Last week I asked where apps should go next. If you haven’t cast you vote, feel free to add your 2 cents. Of those who already voted, 21% said appliances and 7% voted for somewhere completely new and uncharted. That segment of the population will be pleased with TechCrunch’s Gift Guide for the Home Automation Enthusiast.
The guide includes Nest’s thermostat and security system, a smart light bulb from Phillips, internet connected outlets, speaker options and a few other things.
The important thing to remember as more and more of these smart devices, gadgets, appliances and doodads hit the shelves is that the apps that accompany and control them need thorough testing. As homes become more automated, testing in-the-wild will become even more important to ensure devices and apps don’t interfere with each other.
This is uncharted territory and instead of jumping in blind companies need to invest in heavy testing. If they don’t, users will lose faith in home automation devices and the budding industry could fail. Users don’t want something that doesn’t work. Don’t let them down testers.