@solardave1: Are there patent restrictions on the use of X10 and/or Insteon protocols?
Regardless, SmartThings obviously had to prioritize and be selective as to what they included in their initial product launch (it was a Kickstarter for gawdsake!).
The community here can certainly discuss incessently which choices SmartThings made and/or continues to make that seem not to … make any sense.
I definitely find the long delay for the release of the Android Client (and the complete lack of a pure Web & mobile Web client) is baffling, and, to me, a lot more important than obsolete weak HA protocols (e.g., X10 with major range and interference issues and next to no acknowledgement of commands from devices), or newer protocols (Bluetooth 4.0 LE) which are considered inferior to ZigBee and highly popular Z-Wave.
At this point in time, however, I am most interested (and perhaps, concerned) as to the impact of competition in a similar timeline. WigWag’s architecture has some major differences (some are silly, some are genious), and promises to support multiple protocols on their “relay” (hub) via USB dongles.
http://www.wigwag.com/
Their primary programming interface is graphic (GUI) based, with a customized “DeviceJS” for hackers. The product description addresses our (my?) ongoing concerns with SmartThings mysterious hub and cloud:
DeviceJS ties Javascript to the physical world, by providing hooks for protocols like IP, 6loWPAN, Bluetooth™, Zigbee™, RS-232, and devices such as the Belkin WeMo™ and Phillips Hue™ light bulbs. Because the system is centered on Javascript, it is very easy for anyone to extend.
WigWag Cloud pushes Javascript to your Relay (or a Raspberry Pi using the Dev Kit’s board), which executes distributed Javascript. Because of this architecture, the same code can execute across multiple locations, whether those are floors in the same house, or buildings in different countries. Moreover, even when the Internet is down, rules still execute on the Relay thanks to DeviceJS’s caching.
In other words: From a net features standpoint, I consider WigWag to be neck & neck competitively with SmartThings … except that SmartThings has several months’ head start.
And, in other words yet; competition is a good thing, as THAT is what will drive market based priorities for features, and/or give consumers (and Developers, etc.) the option of a mixed “best of breed” vendor environment.