Barber and Osgerby's creative consultancy Map and technology company SAM have designed a kit of "building blocks" aimed at simplifying the creation of internet-connected products (+ slideshow). More
Yves Behar has designed a connected thermostat for UK energy supplier British Gas aimed at ordinary consumers rather than technology lovers (+ movie). More
Science fiction writer Bruce Sterling has curated an apartment inside an old industrial building in Turin, Italy, bringing together various designs to create the "open-source connected home of the future" (+ slideshow). More
Architect Rem Koolhaas has spoken out against the way technology is infiltrating buildings, saying it is "totally astonishing" that people are willing to sacrifice their privacy for convenience and describing the rise of smart systems as "potentially sinister". More
Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: architect Carlo Ratti claims the heating system he developed with MIT, which uses motion sensors to focus beams of infrared radiation on people as they move through a building, can be "one order of magnitude more efficient" than traditional methods. More
News: US technology firm Honeywell has released a minimal smart thermostat that learns household routines, a rival to Nest's similar connected home product. More
First the connected home; now the connected garden: designer Yves Behar and entrepreneur Jason Aramburu have created products that monitor soil conditions and automatically water plants when they get thirsty (+ movie). More
News: every electrical device in the home will be linked to the internet within a decade, according to the CEO of connected home products brand Nest (+ interview). More
News: Google has announced it is poised to acquire domestic technology firm Nest for $3.2 billion, a move that will increase the tech giant's presence in the home. More
Dezeen and MINI World Tour: San Francisco designer Yves Behar, who recently launched a keyless lock controlled by a smartphone, discusses his vision for how technology can be successfully integrated into the home in this movie filmed in Milan. More
Technology startup Edison Junior Design Laboratory has created a doorbell that allows users to see who's at their door remotely on their smartphone or tablet. More
San Francisco designer Yves Behar of Fuseproject has designed a lock that replaces physical keys with a smartphone app. More
