LAS VEGAS -- The Internet of Things is a pretty terrible term, partly because of its vagueness. Exactly what are all these "things" and what are they doing on the Internet?
Sony has a pretty good answer in its Life Space UX concept, which got an upgrade at CES 2015 and incorporates lights, speakers, projectors and more to create a highly interactive and beautifully designed take on the smart home. The highlight is easily the Symphonic Light, which combines lighting and sound into one of the most innovative connected gadgets we've seen.
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At first glance, it looks like any light you'd find in a hipster Williamsburg loft, with an LED bulb surrounded by clear glass. But the glass is actually a speaker that can emanate high-frequency sound in all directions (presumably complemented with a woofer in the base).
The Symphonic Light streams music from a smartphone or other device, and multiple lights can work together to fill a room with sound. At the CES demo, the sound was predictably outstanding, filling a room the size of studio apartment very well with very crisp sound.
Also new in the Life Space UX this year is a short-throw projector. Not to be confused with last year's cinema-worthy short-throw laser projector, this smaller model is portable and can create a screen from 22 to 71 inches in size from just a couple of inches away. It's also waterproof, so you can even set one up in the bathroom with no worries.
Sony also showed a desk projector -- a device that, when placed over a tabletop, can turn it into an interactive surface. Touching the projected image of an album cover cues up that artist's music, for example.
Finally, Sony has another connected light speaker, one that looks more like a conventional LED bulb, and can connect to a phone or tablet and play music just a few seconds after being screwed into a socket.
Sony's upgraded Life Space UX is one of the most attractive smart home demos we've seen, even if it's a little nebulous at this point how all the individual components will work together. But people won't buy into the smart home concept until they can look at the products and ideas and think, "I want that." Sony's sweet system certainly qualifies.
Sony says the LED bulb will be available in the summer and the short-throw projector is coming next winter. Release dates for the Symphonic Light and desk projector are still to be determined.
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