[Optimus_Prime]

http://www.wired.com/design/2013/02/budw...red-light/
(video and links found on link above)


Budweiser Embraces the Internet of Things With In-Home Automatic Hockey Goal Light

For some, the Internet of Things made its Super Bowl debut during the advertising blitz, through an offer by Budweiser Canada to come to your home and install a red goal light synced to the scores of your favorite team.

If you’re not a hockey fan, you may not know the red light’s iconic flashing, spinning glow and horn sound that accompany every goal. It’s the sport’s equivalent of a soccer announcer’s “goooooool!” or a football player doing a touchdown dance. It’s a moment of ecstatic release in a game characterized by constant tension in the ebb and flow of plays.

The Budweiser Red Light works by connecting to your Wi-Fi network. After configuring the device with an Android or iPhone app to tell it what teams you are rooting for, it sits sleeping in your rec room. When a game is on, it wakes up and starts listening over the network for a score. When the puck goes in the net, the light goes crazy.

“We are not joking: It’s real, it works and you can buy it,” says the Budweiser Canada homepage.

The ad, called “Perfect Timing,” seems to have played only in Canada; Budweiser’s offer to come install the thing in your home is only available in the greater Toronto area (though they are shipping across the country). The first round of devices has already sold out. The company is offering pre-orders that will ship in May — too late to catch the 2013 regular season, but will be in time for the play-offs in June.

The device is powered by Electric Imp a start-up that makes SD-card-like chips that have Wi-Fi and an embedded processor. The idea is that by offering an all-in-one chip, hardware makers will be able to embed Internet of Things functions into otherwise dumb devices without having to bootstrap their own networking and software department. (Electric Imp offer both the hardware and the back end.)

Writing about the company in May, TechCrunch said, “But before the Imp becomes a mainstream consumer product, hardware vendors need to actually adopt the platform and start adding Imp-compatible slots into their devices.”

Looks like that process is starting in Canada.

[wickabee]

Those things are cool as hell! The $150 price tag is a little steep but these have been INSANELY popular up here, according to all reports.

[hockeynick1721]

I have the "goal light" which isn't automatic but instead comes with a remote so you can control the action. Only 50 for that one.

[wickabee]

This some syncs up to NHL arenas. It also has a goal horn.

[frankthefrowner]

Will they release this in the US?

[wickabee]

I seem to recall the site saying "Currently not available in the US" that makes me think they planned on releasing it if it was popular enough in Canada. With the reaction here, I'd say it's just a matter of time before it shows up in the US.

[bluefrozencanuck]

I must have one.

[shezdoni]

If you’re not a hockey fan, you may not know the red light’s iconic flashing, spinning glow and horn sound that accompany every goal. It’s the sport’s equivalent of a soccer announcer’s “goooooool!” or a football player doing a touchdown dance. It’s a moment of ecstatic release in a game characterized by constant tension in the ebb and flow of plays.

I thought that was why we throw octopus's at Randi?

Oh wait, I got that backwards, his wife feeds him octopus, and we throw bricks of 91-92 score cards at him

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I seem to recall the site saying "Currently not available in the US" that makes me think they planned on releasing it if it was popular enough in Canada. With the reaction here, I'd say it's just a matter of time before it shows up in the US.

And this comes from the person with a red porch light

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Will they release this in the US?

of course not, we have better things, like DirectTV with every hockey game that is played LOL, when a goal is scored the dish spins LOL

[wickabee]

Hey hey hey.

I don't make fun of your job.