News ReCap: Home Land. From Apple to ZigBee, the smart home is smokin' hot.

[Key trends: the smart home | the internet of things]

"The smart home is just around the corner." Many of us first heard that back in the year 2000. But now we really are about to arrive.

If you're looking for the sizzling hot trend courant, sit back and relax, and don't leave home, because you're soaking in it. No, this stuff never happens overnight. From Microsoft and Samsung to Sony and Cisco, every influential IT and CE vendor worth their popcorn salt had mega stands at all the mega shows, demonstrating their vision of the connected home of the future.

And the future is almost now. Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung, Qualcomm, Cisco, Belkin and many other are getting ready for the beyond-the-PC world. Objects are connected, they learn, the improve, they are really rather smart and helpful.

So, the news this week is full of hints and hot rumors of moves for the living room. Microsoft may be about to rollout a ChromeCast-like device. Apple is preparing a smart-home platform. LG and Samsung are now in the connected light bulb business. (I'll write another post about ReCap's new Smart Bulb report with forecasts to 2019. Thanks for the input on that one.) Let's not forget the service providers: AT&T, Verizon, your local cable guys, your power company, and security firms.

Trends this big require a generation shift to be absorbed. A decade or two to work out the kinks. And a few spec battles just to make things interesting. As is usually the case in new markets, there has been first-mover advantage at home. But now it's looking like it's time to move in for real. Find your place or prepare to be locked out.

Welcome home. Goji Smart Lock.

Please kick mi. Adidas's connected, sensor-filled miCoach Smart Ball.

Key trends: the internet of things, sensors, well-being, playful, fitness, wireless charging.

via CNET >>

Perhaps you can forget the Wii when you have the mi. This looks like a great way to get the kids out of the house. Check out this product from Adidas: the miCoach Smart Ball.

Yes, you have the smartphone, smart home, smart watch, smart clothes. And here comes the smart sporting equipment.

In this sensor-filled world of the internet of things, we can count calories, we can count steps, so why shouldn't we be able to count kicks? Adidas's miCouch Smart Ball connects to the user's smartphone via Bluetooth as uses sensors and software to monitor kicks, and includes some games which cross the real world with the virtual one. And for a touch of additional coolness, it uses wireless charging. We'll be seeing a lot more solid uses for wireless charging going forward for sealed gadgets like this.

The miCoach costs around $299/€299 in America/Europe. So, not exactly a toy.

The Internet of Spin. 6LoWPAN might soon be used in billions and billions of things. Couldn't it have a better name?

Bluetooth, a name so odd it sticks.
Wi-Fi, it's a clever play on HiFi.
ZigBee, a bee dance. So cute, how can you resist?
There's 3G. And 4G:
Generic names indicating fast mobility.

And then there's 6LoWPAN. Huh?

It's one of the biggest general trends. The internet of things. Smart objects. The connected home. M2M. Call it whatever. Just don't all it 6LoWPAN. (Meaning IPv6 over Low Power Personal Area Network.)

Yup, all things are getting connected. Locks and lights. Meters and motors. TVs and thermostats. And how will they connect? Well, the battle is on. It's easy enough to count more than a dozen competing technologies. The market will be so big, that there will certainly be room for several of them. But one will take the lead, and I'm leaning towards 6LoWPAN. Maybe.

6LoWPAN is an IETF spec defining how IPv6 packets are to be sent on top of IEEE 802.15.4. It has the potential to be one of the most implemented technologies in history. The spec has its support groups such as IPSO Alliance, and also ETSI. There are huge companies with amazing clout behind 6LoWPAN. Google. IBM. Oracle.

It has so much going for it. But it's name isn't one of them.

To the best of my knowledge, 6LoWPAN doesn't have a better brand name for itself, although there are companies that have their flavors of 6LoWPAN with their own titles. If I'm missing something here, I'd love to know about it. But I think that 6LoWPAN is suffering from an identity crisis. And potentially fragmentation.
(I sort of suspect that someone will correct me on this. And that's one of the goals of this blog entry.)

Does 6LoWPAN need a hero to give the spec unity and identity? Yes it does:



Harald Blåtand, King of Denmark.

Remote possibilities...

Back in the year 2000 when I was working for a business development group within Nokia Ventures, I remember reviewing a few consumer wishlists of new features people would most like to see in their handsets. Number one on such lists was consistently a bottle opener. Number two was often a television remote control.

