Is Housebot dead ??? Last release April 2009

[allanstevens]

I'm on the android side of the fence! For me, I feel this is the no1 thing missing from hb. Would happily buy it off the market.

[Steve Horn]

I'm an android too - smart phone. But my household tablet is an iPad. And I can see as much demand for HB if an iPad remote app was offerd as an android app. My primary goal for the iOS support was to stimulate interest in HB. If offering an android app first does that it works for me.

[Richard Naninck]

What about W8?
Pinch zoom and touch controlled alphalists would do just fine;)

[allanstevens]

I'm an android too - smart phone. But my household tablet is an iPad. And I can see as much demand for HB if an iPad remote app was offerd as an android app. My primary goal for the iOS support was to stimulate interest in HB. If offering an android app first does that it works for me.

Android phone and tablet for me, I would seriously consider picking up an old Ipad if a software remote app was solely on iOS. I agree that an iOS version could stimulate more interest, so sounds like the best version to start.

[Richard Naninck]

As for w8 it sounds like 80% is already in place.
Talking about a theme editer and a swremote.
So THE least amount of work which adds up to not having too much time.

Hope we don't get into an iOS vs android vs Windows food fight. Haha

[edgar]

Android or iOS...either one would probably cause me to switch to that device as my 'daily driver' as I love Housebot so much! There is only so much I can do with EventGhost and getting that to work over 3/4G has been a royal pain.

The Android or iOS remote would completely propel HB back into the market significantly. Advertising for HB would also go up as the Play Store and IStore do lots for you in the way of advertising already.

Right now the demand for a HA control system that does not have smartphone control built in is low..even more with Verizon and Cox both coming up with their home control stuff. I don't know much about these but know they are there and they certainly don't have the customization piece that we all know is so vital to a HA system.

I wish we could help Scott find some time!

my .02

Kevin

[Steve Horn]

Android or iOS... Interesting question, if you assume it's an either/or and not both development issue. I read something yest that surprised me. Androids claim 72% of the smartphone market to iOS 14%. Dunno what percent of the tablet market that is. Apple clearly owns the tablet market up to this point. But with kindle fire and their android kin(dle) selling briskly, Apple's domination cannot last. So if you're looking to develop an HA app, and in our case a HB app, do you go after the smartphone market or the tablet market for the biggest penetration bang? Personally, I'm more in the tablet HB remote camp, but I know that a lot of folks would use their smartphones for that capability. (In my case, as I get older, I need things that are bigger and easier to see. I want to see the younger generation get older to where they need to fumble to get their reading glasses out before they can text.) Getting a new app through the App Store approval process is more difficult than Google's Play Store. That may be a factor too.

[ScottBot]

My plan was to use a framework like appcelerators titanium that will allow you to create native apps for both iOS and Android (and even Blackberry soon). I'm guessing it has some limitations compared with writing in the native languages, but I'm thinking it should at least be the fastest way to create remotes on multiple platforms with the least amount of effort.

I had not thought about Windows 8 and any new UI enhancements that could be added. I was hoping that after CES there would be some cheaper windows 8 tablets hit the market and I could start to play around with it some.

Anyway, I'm only *thinking* about these things... still haven't found the time to dig into this at all. The android/iOS work will be a total rewrite of the swremote and will take more time that I have right now.

[Steve Horn]

But at least you're thinking.

[Richard Naninck]

I had not thought about Windows 8 and any new UI enhancements that could be added. I was hoping that after CES there would be some cheaper windows 8 tablets hit the market and I could start to play around with it some.

Anyway, I'm only *thinking* about these things... still haven't found the time to dig into this at all. The android/iOS work will be a total rewrite of the swremote and will take more time that I have right now.

A variaty of (cheap) Windows 8 tablets should hit the market soon. If only an alphalist could scroll like an iPhones phonebook and if you can simply pinch zoom the complete remote, HouseBot would get a boost into the current / future. Maybe even swiping through panels or whatever gesture tricks there are out there. I am looking into a W8 tablet but also want to use that tablet as a laptop (hybrid) and therefore I would like to get a full HD (1920x1080) panel. But my XGA remote would be too little on that resolution and that would not be a problem if the remote could simply be zoomed. I guess a recompile to W8 plus some extra stuff could do that trick. Least amount of work for both the theme editor and the SWRemote + most of us don't have to rebuild their theme's to match Android or Apple features.

I am still completely happy with the way things are right now. For the most part stuff would look and feel a bit nicer but it may open up a new group of users to HouseBot.