Soon, a smart mobile that controls home in your absence

London, Dec 4 : Mobile mogul Nokia has announced the launch of a system that would link your cellphone to automatic home systems and help control heating, home security cameras and even draw curtains.

The Nokia Home Control Centre is a wireless router, which can interface with equipment around the home.

The company has collaborated with European energy company RWE to manage heating systems and is hoping other firms will sign up soon.

The gadget is being demonstrated at Nokia World in Barcelona.

"We believe that the mobile device is the ideal interface to control home intelligence, especially when the user is not at home," BBC quoted Teppo Paavola, vice president of business development at Nokia as saying.

"The rate at which gadgets, features and services are being incorporated into the mobile phone is astonishing," said mobile phone expert Thomas Newton from independent comparison website mobilephones.co.uk.

"Two or three years ago it would have seemed a bit Star Trek to imagine people playing with their heating on their mobile phone - now it's not only plausible, it's actually in the process of being developed," he added.

The smart box is based on an open Linux-based platform and includes a raft of wireless technologies, which allow users to connect remotely via a PC or smartphone.

It packs 6GB (gigabytes) of storage, necessary if it is to act as a store for video from security cameras.

It can also work out when conditions change, if such automatic functions are pre-set by users.

Experts believe that more and more devices, such as freezers, ovens and even kettles will soon be able to speak directly to a mobile data network

ANI