A few weeks ago, I wrote about The next frontiers of technology.  Technology and what is new in technology is particularly relevant to the homes that we build and our prospective home buyers, so I thought I would make this a regular piece to highlight what is out in the market place.  As always, we want your input, is there something that you want to see?  Let us know in the comments or send us an email by clicking on the name of author of the post.
Here’s what’s new in technology for your home and real estate:
Use your iPhone as a TV Remote – Really, how cool would this be? Â My phone is always close by when I am watching TV. Â I think we’ll need to see an increase in battery life for smartphones before they can be used for too many things. Â As it is now, the phones just don’t last very long when using them all day with apps like Pandora or chatting on the phone a bunch.
Top 5 Technology –Meets-Real-Estate Trends for 2010.  My personal favorite is the Tablet PCs, I just think there are so many potential uses for a small touch screen device.  Plus of course the mobile real estate sites and apps.  If you haven’t checked out our mobile site yet, view it from your phone today
and check out the Get More with SummerHill on the Go post we wrote when it was launched. Â And, if you have an iPhone, check out Realtor.com’s new iPhone app.
Apple files patents to manage home energy. Â Des, our warranty coordinator, wrote a response to the last technology post about knowing if her alarm went off or she’d left the fridge open. Â This Apple patent makes it seem like those could soon become a reality. Â Wouldn’t it be great to be able to shut off appliances that are not in use when you aren’t home? Â Maybe specific outlets?
Dan, our Director of Purchasing shared the great new paint app from Sherwin Williams. Â How many of us have seen a beautiful color while walking around and would love that color to be in our home? Â Well, this app makes it easy to snap the photo and Sherwin-Williams will match it to one of their colors!
Now, hopefully they’ll launch an app for the Droid platform soon.
The key to technology in the home is making it transparent and easy to use. Many companies that offer whole house automation haven’t figured that out yet. Take a look at your stereo or navigation system in your car for some perfect examples.
It’s going to take a company with high design standards to come along and reshape the playing field. The iPhone has started that trend and Apple is trying with entertainment tied to iTunes with the AppleTV.
It’s going to take a device like the iPhone (or perhaps something along the lines of whatever Apple may introduce on January 27, 2010) to change the game and gain mass market appeal before the lower tech items in our homes become connected.