The Smart World Series With SiliconANGLE

This week’s Smart Living roundup features a startup with hopes of becoming a Siri-like assistant for the home, a smart lock that’s Army tough, and a new gadget that turns old smartphones into a smart home hubs.

Ubi aims to be the Siri for your smart home

Ubi, a product of the United Computer Intelligence Corporation, has launched today in hopes of making smart homes even smarter. An ubiquitous computer that opens up the home or office for voice-activated communication with the Internet and smart home, Ubi connects through Wi-Fi and plugs into the wall via cable to become the voice of the Internet by tying voice interaction with different web services, communication tools and Internet of Things platforms.

Ubi currently integrates with SmartThings and WeMo, which allows it to trigger connected devices, such as lights and thermostats, by just using voice commands. Because it serves as a two-way communication between you and your connected devices, it can be used to receive updates and even warnings or announcements from the smart home devices.

Using the UbiCC, the Android app, you can talk to your connected home appliances, and let them talk to you as well. You can receive alerts when motion is detected in your house while traveling, or if a door or window opens during night hours.

Ubi can also be used to add and read reminders to and from your calendar, play music by request via Grooveshark or SoundCloud, and to set custom trigger phrases or words for a string of actions, such as sending emails. Ubi is now available for purchase for $299.

Haven smart lock puts the army at your front door

Forget about deadbolts and conventional smart locks, as a new kind of smart lock aims to make your front or back door superiorly secure. Called Haven, the device looks like a big wedge that fits at the base of the door. It is anchored to the floor and when activated, the door won’t budge. When it’s turned off, the wedge lays flat to allow for easy opening and closing of the door.

Arming and disarming Haven is done with the use of your smartphone. A simple tap on the screen turns it on or off, and you can even give digital keys to friends or family. You can connect Haven to other smart devices, such as connected lights, so when there’s an attempt to force the door open, lights automatically turn on, potentially deterring a break-in.

In case of emergencies, there’s a foot plate that immediately lowers the lift gate, which means you don’t need to have your phone with you to get out of the house.

Haven smart lock is currently a project on Kickstarter Inc. looking to raise $150K or more.

Give old smartphones new life with Rico

If you have a spare smartphone lying around, you can turn it into a smart home hub with the aid of Mindhelix Inc.’s Rico –  a fully-loaded home security device.

On its own, Rico’s built-in sensors enable the hub to function as a motion detector, thermometer, humidity sensor, smoke/carbon monoxide alarm, and even an Internet access point for connected devices. But insert an old smartphone, and Rico takes advantage of the smartphone’s sensors, processor, HD camera and networking capabilities to act as the eyes, ears, and nose of your home.

To get started, download the Rico app on your spare smartphone, and plug it into the built-in charger inside Rico’s hub. From your primary smartphone, download the Rico app to remotely control and monitor your home. Speaking of control, Rico also offers smart sockets, which you can use to control other home appliances.

Rico is currently on Kickstarter looking to raise $100K or more.