This week’s Smart Living roundup features INSTEON smart home devices hitting Microsoft retail stores, Quirky’s serious efforts in smart home market, and GE’s newest smart bulb.

Insteon now available in Microsoft retail stores

Earlier in June Insteon launched its apps for devices running Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8, offering exclusive features such as Visitor Mode.  Insteon also launched its home automation products in Microsoft’s online store.

Three unique Insteon kits are available on MicrosoftStore.com: Starter Kit, Home Kit and a Business Kit along with five standalone devices.  The standalone devices are priced starting at $29.99 whole the kits start at $199.

INSTEON offers solutions to help homeowners cut down energy consumption by scheduling when lights will automatically turn on and off, monitor their homes remotely, and receive instant notifications on their devices of changes and activity.

Quirky’s new smart home offerings

Reports have emerged that Quirky, the company that delivered innovative products such as the smart A/C Aros, the Egg Minder and the Pivot Power Strip, is looking to expand its smart home efforts.

What you need to know about Quirky is that its connected devices can be controlled using its Wink app. New information indicates that Quirky is spinning of Wink as a standalone company dedicated to home automation solutions. To kick things off, Quirky launched a new Wink Hub and will relaunch the Wink app as software that acts like an operating system and connects all automated home devices.

The Wink Hub will handle wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, ZigBee and Z-Wave, and WiFi which means more connected devices will be compatible with the hub. According to The New York Times, the Wink Hub will be available on Home Depot and Amazon on July 7, 2014 for $79.

The huge potential of Wink has led Home Depot to choose it as its technology partner, distributing Wink products in its stores across America. The packaging of the Wink products will have one of two logos: “Wink app ready” products which are plug and play as they can communicate directly with a home Internet router, and “Wink app compatible” products, which would require the use of a hub for use with the Wink app.

The improved Wink app will also be available on July 7 for iOS and Android devices.

GE’s Link smart lightbulb

GE has unveiled Link, an affordable LED connected bulb, which can be remotely controlled anywhere in the world and can also sync with other connected devices.

Interested parties can head on to Home Depot to pre-order their Link bulbs, with price starting at $14.97 for a single Link bulb.  What you need to know about Link is that it needs to connect to the Internet to allow users to remotely control. Bottom line, you need to purchase a GE Link Gateway Hub for your Link bulb to be remotely controlled using the Wink app on your mobile device.

Compared to other connected lights, Link is cheaper and doesn’t come with fancy upgrades like custom color options. Link is intended to be a more practical approach to connected lights and because of its price, more homes will be able to experience the ease of having a connected bulb in their homes.

image via Insteon