Not many phones have infrared these days (although there are some), so using a phone as a remote for most existing boxes isn't so straight forward. But smartphones do have WiFi and Bluetooth, meaning it's possible to at least indirectly communicate with televisions and set-top boxes. But despite promised of Bluetooth-enabled STB's, it's looking likely that ZigBee could be the wireless standard for such things going forward.

But, to the best of my knowledge, there are no mainstream smartphones or tablets with built in ZigBee support, although there are rumors that Samsung and HTC will be introducing ZibBee-enabled devices soon. If such devices hit the market, it would mean that smartphones could be used to directly control such things as ZibBee enabled set-top boxes, locks, and light bulbs without the need for a gateway. (Even Nest's Learning Thermostat is ZigBee-enabled, meaning it could become part of the home's ZigBee mesh network, and potentially act as a ZibBee-to-WiFi gateway.)

So, it's interesting to note the increased interest in the relatively new category of the smart home phone, a smart device dedicated to being the remote control for all things in the home. Television & temperature. Lighting and laundry. The concept has been around for years and has been addressed in piecemeal ways so far. But now the pieces are really coming together.

So, who'll be in control? Device vendors, cable operators, security companies, energy companies, Google? Get ready for the rush toward remote opportunities.

There could be possibilities in remotes.

Does anybody else remember when our lightbulbs weren't connected to the internet?

How to build a smart, connected home? Screw in a light bulb. The key technology enablers have been on the market for a few years now (like chipsets from NXP), just enough time for the end products to start pouring onto the market. This is going to be standard stuff quite soon. Challenges that remain: prices and usability.

There are 12 billion bulbs sold each year worldwide. The majority are still incandescent bulbs -- the kind guys like Edison invented. Nominally one of the biggest market shifts ever will take place during the coming decade.

The key technology enablers such as chipsets have been out on the market for a few years now. And now the products are following the components to market.

Research Capsule's five forecast coming out soon...

Key enabler from NXP for IP connectivity.

Authentic opportunity? Enabling the audience to avoid counterfeit products could mean real big business.

Related story: REAL FINE WINES GET RFID CONNECTED >>

KEY MOBILE TRENDS: NFC, counterfeiting, RFID, internet of things, logistics, big data.


Currency, clothes, Converse, cosmetics, and car parts. Airplane brakes, batteries, baby formula, and watches. DVDs, pocketbooks, toothpaste, pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, and toys. If it gets bought, it gets faked, and even some of the world's most reputable retailers have found counterfeit goods in their inventory, and are often victims of fake returns and low-life distributors.

So, could all this fakery be a genuine opportunity for smartphone vendors, components makers, security firms, and developers? Yes.

According to some stats, the counterfeit economy is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Add in the monetary value of reputation-killing headlines like exploding phone batteries and electrocuting chargers and it's clear that brands around the world have every incentive to fight the fakes. But perhaps now it's time to enable the consumer to protect themselves.

In the wireless world, we've been talking about the real opportunities in checking authenticity for years. But now the technology enablers are really falling into place: well-connected devices, NFC, RFID, low-cost components. And the incentives are huge.

Here's one interesting use case for the implementation of connected anti-counterfeiting technologies: fine wines. Expensive wines, as well as other high-end spirits, are sometimes consumed years after purchase, and far removed from the original point-of-sale. Selinko, a firm specializing in end-to-end authentication solutions, is working with distillers to digitally certify bottles using RFID tags which allow retailers and consumers to authenticate the items via NFC-enabled smartphones (apparently only Android-based devices at the moment). As the secure RFID tags provide a unique identity to each bottle, this goes beyond barcode scanning.

Systems such as this also provide consumers, retailers, distributors, and manufacturers with more detailed information about the products and their flow via the logistics chain. Educating the audience about the wide problems of counterfeits could drive the creation of a new service industry and a smartphone upgrade cycle or two.

So, for smartphone vendors looking for opportunities to complement shrinking margins, this could be the real thing.

TweetPee. Networked diapers.

AdWeek STORY >>

Here is an interesting concept device that uses sensors to monitor diaper moisture and keeps parents informed via the home network using a dedicated iPhone app. This is a very limited trial in Brazil, bordering on a publicity stunt.

And once again, this will only with with iOS, so if you're an iPhone user, you're in luck.

AT&T's Mobile-Home Connection. Operators look to secure revenue streams.

KEY MOBILE TRENDS: mobile home, security, internet of things, internet of things, services.
EVENT HORIZON: two years.

Back in the year 2000, I started working in the business development group of a unit of Nokia called Nokia Home Communications. There were lots of talented people working on stuff just like this, well ahead of their time. They had great vision, but the timing was off a bit.

