Microsoft execs have said little about the company's home-automation strategy, but Xbox may be its centerpiece.



From All About Microsoft:

With Google's $3.2 billion (not a typo!) purchase of thermostat and smoke-detector-maker Nest, it's a good time to revist what Microsoft has cooking in the home-automation space.
microsofthomeOS

According to at least one report, Google was the only serious bidder for Nest. That's not too surprising on the Microsoft side of the house, given the company's home-automation strategy seems to be centering on the server and/or console side of things.

Almost exactly a year ago, Microsoft quietly bought id8 Group R2 Studios to boost its Xbox business. R2 Studios was the brainchild of the creator of the Slingbox. But before the Softies bought R2, the company was working on mobile apps designed to tap into home-automation systems.

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