Justin Grammens
There was so much interesting news this week on a broad range of topics related to the Internet of Things it made it hard to pick the best of the best!
We cover articles on drones, security, big data, wearables ( from the likes of Apple, Pebble, an awesome announcement from our friends at Spark for their new cellular development kit and a reminder that anyone and everyone working on the Internet of Things will be the @iotfuse conference in Minneapolis on March 19th!
News
With New Rules, the FAA and Drone Industry Make Up
What is currently proposed contains plenty of rules on what is and is not allowed, but most are no more restrictive than the industry was expecting. In some cases they could be viewed as more relaxed by some drone advocates. I understand both sides of the argument and was happy to see a fair starting point.
What Will Happen When the Internet of Things Becomes Artificially Intelligent?
Good article on how artificial intelligence is the linchpin for IoT. As the article quotes, "Everything that we formerly electrified, we will now cognitize." The business plans of the next 10,000 startups as easy to predict: "Take X and add AI."
Security
How to Build a Safer Internet of Things
Until manufactures are forced to take the time to secure their products the entire system is vulnerable to attack. As they say, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". The article claims that in some cases a manufacturer has taken devices intended for a private network and simply connected it to the Internet without building in any protection. Companies need to be held to higher level of standards if this is happening.
Chip Firms Put Security Center Stage for the Internet of Things
Security is a mindset that the manufacturer must think about daily over the lifetime of the product and that we should demand as consumers.
Business
Mergers and Acquisitions Deals Gravitate to Internet of Things
Various companies are using mergers and acquisitions as a way to stay ahead of the curve. Even many top-flight companies, even those outside technology sector such as Aetna, Capital One, Home Depot, Wal-Mart Stores are simply buying startups as a way of acquiring needed talent.
Konekt Raises $1.3M
Konekt is looking to ease IoT device management and network connectivity. A good sign to me that it's not all about the applications of the devices themselves, but the management piece that businesses are willing to spend on and invest in.
Big Data
Why Your Things Need the Cloud
This article enforces that the cloud is (and will continue to be) and important part of the Internet of Things through connectivity. However, what I think it fails to mention is the computational aspects of what can be done once the data is stored in a central location, that's when the true potential - the sum of the parts, and then more! - will come to to life.
Wearables
Tim Cook Says Apple Watch Could Replace Your Car Keys
As the article states, "The Apple Watch has enough hype, style and substance to be a success out of the gate, but the longer-term story that will be told once sales volume moves adjacent markets is the most interesting in terms of broader impact for our everyday lives."
Pebble Time - Awesome Smartwatch, No Compromises
Pebble is back at it again with another kickstarter campaign. Color e-paper smartwatch with up to 7 days of battery and a new timeline interface that highlights what's important in your day.
DIY
Spark | Open source IoT toolkit
Spark introduces the Electron. A cellular development kit with a simple data plan!
Events
IoT Fuse Conference - Minneapolis, MN - March 19th
Ticket price will increase on March 9th. Hurry and get your ticket today before it sells out!
@IoTFuse is a conference to unite accomplished doers, makers and hackers with the brightest executives, entrepreneurs and innovators from business. This event will align the Midwest toward a vision of where the Internet of Things is today, where it is headed in the future, and how technology can be used to improve the physical world in which we live. Register today before it sells out!
O'Reilly Solid - San Francisco, CA - June 23 - 25, 2015
Still months away but it's never too early to think about registering for this event!