AT&T is looking to expand their services with home monitoring and security by outfitting homes with cameras and sensors and charging a monthly fee. Prices start at $30 per month with an installation fee of $150.

As margins in handsets and tablets start to thin, it's a good time for device manufacturers to look into new hardware possibilities. And perhaps even getting directly in services. And for wireless operators who are dealing with penetration rates of 100% and declining ARPU, it's time to add some security to your future.

AT&T Digital Life Automated Home Security:

The next Nest? Honeywell's connected smart thermostat.

KEY MOBILE TREND: mobile-home, smart home, internet of things
EVENT HORIZON: Immediate.

You know it: another happy beautiful people video. Anyway, more evidence of the smarter home. And the very well connected home. Stay warm:

Is the home the next big mobile ecosystem? Samsung experience stores within BestBuy could cross Samsung white goods with Samsung CE products. Totally!

How can other smartphone vendors counter such potential?

CNET STORY >>

KEY MOBILE TRENDS: the mobile home, internet of things, retail

Smartphone vendors, get ready to swing for the fences, because you may need to make a run for home.

It's happening. White goods working together with smart phones. This is what partnerships between Ericsson & Electrolux and Nokia & Whirlpool were supposed to bring about more than 10 years ago. And then fade to black...

...and then slowly back to white, because here we go ago again. Is Samsung the vendor who can really bring it all together now? Washing machines and dryers talking to smartphones? Connected refrigerators which can suggest grocery lists and recipes based on inventory? Samsung dishwashers, televisions, scales, set-top boxes, security cameras, thermostats all working seamlessly together?

The home could be the next ecosystem domain. And now Samsung may be positioning itself to show off its complete solution by opening a series of Samsung experience stores within BestBuy. Stores within stores are nothing new, but Samsung's presence in America's largest electronics retailer could establish a permanent experience exhibit for the vendor, tying it altogether under one roof. (And for BestBuy, this could be a new business model to fight showcasing: become landlords.)

To be clear, Samsung is expected to initially use these in-store experience booths to highlight the Galaxy S 4, but if they are clever, which they sure are, they will be showing off so much more. This could be a great display of solidarity for Samsung and all its units. And a less expensive way to counter Apple's and Microsoft's retail stores.

So, that's the score. LG, Sony, Nokia/Microsoft, others: are you ready to bring it on home?

Tweet

The internet of bins. Connected waste bins tell when it's time to take out the trash. Truck roll avoidance!

PR/STORY >>

KEY MOBILE TRENDS: M2M, internet of things

Three more words of fantastic opportunity I would like to share this week: truck roll avoidance.

Talk to managers at service-based companies or municipalities about truck rolls and they'll cringe. Talk to them about how they could avoid truck rolls and their ear will perk up. Really.

A truck roll is when some sort of service worker is dispatched to a remote location. It could be a cable repairman, a municipal worker, a nurse. There's the wasted time of transporting the worker, the depreciation on the vehicle, and the potential for some sort of mishap. I learned about the importance of truck rolls when working at Nokia's set-top box unit: develop a set-top box that could find a way around a truck roll and operators would listen.

Here is a great example of the use of the internet of things to minimize truck rolls: connected municipal trash bins which know how full they are and actively report their status. Cities across the globe are getting smart to such ideas of smarter things.

We've all been hearing about connected things and machine-to-machine communications for the past decade now. But it's really happening. Don't throw away this opportunity.

Less wasted time:

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How do you feel inside? Sensors might soon have that covered too.

EPFL POST >>

KEY MOBILE TRENDS: sensors, mobile healthcare, nanotechnology


Bloody hell. Even more on the mobile sensor trend. This is getting amazing.

I've been reading stories about developments of small, internal sensors that can do such things as sniff out cancer cells or monitor blood for pathogens. Such sensors are placed inside the body using a minimally invasive procedure and provide data about the blood contents either directly or indirectly to a smartphone and further to a healthcare provider for analysis.

Here is one such sensor developed by researchers at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne in Lausanne (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). From the Institute: It’s “a tiny, portable personal blood testing laboratory: a minuscule device implanted just under the skin provides an immediate analysis of substances in the body, and a radio module transmits the results to a doctor over the cellular phone network. This feat of miniaturization has many potential applications, including monitoring patients undergoing chemotherapy.”

Ideally I would love to pick one of these up at my local supermarket or pharmacy and get to work doing some self diagnosis. But regulators can be so small about such things.

