Danny Gorog03 August 2007, 7:15 AM
Bug Labs, a New York based start-up, is planning to turn the world of consumer electronics inside out by giving power to the people.
Wouldn't it be nice if all your consumer electronics devices just worked, and worked together with your other devices? Imagine bringing home your new Sony TV, connecting it to your Panasonic set top box, which is also connected to your Samsung Blu-ray player and having everything just work.
In a perfect world, each device would know the capabilities of the other devices connected to it, and all CE manufacturers would agree to adhere to a set of defined standards when building their products. Kind of like html and css standards - you build a website that all modern web browser can view.
Well, a company called Bug Labs is pursuing exactly that dream. According to their website they are developing an 'an open, modular, consumer electronics web services + hardware platform, designed for consumers, not just the technically inclined. The product called 'Bug' is intended to bring to the world of hardware gadgets what the Internet, open source, XML and web services have brought to the world of software and media.
Dave Winer, a pioneer of technologies such as RSS, podcasting, and a former contributing editor at Wired was invited to meet the crew from Bug and came away with some interesting insights in to the company. According to Winer, they are developing an 'architecture for pluggable gadget components, with a hardware interface.'
Ryan Block from Engadet was also invited to the meeting and commented that 'when Bug Labs introduces their modular gadget kits later this year, end users will be able buy interchangeable electronics components with a common interface capable of mixing, matching, and building custom devices (without having to lift a soldering iron).'
Bug plan to launch their product later this year, and has the backing of Union Square Ventures who seem to have at least a few winners on their books.