Staples Defining Sounds Played Through Connected Bose SoundTouch Systems, Says Bose

Bose shed more light on the SoundTouch systems that Staples is selling as part of the Connect smart home ecosystem, in an email Wednesday. Bose provided Staples with application program interface (API) commands to offer “select control of our SoundTouch Wi-Fi music systems,” said Glenn Gomes-Casseres, product manager-Bose SoundTouch systems, including selecting music through presets, playing different music in each room and creating custom zones. Bob Cooper, chief marketing officer of Zonoff, which supplies the Connect smart home platform to Staples, told us at CES that the Bose system can integrate with other Connect devices in the home to add audio alerts or features triggered by events (see 1501140038). An example was the ability to play a recorded sound of a barking dog that could play through the Bose system triggered by a motion sensor or a doorbell, or a siren that could go off to indicate an emergency. “Our SoundTouch systems essentially serve as the playback device for these sounds and alerts,” Gomes-Casseres said. “What those sounds are, and how they will be used in the home, are being defined by Staples.” On Bose’s plans for expanding SoundTouch to other platforms, Gomes-Casseres called home automation “an exciting step for our SoundTouch products.” Now that the company’s APIs are publicly available, he said, “it opens up the possibility for us to work with more home automation platforms in the future.” He didn’t elaborate on plans, citing company policy.