The August Yves Behar-designed Smart Lock announced at D11

[Jesse]

The home automation scene is booming, with platforms from both major players like AT&T’s Digital Life, and some very interesting offerings from Kickstarter funded startups like SmartThings. These platforms allow you to automate and stay connected to a multitude of devices in your home, and many of the possibilities of the products depend on your own needs and creativity. However, one area that requires significantly less ingenuity is taking off particularly quickly: automated door locks.

That’s where August comes in. Announced today at the All Things Digital conference, the August Smart Lock was designed by renowned designer Yves Behar and pairs with your smartphone via Bluetooth LE to unlock your door without a key.

There are several similar products available on the marketplace today, like Kevo, a product from industry giant Kwikset, and another crowd-funded smart lock called Lockitron, but August’s stands apart through its striking design.

The lock’s cylindrical shape and metal finish give it a contemporary look that will compliment any modern door, and a series of color changing LED’s indicate the locks status to give a visual indicator of the lock’s position as you approach.

Using the smartphone or tablet app, August enables you to unlock your door remotely for guests if they arrive when you aren't home. Different people can be assigned unique permissions that allow for fine grained access to your house, and entry logs are kept if you ever need to see who came in and when.

Of course, if you don’t have your phone or your battery is dead, a standard key will suffice to open the door as well. The Smart Lock runs on a pair of standard AAAs, and August claims batteries will last between 6-12 months.

The new device will begin shipping later this year according to the press release, and will start at an introductory price of $199 with no additional fees. Check out the video below for a closer look at the product.

Have you jumped on the home automation bandwagon yet? Tell us about your smart-home in the comments.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/52735-the-august-yves-behar-designed-smart-lock-announced-at-d11.html

 

[lchu12]

Already working for a company that is in home automation...awesome when there's a budget. lolz

 

[spydercanopus]

The smart house concept needs an open standard. One company can't make all of them.

 

[TechSam]

Could someone hack this device? Or is it using some form of authentication to prevent anyone getting in?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

It looks funky but I'll just stick with the lock & key. With my luck every time I want to lock or unlock my front door I'll find that my phones battery is flat or something else has gone wrong. I've used a key all my life and never had the urge or inclination to use something else. Nah I'll let the idle rich be the guinea pigs for this one.