhere) can be exhausting.

But what if a system could be set up that starts your coffee brewing at 5:45 a.m., sets the sprinklers off at 6, alerts you when the kids are actually up (not just hitting the snooze button), and securely locks the door for you on the way out of the house? What if it could inform you when the kids are home, remind them to complete their homework, and alert you when they have?

What if that same system could tell you when it’s time to move the plants to the garage for the winter and turn on the solar panel at 6 every morning and turning it off again at 6 every evening? What if it was smart enough to direct the fan at certain plants and not others, controlling the air conditioning for optimal growth? Daily busywork would be reduced, removing a lot of hassle from homeowner obligations.

Thanks to Smartthings and Qualcomm Allseen, all this and more is possible, and much sooner than we think. Indeed, as CNNMoney notes, home automation systems already exist and have for decades. But it’s Smartthing’s affordable price tag that takes the next step towards connected homes for all. Smartthings aims to actualize this vision by creating a user-controlled, Smartphone-compatible system of sensors placed throughout the home. The Smartphone notifies the homeowner when programmed tasks are completed.

But for the connected home to be successful, platforms and technologies need to be unified.  This is where Qualcomm Allseen comes in. The Allseen Alliance consists of 23 companies who’ve agreed to use the source code from Qualcomm’s AllJoyn protocol to program automated products that can communicate with each other, even though they come from different brands. Users won’t need to pair their devices through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth either, because AllJoyn will pair devices automatically, according to The Verge.

The Alliance strives to transform the developing Internet of Things into the Internet of Everything, “built upon an open, universal development framework and supported by a vibrant ecosystem and thriving technical community.” Some beloved brands to join the alliance so far include Panasonic, LG and HTC.

MAGNA GLOBAL released it’s bi-annual Advertising Forecasts, and its main conclusion is that Advertising revenue is going to rise by about 6.5% in 2014, which is the strongest growth rate since 2010. And even though revenue is going to rise, Western Europe will only grow by 2.1%, and will take at least two more years to go back to its pre-recession levels. Looking back at the year that was, an important takeaway is that Digital Media outgrew Print Advertising’s market share in 2013, at 24.2% vs 22.1%, respectively. Download the attached report here for more in-depth analysis and reporting.

MAGNAGLOBAL_Advertising_Forecasts_December_2013_FINAL

Read original story at Ad Age

Last night, YouTube put on its first awards show. The idea was to allow viewers to vote on music videos, which would subsequently take home awards for traditional categories that receive awards at other events; this would be different because of the user input. What’s more, YouTube was counting on viewers showing up for the live stream digitally. This was to be an example of the video company’s live streaming prowess. However, Livestream reported a count of just over 800,000 viewers, and according to Ad Age, who tuned in to see who would show up, the highest concurrent viewer numbers were only 217,244.  It seems as though YouTube has a bit of a ways to go before they’re ready to genuinely take on TV networks and award ceremony coverage, particularly in the face of cord cutting technology more broadly.

Read original story on GigaOm

Known mostly for its mobile payments software, Square has moved into the hardware field with its attempts to replace the cash register. Called Stand, it’ll be sold at Staples in the near future, and Square claims that it’s significantly more effective than it’s Reader technology. In the past, Square has been criticized for its hardware failings, and if Stand really can become the replacement for the cash register Square might finally get the hold on the industry that it’s been searching for.

The French National Railway Company (SNCF) launched a new, interactive campaign to remind people just how close Europe really is to Paris. In conjunction with TBWA\Paris, the doors, positioned around Paris, live-chat with strategically placed cameras in different cities – in Barcelona there awaits a dance troupe, while in Milan a mime interacts with viewers on the other side of the door. It’s a cool application of out of home advertising, and is yet another example of how innovative, interactive advertising can still break boundaries.

Read original story on Fast Company

Dash, the startup that just raised $1.2 Million in angel funding, is the self-proclaimed Fitbit for cars: It’s a smart-hub for wifi, data tracking, and Bluetooth connection. Consumers plug a third-party piece of hardware into the government-mandated Onboard Diagnostics port and it tracks everything from crashes to when the car might need actual servicing – and displays how much the servicing should cost you in the iPhone app. It’s a pretty nifty take on turning any car into a “smart car,” but will consumers be willing to trust something that tracks their driving habits, and thereby their driving failings, given the scope of privacy concerns?