“Potentially, we could detect just about anything:”

Tweet

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For those looking to network with Chinese mobile players and understand the market: the kind producers of the Global Mobile Internet Conference 2013 and the extended "G-Trip" contacted me to share a 25% discount code with any readers who might wish to attend. You can register your attendance at http://beijing.thegmic.com/register/ and paste in the following code into the "discount code" section: GMIC-VQ9596MT

GWIC 2013. Be there. And see see Tiananmen Square.

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Wearing, thin. The white hot mobile trend: ubiquitous computing & thin clients is wear it's at.

SAMSUNG (SMART)WATCH CONFIRMED >>

KEY MOBILE TRENDS: wearable computing, sensors, multi-device ownership, smartwatches, wellbeing, ubiquitous computing

Talking shoes from Google, contextual-sensing jewelry from Samsung. Big brands and small, device vendors had better get to wear the action is.

You will certainly be hearing lots about wearable devices over the coming year, and some of you might get tired of the exaggerated stories and the miserable puns. But when hype reaches its peak is when it's really time to evaluate market potential and write down business-development plans.

I've been hearing about ubiquitous computing since the turn of the century. The long-term vision of migrating machine interaction into everyday things and away from personal computers and handsets has excited technology executives to such a degree, that most large tech companies and campuses formed UC units. Now, the enablers are nearly in place and products will rain onto the market during the coming years. Many products will fail to deliver, but a few will really change the way we live and breath.

Google Glass and Google's talking shoe concept (please see video below) are two examples of keeping people contextually informed and constantly connected to the grid. Every smartphone vendor worth its salt will be sprouting sensor-filled mobile accessories during the coming years.

While we know the components enabling this key trend, as is so often the case, the supporting business models are the real uncertainty. Some legitimate mobile healthcare-related services will prove to be a good value for healthcare providers and individuals, but leveraging the vast amounts of data collected could lead to a trade of atoms for bits, that is, lower-cost accessories in return for some of the contextual data.

I suspect most large handset vendors have their wearable computing in-house experts and major mobile platforms are working on robust APIs to support the development of an array of accessories and applications. Vendors who aren't prepared could be left out in the cold.

So, looking forward, computing power and sensors will be everyware. Are you ready to uncover the opportunities?

Platitude & attitudes: this shoe from Google/Adidas will make life much tougher:

Ingestible sensors? It's a tough pill to swallow, but it's true.

story via SPRINGWISE >>

PRODUCT VENDOR WEBSITE >>

KEY MOBILE TRENDS: mobile health, sensors

Talk about sensor fusion. Now sensors will enable you to discover your innermost feelings.

More pill signals connected to mobile health. What a day. A company called Proteus Digital Health has introduced something called the "Feedback System," which includes a wearable patch for collecting information, and an ingestible sensor, which the company says is the size of a grain of sand.

The sensor reports biorhythms such as heart rate, temperature, activity and rest patterns it collects internally to the patch which in turn connects to a smartphone for further uploading and analysis.

Sensors will let you get to know yourself inside and out. (No word on pricing or availability from the company.)

Philips connected Hue LED bulbs, AKA "a personal wireless lighting system"

via PHYS.org >>

KEY TRENDS: Internet of things, home networking, LED, ZigBee

Does anybody else remember when our light bulbs weren't connected to the internet?

There is perhaps a touch of overkill here, but I do like where this is heading. For $280 at Amazon.com, you can buy a kit consisting of three Philips adjustable LED bulbs plus a central control hub which hooks into the home network. An iOS app allows the homeowner to adjust lighting from near and far.

I suspect gadget lovers are throwing caution into the wind with this one as supplies appear to be consistently short despite only fair reviews. Anyway, these are not the only network-enabled bulbs around and the general trend is clear: things are looking bright for the smarter home.

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For those looking to network with Chinese mobile players and understand the market: the kind producers of the Global Mobile Internet Conference 2013 and the extended "G-Trip" contacted me to share a 25% discount code with any readers who might wish to attend. You can register your attendance at http://beijing.thegmic.com/register/ and paste in the following code into the "discount code" section: GMIC-VQ9596MT

GWIC 2013. Be there. And see see Tiananmen Square.

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The internet of pills. New high-tech pillboxes are very smart, very proactive, and very well connected.

via MOBIHEALTH >>

KEY TRENDS: mobile healthcare, big proactive, internet of things

Internet-connected pillboxes. Of course.

I came across an interesting article at the very useful Mobihealthnews site about the growing number of connected pillboxes and pillbox caps available on the market. I must say: this is truly a pragmatic use of connecting things.

