Products, discussion and more from the world of IoT
From the Amazon AWS IoT Button to Google’s Android Things, CRN reveals the coolest Internet of Things products from 2016…
The last 12 months saw an array of cool new Internet of Things products in the consumer, enterprise and industrial segments. Here are the 10 coolest IoT products of the year.
Standardisation in the world of IoT is a long way off. Chris Stone at ReadWrite highlights the rules we must keep in mind as we get closer to a solution that connects all of our devices seamlessly.
Right now, there are roadblocks standing in the way of our devices communicating not just with us, but with each other. We need a new approach—one that overcomes challenges with both technology and corporate interest, letting users fully leverage the power of each of their connected devices.
The AllSeen Alliance and rival group Open Connectivity Foundation have announced a merger to speed up the adoption of connected devices. But key players Apple, Amazon and Google still remain out on their own.
The problem with three hyper-competitive holdouts is that none of them seem particularly interested in having their devices work well with the others’ ecosystem. The stated goal of the new OCF, on the other hand, is to ensure that most of the billions of devices out there can and will talk to each other when appropriate.
Google have officially launched their new Home device in the US at the company’s hardware-announcing event this week. Home runs on Google’s new voice assistant, and is a direct rival to Amazon’s Echo smart speaker hub launched in the UK only last week.
Google’s advantage is that it has access to more information and voice data than anyone else through 18 years of searches and the advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence that powers it
Apple HomeKit, announced back in June 2014, was Apple’s foray into the smart home market. But as a developer platform it had little interest for consumers. Now, with a large base of HomeKit devices available on the market, Apple are finally launching their Home app in iOS 10, which will let users control their connected home from their iPhone or iPad.
While you’ve been able to control a lot of smart home appliances with your phone through individual apps, the benefit of Home is that it creates one hub that controls everything. You don’t need separate apps for your lights, thermostat, and webcam. The Home app does it all as long as the appliance was built for HomeKit.
Virtual assistants like the Amazon Echo are increasingly becoming an integral part of the family household in the US. But does the recording and storage of children’s voices contravene the US child privacy laws? Karen Turner at the Washington Post investigates.
Companies with virtual assistants, such as Amazon, could be fined millions of dollars for the collection of children’s data without explicit parental consent, The Guardian reported recently. Specifically, these AI devices store audio files of children’s voice commands, but don’t provide any information on how long these files are stored or how they are being used.
Consulting firm Bain & Company recently published a new report that focuses on “the major emerging battlegrounds” in the IoT that enterprises need to be aware of. Mike Wheatley at SiliconANGLE takes a look at these battlegrounds;
Google Home, a new voice-activated smart home product, was big news at this year’s Google I/O conference. A direct rival to the Amazon Echo, Trusted Reviews discuss why Google Home, powered by Google Assistant, may have the edge.
Powered by the new conversational Google Assistant, Google Home promises to be the smart home hub we’ve all been waiting for – and takes the fight to rivals Apple and Amazon. Chris Smith looks at the possibilities…
Read the full article on Trusted Reviews
But will it beat the Amazon Echo, which is still only available in the US, to a UK release, and how much is it likely to cost? – PC Advisor offer their thoughts
Jim Hill at T3 offers a nice little introduction to the Internet of Things and tells us about some of the best gear available right now.
What began in 1982 with an internet connected Coca-Cola machine that could order its own refills, now includes dishwashers, cars, robots, traffic lights, and anything else that might benefit from collecting and acting on shared data. Experts predict that, by 2020, 50 billion such devices will have joined the IoT. But to fit this feature onto six pages, we’ll focus on the smart home and wearables, because that’s where the IoT is having its most immediate and beneficial impact.
Sephi Shapira explores the reality of having a connected fridge and the implications of letting IoT into your home.
Are we ready to share the details of every late-night snack, or will the fridge be the line that we draw when it comes to sharing our private information.
Hackers run riot as hotels and US police hit
O2 offers internet of things-backed motor insurance
New Internet of Things technology could lower pet insurance premiums
Internet of Things – WebSiteGuide.io
Bosch, Cisco and Foxconn join blockchain IoT consortium
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