Samsung has snapped up a major player in the smart home and Internet of Things arena, namely
SmartThings.
The company, which got off the ground via crowdfunding site Kickstarter, was apparently acquired for
around the $200 million (£120 million) mark, according to TechCrunch.
course famously picking up Nest in a massive $3.2 billion (£1.9 billion) deal, and of course Apple developing its HomeKit system which was announced at this year's WWDC in June.
Samsung also underlined that it's targeting the smart home and also office yesterday, with an announcement
that a big part of the firm's IFA revelations will be the Smart Office platform, with a number of solutions to
allow for a slicker and more connected office environment.
As for SmartThings, in a blog post, the firm said that it would continue to run as it always has, with the same
team as an independent company, although it will relocate to a new HQ in Palo Alto. It will nestle within
Samsung's Open Innovation Centre group, apparently.
The blog post stated: "We believe that there is an enormous opportunity to leverage Samsung's global scale
to help us realise our long-term vision. While we will remain operationally independent, joining forces with
Samsung will enable us to support all of the leading smartphone vendors, devices, and applications; expand
our base of developers and enhance the tools and programs that they rely on; and help many more people
around the world easily control and monitor their homes using SmartThings."
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