South Korean tech giants Samsung, Kia, and Hyundai have entered into an Internet of Things (IoT) alliance to combine cars, smartphones, and home appliances into a single ecosystem. This was reported by The Register.
The companies signed a Strategic Technology Partnership Agreement. The Samsung SmartThings platform will include devices from Hyundai and Kia. Samsung says that this deal will mean that Galaxy smartphones will be able to control car air conditioning or access information about things like the car's remaining range.
"Vehicles can also be added to the connected SmartThings ecosystem, allowing users to return to a home with optimized conditions by controlling their Samsung air conditioners, air purifiers or other connected devices while driving home," Samsung says.
Samsung produces a lot of smart appliances, including refrigerators and ovens with internal cameras that allow you to remotely view everything inside, washing machines, air conditioners, and more. Samsung provides access to these appliances through the SmartThings app, which it builds into most of its Galaxy smartphones.
Hyundai and Kia are the world's third largest automakers in terms of production, and it is projected that they will produce about 7.5 million vehicles this year alone.
One of the first benefits of this alliance will be a protective "global location solution function for vehicles and smart keys." It will use Bluetooth in Galaxy devices to locate cars if they are stolen or the driver simply forgets where they are parked.