Here is one product example: GlowCap from a company called Vitality, glows orange as a reminder when it is time to take medication and can also make a chirping sound and even send out updates via e-mail, texts, or make a robocall. Apparently it can be very tenacious.

GlowCap also tracks use over time in a journal and can even connect automatically with the pharmacist when it is time for a prescription refill. GlowCap retails for a reasonable $10 to $75 or so in the U.S. but it does require an on-going service plan which costs $15 per month. That's a nice recurring revenue stream for several players, and does appear a bit costly at first. However, the value of the service could be well worth it for certain demographics.

Here is a case where the internet of things can really be just what the doctor ordered. I don't want to seem like a pill pusher here, but this can really be an interesting device + service for some.

GlowCap® Medication Reminder Kit by Vitality:
Price is around $60 in the U.S. are major retailers.

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For those looking to network with Chinese mobile players and understand the market: the kind producers of the Global Mobile Internet Conference 2013 and the extended "G-Trip" contacted me to share a 25% discount code with any readers who might wish to attend. You can register your attendance at http://beijing.thegmic.com/register/ and paste in the following code into the "discount code" section: GMIC-VQ9596MT

GWIC 2013. Be there. And see see Tiananmen Square.

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The inventory of things. This is good news for losers like me. Stick-n-find.

Stick-N-Find WEBSITE >>

SOURCE (boing boing) >>

I've been looking for something like this for a long, long time. Oh Stick-n-find, where have you been hiding all my life?

So, are you a loser like me? Do misplaced things cause you to lose your mind? Don't lose heart: technology is here to save the day.

To be honest, this concept is nothing new to me. I once found a great product idea like this being developed in a lab. I found it exciting. And I waited for it to come to market. And I waited some more. But unfortunately that product idea got lost in the shuffle.

Anyway, check out this cool mobile accessory that allows you to mark and track people, pets, and things. And if the company behind "Stick-n-find" is looking for a spokesperson, they need look no further than this blogger: I'm misplacing things all the time -- my phone, my keys, my wallet, even my kids. And of course there's the ultimate paradox, the misplaced eyeglasses. I've been looking for a way to look for things for many years now. And I know I'm not alone.

Yes, Stick-N-Find is exciting for losers like me. For scatterbrains and the disorganized. It allows you to track items using coin-sized, low-power Bluetooth tags with a range of around 30 meters/100 feet. The company says the batteries in the Stick-N-Find tags last around a year. An iOS app assists in locating the tagged items using a radar metaphor giving hot-or-cold indications. And misplaced items can be buzzed and even flash.

Ironically I couldn't find any pricing info for Stick-n-find as the product is still in development. Please don't lose your way Stick-n-find. I do hope you find what you're looking for. (Funding.)

Blacksocks scandal? At $19 a pair, do socks really need RFID, or is this just abuse of available technology?

STORY >>

Has technology implementation reached a new low?
Does a sock really need an iOS app to find its beau?


I don't mean to knocks this great idea for socks.

For $190 you get a box that is filled with smart black socks.

And with these smart black socks comes a little black box.

This little black box can help you sort your special dark black socks.

But what if you lose your dark black box before you can sort your smart black socks?

Perhaps it's me and I'm a bit over the hill,
But is this the sort of thing that is technology overkill?

MOTO SOLUTIOS HC1. Just a heads up: computing form factors are expanding.

SLASHGEAR STORY >>

Over time, technology developments for the military and high-end enterprise bleed into markets below and eventually affect the markets for mainstream consumer devices.

Check out this Borg-like, wearable computing device from Motorola Solutions (not the Google-owned Motorola unit). The intention is to keep field workers well connected to back-office support. It relies on voice input for its UI, leaving the hands completely free for getting them dirty.

Near-to-eye display devices are nothing new: I've seen various gadgets from mainstream CE vendors such as Sony more than a decade ago at trade shows. But now the pieces are coming together. As Google has demo'd with their Project Glass, the components and software is out their for fresh approaches.

Slashgear reports that pricing for the HC1 is in the “$4,000-$5,000” range. In the world of truck rolls and field work, this could be a very reasonable investment.

A heads up: computing form factors have the potential to evolve in amazing ways:

Coat size xoxo. This connected jacket hugs you when you're liked.

STORY & VIDEO >>

Check out "Like-a-Hug." A nice, touching idea for a physical-digital interaction from Melissa Kit Chow, a graduate of Harvard's Graduate School of Design and Andy Payne and Phil Seaton from the MIT Media Lab.

Soon our digital and physical worlds will begin working together. So group hugs all around.