M&A, Strategies, Alliances
- A Red Hat survey has found that only 12% of enterprises have implemented an IoT solution, despite 43% feeling that IoT tech was immediately relevant to their operations and 46% experimenting with it currently. Red Hat says this shows enterprise apprehensiveness.
- ARM says its IoT business contributed to a strong quarter, signing a record 54 processor licenses for use in devices ranging from biometric sensors to engine controls.
- The Wireless Broadband Alliance has set up a Connected City Board, whose inaugural meeting will coincide with the WiFi Global Congress on October 12th-15th.
- Fortune looks at how IoT benefits mining companies, examining Rockwell Automation’s projects with BHP Billiton and even Shell Oil.
- Honeywell is buying Elster, the metering and control division of Melrose Industries, for $5.1bn.
Software
- Chrome for iOS has received an update that will allow integration with Google’s Physical Web enabled devices and the Today view, meaning beacon or sensor data can be collated inside the web browser or fed to apps.
Hardware
- Radius Networks has launched its RadBeacon Dot, a coin-sized Bluetooth beacon that has an Eddystone version to accommodate developers wanting to use Google’s new beacon implementation, as well as iBeacon and AltBeacon.
- Sony is partnering with Japanese robotics company ZMP to found Aerosense, an enterprise drone
- CSR’s CSR1013 BLE tech has been used by BrilliantTS to create a Bluetooth connected payment card that is compatible with existing POS terminals and ATMs, designed to reduce the amount of cards a person has to carry around with them.
- Geoforce has picked OriginGPS’ satellite positioning technology for use in its GPS tracking devices.
- Toshiba has added to its TX range of ARM-based MCUs, by announcing a new family of low-power TXZ MCUs. The company also announced that it has begun work on a series of MCUs with embedded non-volatile memory with high-level analog circuit compatibility.
Networks and Protocols
- Luxembourg is the 8th country to get a Sigfox network, as Post Luxembourg (the national telco) and RMS.lu (an ID and mobility specialist) have partnered to deploy a network by the end of the year. The network already covers the capital city and 30% of the population, and aims to be nationwide by the end of the year.
- Sagemcom has launched a LoRaWAN-based Network/Software as a Service (NaaS/SaaS) platform.
Smart Homes and Buildings
- ADT has partnered with Nest to enable its ADT Pulse customers to control the Learning Thermostat via the Pulse app, with a bundle for new customers that includes a free Nest.
- CytexOne has launched its CytexOne Hospitality division, a smart hotel business to create and manage connected hotels and their automation systems.
- Parks Associates says by the end of 2015, half of all thermostats sold will be connected smart thermostats.
- Chinese construction firm The Zhuoda Group “3D-printed” and assembled a home in 3 hours. The practice suits China’s rapid rate of urban expansion, but the modular approach could lead to increasingly energy efficient homes being constructed to meet the demand of urban migration and growth.
- A patent has been spotted that suggests Apple is developing a biometric remote control for its Apple TV – the center of its smart home ambitions.
- NRG Energy is using Lucid’s BuildingOS software platform to monitor and control building management systems for its industrial and commercial customers, looking at installing the system in 2,500 sites by the end of the year.
Wearables
- Canalys thinks that Apple has sold 2m Apple Watches in Q2 2015, to become the largest wearable seller – passing the likes of Fitbit, and dominating the 7m unit market. Canalys predicts total Apple Watch sales of 20m in 2015. It looks like Apple’s Q2 Watch revenue was “well over” $952m.
- Wired takes a look at the innovative Jewelbots wearable, which teaches teenage girls (its primary demographic) to code but also displays a proximity-based friend-finding function.
- HP’s Fortify report has once again hit 100% penetration success, this time on smartwatches, finding flaws in all ten of the devices it tested.
Connected Cars
- Bosch and TomTom have expanded their existing mapping partnership to develop high definition road maps for autonomous cars, with added localization and planning layers for the self-driving vehicles to use to aid navigation.
- Honda’s 2016 Accord will run both Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay.
- AT&T added around a million connected car subscriptions in the past quarter.
- Intel and Blackberry’s QNX are collaborating to develop ADAS systems.
- Chrysler has recalled 1.4m vehicles following last week’s news about its rather hackable cars, and could be hit with a $105m fine following the latest in a string of recalls.
Security
- A pair of computer security researchers attacked a Jeep Cherokee via its Uconnect system, and were able to control the AC, radio, and windscreen washer fluid jets while the car was driving – before finally cutting the transmission and bringing the car to a halt on the highway. The hackers were also able to cut the brakes at low speed, and control the steering while the car was in reverse – as well as track location via GPS. A fairly terrifying worst-case scenario, that sends CAN messages remotely sent by a cellular connection.
- Tripwire examined smart home hubs sold on Amazon and found that the Vera, Wink and SmartThings hubs had zero-day errors that could give attackers the ability to change settings, access the local network, or hijack it to use in a botnet.
- The FIDO Alliance’s work with the Bluetooth SIG continues, as the pair try to implement a Bluetooth Smart key as an alternative to the physical USB dongle that is defined in the current FIDO approach.
Smart Cities
- Visionect has supplied Sydney, Australia, with an e-ink digital signage platform for dynamically updating parking signs. The wireless connections allow the council to remotely adjust the restrictions notifications, and are solar-powered.
Smart Grid
- GE says it wants to be a sizeable player in the energy storage systems market. After scaling back the factory that builds its new Durathon batteries, GE will hope to find a market for the grid-level storage arrays – although many utilities remain skeptical of the cost benefits.
Forecasts and Blue Sky Thinking
- Greentech Media looks at how utilities will deal with the BYOD nature of the smart home in their emerging smart grid deployments.
- Bosch discusses an IoT system for triggering alarms and guided evacuation routes for use in a fire.
And last but not least
- Information is Beautiful has a nice primer for the IoT, which is great for introducing people to the IoT and the numbers associated with it.
- io has supplied a Dutch visitors farm, connecting alpacas using its Bluetooth beacons – AppPacas – to provide guests with more information about the animals they are interacting with.