Reviewing the Futuristic Microsoft Home from 2008
While porting old posts over to Markdown, I came across a post from May 18th, 2008. The post contained a link to a futuristic Microsoft Home detailing some of what we may find in our homes in 2015. The article starts off by mentioning many of Hollywood’s perceived futuristic features:
- Robots handle all manual chores
- Families use unisex jumpsuits rather than today’s clothes
- Instead of televisions, we use holograms
- There are sterile sleeping pods
Of course, many movies today still feature many of these perceptions.
As I continued to read on, I started to find the items that were actually contained in the house. Unfortunately the archive only captured the first of two pages, but it’s interesting to see the list contained within the posts:
- Hand/finger recognition to enter the home
- Small dial on the wall illuminates the temperature and shows options
- A “Welcome Home” mode plays music and automatically adjusts blinds
- There is a smart device that addresses the homeowner
- The smart devices know the schedules of each family member
- As someone enters the room, they are identified and the room’s ambiance can chance to match that person’s personality
- HDTV is equipped with a tool that gives us smart TV capabilities and allows us to watch specific shows, movies, or surf the web
- If the doorbell rings, a notification can be displayed and music paused
- If you leave the house, your music can be paused and resumed from within the car
Looking at this list, how many of you have a smart home with these features? It’s pretty remarkable to see this list. Remember, the first iPhone was released back in January 2007. This article was published just 16 months later.
While I wasn’t able to find the original and complete article, Channel 9 posted about the house in 2011. Some of the items they showed were updated from the list I had posted: