This week’s Smart World Series features a strategic partnership for home automation, a smart lighter to help smokers kick the habit, and how smart infrastructures are helping build smart cities.

For those who missed this week’s Smart World Series, here’s a chance to catch up on the exciting developments in the connected world.  Each week, SiliconANGLE rounds up the top news trends regarding smart homes and cars, smart data centers and IT, smart infrastructure and all things related to the Internet of Things.

Home automation goes commercial with key team ups

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Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8 users who have been searching for smart home apps to rival the dozens crafted for iOS will be happy to hear of Insteon’s apps for Windows, launching June 1, 2014.  The Insteon apps will have exclusive features such as Visitor Mode, which allows users to restrict access to the house for kids and guests.  Not only that, Insteon’s line of home automation solutions will also be available in Microsoft Stores with three unique kits to choose from.

Find out more about Insteon’s apps and kits in this week’s Smart Living roundup.

Smart lighter helps smokers kick the habit

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If you’re a smoker who yet to find the best way to quit, you might want to head over to Kickstarter and help fund the smart lighter Quitbit.  As a stand alone device, Quitbit delivers information such as how many sticks you’ve lighted, and how long it’s been since your last smoke, all displayed on its built-in LCD screen.  It’s a flameless lighter that can be charged and paired with a smartphone to access more features via an app, all designed to help you quit smoking.

Find out more about Quitbit in this week’s Smart Health roundup.

Will smart cities ever take off?

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For all the talk of futuristic, connected cities, what products are already available in the market and how will they impact urban environments?  One author envisions the ins and outs of smart cities in a new book, Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers, and the Quest for a New Utopia, while Dubai plans for a smart city aptly named Desert Rose.

Find out more about the world’s growing goals for smart cities in this week’s Smart City roundup.

Smart infrastructure helps erect Smart Campuses

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The quest to build smart cities may be a long-term goal, but it is getting there with the help of smart infrastructure such as the latest being utilized in smart campuses.  OSIsoft has signed a deal with top universities for a pilot project that would demonstrate how data and advanced analytics can be utilized to create sustainable campuses which can also give rise to projects that would expand smart initiatives to the rest of the community.

Find out more how smart infrastructures are building the path for the Internet of Things in this week’s Smart Infrastructure roundup.

Tune in next week for more interesting stories, discoveries and innovations in the world of smart and connected things.

photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc