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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple's iBeacon technology is poised to influence the retail sector by offering a personalized shopping experience to customers, but it may also have personal benefits by interacting with apps when a user is at home.

placed-ibeacon.jpg
As spotted by TechCrunch, new iOS app Placed gives us a glimpse into personal iBeacon usage, linking an incoming iBeacon signal to apps associated with common household activities. With appropriately placed iBeacons, you could enable the remote when you sit on the couch or start a timer when you step up to the oven to cook.

It's an early implementation of iBeacon technology as the app integration is only partially automated, sending a notification to your phone that requires you to manually launch an app before anything happens. It an interesting use of iBeacon technology, though, and a small step towards a wider use of iBeacons the automated home.

Besides personal and retail use, iBeacon technology also is being used in sports to assist fans and add to the overall game experience. The Golden State Warriors became the first NBA team to adopt Apple's iBeacon technology, installing the Bluetooth transmitters in the team's home arena, reports Business Week.

The iBeacon technology is being used to boost ticket sales by prompting fans to upgrade their tickets as they make their way to their nosebleed seats inside Oracle Arena. The Warriors, as well as other sports teams, already offer seat upgrades through their mobile apps, but this is the first time iBeacons have been used to boost ticket sales in this way.

Article Link: iBeacon Technology Begins Moving Into the Home and NBA Arenas
 

brendu

Cancelled
Apr 23, 2009
2,472
2,703
I want an iBeacon that let's my phone know when I'm in bed and automatically puts my phone on silent.
 

NightFox

macrumors 68040
May 10, 2005
3,234
4,456
Shropshire, UK
There's lots of great potential here, such as music that follows you round your home or automatic lighting using a system such as Philips Hue. The only problem is that due to the sandboxed nature of iOS its success will be totally reliant on how Apple allows the technology to integrate with third party apps through public APIs.
 

bpcookson

macrumors 6502
Apr 6, 2012
484
90
MA
Why can't we do this kinda stuff with geofences? Accuracy? Battery life?

I really like the idea, but I don't want to be limited by where I can permanently plant a widget.
 

madsci954

macrumors 68030
Oct 14, 2011
2,725
658
Ohio
Can't other iOS devices on iOS 7 be used as beacons? If so, I may test this out tonight using my retina iPad mini as the beacon.
 

Wheeler.Jeff

macrumors newbie
Feb 23, 2010
13
0
Why can't we do this kinda stuff with geofences? Accuracy? Battery life?

GPS is not accurate enough indoors- this app is setup to work within 1 meter of an iBeacon.

I just tested it with an estimote ibeacon and it works great! Can setup iPhones and iPads to be ibeacons too if you don't have any.

Going to configure this to work with SmartThings- gonna be sweet!
 

dagger01

Cancelled
Jan 14, 2004
121
5
This could get annoying...

I can see where this would get really annoying after a while. I'm not sure I want my phone beeping at me every time I pass by the couch, or the oven. Just because I am near something doesn't mean I want to do something. Sure, that's why they made it a notification and not a launch, sure, whatever, still could get very annoying. Novelty that will have little practical usage in a home environment. Another great idea on paper, but not so much in the real world.
 

petsounds

macrumors 65816
Jun 30, 2007
1,493
519
The biggest problem right now is that you can't go out and buy iBeacons at the Apple Store. Small devices that you can remotely register with a label that it broadcasts, such as "living room" or "patio". I assume Apple wants to make the Apple TV broadcast as an iBeacon, and maybe Macs. But it should be more flexible than that.

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Why can't we do this kinda stuff with geofences? Accuracy? Battery life?

Yes, accuracy. Geofences using GPS markers just don't work once you get inside a building. iBeacons are more accurate than GPS in general...down to inches. The radius an app responds to the beacon can be defined.
 

winston1236

macrumors 68000
Dec 13, 2010
1,902
319
There's lots of great potential here, such as music that follows you round your home or automatic lighting using a system such as Philips Hue. The only problem is that due to the sandboxed nature of iOS its success will be totally reliant on how Apple allows the technology to integrate with third party apps through public APIs.

I think most people set their phone down when they get home so that wouldnt really work.
 

thelookingglass

macrumors 68020
Apr 27, 2005
2,138
631
This actually seems incredibly intuitive and the next step to a networked house. I remember Bill gates talking about his house in his book from almost two decades ago. Lights in rooms would turn on and off (or dim) depending on whether there were any occupants. IBeacon looks to be that technology. Now we just need to see whether component manufacturers hop on board. How cool would it be to have an entire house controllable from your phone.
 
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