Nokia Phones to Control Home Appliances

Have you ever left the house wondering if you left the oven on? Thanks to Nokia, that soon won’t be a problem.

It is the stuff of science fiction: house lights, ovens, televisions and even security systems that can all be remotely operated and controlled at the touch of a button.

But now a new type of smart technology from mobile phone maker Nokia looks set to turn that fantasy into a reality.

The Home Control Center, which will go on sale at the end of next year, will mean British consumers are one step closer to living in “networked homes”, where everyday systems and devices are connected to the internet, allowing the home owner to monitor and activate them remotely using their mobile phone.

Nokia’s platform will run the open-source Linux operating system, meaning that third-party manufacturers that make fridges and televisions, will be able to build compatible technology into their devices at minimal cost. The Home Control Center will enable other smart-home solutions to be connected together, and provide users with a single, consistent way of controlling all their gadgets.

Smart homes have been around for years, but they’ve never been integrated into a single mobile interface intuitive enough for the average homemaker. As many Nokia users will tell you, Nokia makes beautifully intuitive mobile interfaces.

Apple makes a great mobile interface too, but they’re far too elitist to integrate their precious iPhones with common household appliances. Nokia’s combination of interface expertise and collaborative ethics could provide the missing key to the house of the future.

Microsoft Buying Yahoo Search? Rubbish.

The Times of London says Microsoft is about to buy Yahoo search, providing a surprising amount of detail on the supposed deal. BoomTown’s Kara Swisher says it’s nonsense.

…a convoluted $20 billion deal that would include well-known Internet execs Jon Miller and Ross Levinsohn, is–in the words of one key player–”total fiction.”

Actually, that’s Levinsohn speaking, on the record. But that’s also the essential word from all key players regarding the Times’ report.

BoomTown has spoken to top sources at Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft (MSFT) too and all scoff at such a deal now taking place or that either side has been in any such discussions of late.

Yahoo’s entire market cap, in fact, is only $16 billion.

I’m with Kara on this one. She was the first to break the story of Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang stepping down, so she’s got good sources there. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has also made very clear his vehement disinterest in Yahoo, much to Yang’s utter humiliation.

That, and common sense dictates you don’t buy part of a $16 billion company for $20 billion. Of course, Ballmer isn’t known for his common sense, but even he must know that sixteen is less than twenty.