It seems you can’t go a day, let alone a week, without new product announcements, partnerships, case studies or reports related to M2M and the Internet of Things. Here are the top stories this week about this fast-growing connected industry.
The week kicked off with Qualcomm’s $14-million funding round in Fon, which is a crowdsourced Wi-Fi network. Fon is working on adding social-based network sharing to its offerings. This latest round of funding is set to drive Fon into the next stage of growth, which aims to expand Wi-Fi coverage in the U.S.
The introduction of wearable technology means an evolving BYOD market. Employees are bringing more than just their phones into corporate networks – they’re also bringing smartwatches, smart glasses and more. Here’s how this growth and the IoT impact businesses’ approach to mobile.
The 2013-2014 holiday season has officially come to a close, but as we look back, how did retailers and delivery companies perform against weather conditions and high consumer demand? What fixes can be put in place to ensure timely delivery in 2014 and beyond? You bet M2M is in the answer.
Verizon this week announced it is powering connectivity in Hyundai next-generation vehicles, including the Gensis sedan, as well as Kia cars. Hyundai showcased the latest version of its Blue Link technology at this year’s CES, featuring voice navigation, media management, remote capabilities and Google Glass integration (which will be interesting, since the verdict for Cecila Abadie’s case on driving with Google Glass left the issue unclear).
The city of Skiatook, Okla. is working with GE to bring the Grid IQ Solutions-as-a-Service (SaaS) system to provide many of the benefits associated with a full smart grid rollout. With the Grid IQ SaaS system in place, Skiatook will get access to improved methods of utility billing, as well as the ability to more rapidly detect outages with an eye toward restoring service faster.
Cisco released an ad this month soley focused on the Internet of Everything (IoE). It visualizes everything the company has been discussing regarding the IoE and how it will impact our lives. How many examples can you spot in the ad?
In a great webinar this week, Ken Hosac, VP of Business Development at CradlePoint, discussed PCI-DSS 3.0, M2M compliance and how companies can prepare for an audit. Hosac takes attendees through each of the 12 requirements, emphasizing what is important and necessary, as well as best practices and challenges for reaching each goal. The archived version of the webinar is available here if you would like to see this in-depth look at complying with PCI-DSS.
A huge opportunity for the IoT is the connected home, and more specifically, our TV systems. Operators will leverage the television to act as a center for an entire home ecosystem. The television remains the best and most central screen available in the home, and with the advent of connected TV technology, it becomes a sort of Trojan horse for additional services beyond video. A new generation of set-top boxes (STB) are evolving into gateways for delivering a whole host of next-generation services otherwise.
BlackBerry announced this week a new cloud business to power the Internet of Things. The division, QNX Cloud business, aims to bring solutions for embedded platforms, networks and devices and will work alongside existing organizations that already serve the embedded market.
Anu Sood from SkyWave Mobile Communications walked us through how satellite M2M communications can improve water metering and other water applications. As potable water becomes more precious, the drive to monitor its availability will continue to grow and satellite messaging terminals will increasingly become a necessary part of the equation. Sood will be presenting on remote monitoring and control at a session at next week’s M2M Evolution Conference & Expo, along with panelists from RACO Wireless, Inmarsat and Irdium.
Hope to see you next week in Miami, and if not, be sure to stay tuned to M2M Evolution for the latest in the M2M industry. Have a great weekend.
