Nifty Mobile Cloud Computing App: Schlage's LiNK
Posted Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:06:06 EDT by Mark Beccue
In March, legendary door lock manufacturer Schlage launched LiNK – a keyless lock system for the home. Keyless lock systems are not new – what’s intriguing about LiNK is its remote capabilities. LiNK enables users to control remotely by PC or mobile not only the door lock, but heating/cooling, security cameras and light monitors.
ABI Research will publish a new report – Mobile Cloud Computing: Leveraging Networks for Mobile Applications and Services – within the next two weeks. Cloud computing is a disruptive technology that will have a major impact on mobile applications. ABI Research believes that mobile applications will migrate from applications which depend primarily on the computing power and data storage of individual mobile devices to applications which move the computing power and data storage into the cloud. This migration will open up mobile applications past only smartphone users to a much broader range of mobile subscribers, and dramatically increase sophistication level of mobile applications. Schlage’s LiNK is a perfect example of one of the new applications which leverage cloud computing.
LiNK is available as a downloadable app for iPhone and Blackberry, or consumers can access the mobile website with any mobile internet-capable phone. From the mobile, customers have full access to all the remote control functions, such as locking and unlocking doors to allow servicemen or children entry, thermostat controls, security camera monitoring and others. The service also includes the ability to receive automatic text message alerts when a unique code is entered for the door lock. This allows parents to know when their children or a serviceman have arrived. Z-Wave technology is used to enable the monitoring capabilities. Available through Amazon and Loews in the U.S., the solution is comparably inexpensive, starting at $299 for the initial hardware kit. The monitoring service is $12.99 a month.
Look for mobile applications like LiNK to grow rapidly in popularity over the next few years.