Sony Outlets Control Electricity Through Authentication

itwbennett writes "Sony on Tuesday demonstrated new 'smart sockets' that 'perform authentication whenever a device is plugged in,' said Taro Tadano, a general manager in Sony's technology development division. The company also demoed a home power grid that tracks electricity use by time and appliance." This has led to speculation that the technology will be used in some places to charge consumers for the use of electricity.

Comments

Re:What could possibly go wrong?

[jhoegl]

OOohhhh ho ho!!!! I see what you did there...
You said one thing and then went all late 80s on your own sentence!

Sony controlling my electricity, that's just great

[elrous0]

If I see a headline indicating that Apple wants to control my plumbing...that's it, I'm quitting humanity.

Re:Nothing A Screwdriver and Some Clips Can't Fix.

[Yo Grark]

...and don't get me started on the minibars!

Why.... are you a mean drunk?

Yo Grark

It will save a lot of power

[bigtrike]

With Sony DRM, your devices will fail to authenticate most of the time, saving a lot of electricity.

Re:Power piracy

[localman57]

Don't underestimate the power of stupid plans. There's a reason hotels used to put stickers that said "THIS REMOTE WILL NOT WORK WITH YOUR TV AT HOME" on TV remotes, and bolt them to the night stand.

Re:TL;DR

[cayenne8]

Since it is from Sony, I hear it will require the use of Memory Sticks.

Re:Nothing A Screwdriver and Some Clips Can't Fix.

[idontgno]

You pointed it out. Sony has a vivid imagination and a very detailed fantasy life. They routinely envision entire technical ecosystems populated entirely by their proprietary inventions. So, yes, it's entirely realistic in Sony-world to expect that Sony SmartSockets (tm) will proliferate, and that Sony SmartPlugs (tm) will be present on every electrically-powered device in the world, and Sony will operate an on-line service for authentication, billing, and service management for both power providers (owners of SmartSockets) and power consumers (owners of SmartPlugs). They'll RAKE IN THE MONEY! It'll be better than Star Wars: Galaxies! It'll be cooler than rootkitting every music CD every produced! Every "conventional" power outlet will be BANISHED by the power of SONY MARKETING! Sony SmartPower (screw trademarks) will OWN THE WORLD! And when Sony decides to press those useless nation-states to recognize its extra-territorial superiority, it has the SECRET WEAPON of threatening to turn off ALL power in those countries UNLESS THEY CAPITULATE! (Mwahaha!)

This is how it works in the minds of Sony. Out here in boring-conventional-reality-land, only a few clueless suckers will buy into it, and come to regret it almost instantly.