Imagine an automated home security system built using old Android devices. Most popular automation apps do a decent enough job on levels 1 and 2. But they struggle with advanced automation.

To call [Carnivore’s] home automation project impressive would ... but everything can also be accessed from his Android phone. Communication between the two is handled by Google Talk, an instant ...

I recently installed an intelligent thermostat that can be controlled from anywhere in the world from a smartphone. (Something I wrote about in my March 3 column.) However, there are many other ...