Insteon , creators of the world’s best-selling home automation and control technology, today announced that an enhanced version of its Insteon app will be available for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8 devices as of June 1, 2014. The app comes with exclusive new features, making home automation even easier for everyone, from the ultra-techie to the average homeowner. Quickly following the release of the Insteon app for Windows PCs, tablets and phones, Insteon connected home devices will come to Microsoft retail stores.
To date, connected home tech provider Insteon hasn’t offered a native Windows 8 app, either on the desktop or on Windows Phone. On Thursday, that changed in a big way. Microsoft and SmartLabs’s Insteon division announced a strategic partnership that will place Insteon products in brick-and-mortar Microsoft Stores, complete with a demo area, SmartLabs executives said. In return, Insteon promised Windows and Windows Phone support, complete with features exclusive to both platforms, at least for now. Beginning in June, Microsoft’s online stores will begin selling a “starter,” “home,” and “business” kit, consisting of the Insteon hub control unit and a number of different, connected sensors. The kits themselves will appear in the physical stores in July, for prices beginning at $199.