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A28 technology
Monday 22 January 2018

Q&A: Samsung’s Alex Hawkinson on smart-home evolution

ANICK JESDANUN show up. Pushing a button
AP Technology Writer and seeing some groceries,
NEW YORK (AP) — Many or some food show up. The
everyday appliances are continued maturity of the
connecting to the inter- smartphone has caused
net these days, allowing consumers to recognize
people to control them that the world is totally hy-
with apps and voice com- per-connected. That psy-
mands. More homes are chology makes it ready for
embracing this, especially people to say, “Why not
as people get comfortable have this?”
using smart speakers such Q: How will artificial intelli-
as the Amazon Echo and gence improve the experi-
Google Home. ence?
For five years, SmartTh- A: The No. 1 issue in security
ings has been making monitoring is false positives.
smart-home products and You arm it, and you set it
a system for connecting off when you come out to
similar products from oth- get a glass of water. AI’s
er companies. Samsung going to solve this. We can
bought the company in see in the pattern of data
2014 to expand its portfo- what’s a false positive or
lio of internet-connected not, without the user hav-
and automated services. ing to program stuff. When
SmartThings’ founder and your smartphone is upstairs,
CEO, Alex Hawkinson, and you are asleep be-
spoke with The Associated This Dec. 7, 2017, photo shows Alex Hawkinson, the founder of Samsung-owned smart-home cause it hasn’t been in use
Press recently about how appliance maker SmartThings, in New York. for a while, you can prob-
smart-home products are Associated Press ably arm the security. But if
evolving. Questions and Q: Wait, are these products helping everyday people A lot of people a couple you pick the phone up and
answers have been edited safe? embrace smart homes? years ago hadn’t had the there’s been no motion
for length and clarity. A: We pride ourselves in be- A: There’s more connected experience of pushing a downstairs, it’s probably
Q: What’s the most com- ing leaders. Past problems to your phones in your life. button and seeing a car you coming downstairs.q
mon smart-home product, tend to be low-quality de-
vices, but they scare peo-
based on what you’re see- ple. Obviously adoption is Commercial rocket from New
ing connected to SmartTh-
ings’ systems? accelerating, so it’s not the Zealand deploys small satellites
A: Eighty percent of our big holdback, but it would
base has connected light- be wrong for me to say WELLINGTON, New Zealand
ing. It’s really simple to get that’s not a question. Have (AP) — A rocket launched
started with the bulbs. You a conversation about con- from New Zealand on Sun-
can go really deep with nected locks with some- day successfully reached
the in-wall switches and body, and you’ll probably orbit carrying small com-
things. People love that it get like, “but it could be mercial satellites.
doesn’t cross into the secu- hacked,” even though the California-based company
rity and privacy concerns reality is burglars are go- Rocket Lab said its Electron
a lot of people have with ing to just break the door rocket, which carries only
connected speakers and down. a small payload of about
cameras. Q: How are smartphones
150 kilograms (331 pounds),
successfully deployed an
earth imaging and two
other satellites for weath- In this photo provided by Rocket Lab, Electron rocket carrying
er and ship tracking after only a small payload of about 150 kilograms (331 pounds), lifts
blastoff from the Mahia off from the Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand’s North Island’s
Peninsula on North Island’s east coast.
east coast. Associated Press
Company CEO and found- access to space. He said The company last May
er Peter Beck, a New Zea- that deploying customer reached space with its first
lander, said the launch payloads on a second test test launch, only to abort
marks the beginning of a flight “is almost unprece- the mission due to a com-
new era in commercial dented.” munication glitch. q