Paul Wallbank – Brilliant Communications

Tag: iot

  • Beacons and the hype cycle

    Beacons and the hype cycle

    Are beacon technologies being overhyped? Some industry experts believe they are in the retail sector.

    This week’s Netsuite Suiteworld conference had a heavy focus on the retail industry and one of the points being strongly made is that beacon technologies are a long way from prime time in the sector.

    A reason for this is the current clunkiness of beacon driven apps points out Miya Knights, Senior Research Analyst of IDC Retail Insights, “customers have to go through the rigmarole of downloading apps, accepting permissions and so on. It’s too hard.”

    One of the answers to this could be in creating compelling reasons to install the app, at the eBay Innovation Showcase last year the company showed off some of the potential with how a connected sports stadium could make ticketing easier while improving access to food and drink concessions.

    However for many stores Knights’ point is going to remain a problem as creating a value proposition that encourages time and attention poor customers to enable apps will be difficult.

    On the other hand, it may well be that beacon technologies are currently better suited in being used for the business operations in roles such as stock control and point of sale systems.

    For the beacons themselves it’s likely we’re seeing the hype cycle in action with the technology grinding its way to The Peak of Inflated expectations.

    Should it be the case that beacons could be about to become unfashionable, then we’ll start to see the technology find its industrial role.

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  • Microsoft builds its future

    Microsoft builds its future

    A billion devices running Windows 10 was the promise made by Microsoft at the company’s Build Conference in San Francisco yesterday.

    The ambition is based upon delivering the system on devices ranging from desktop computers down to the embedded systems on Internet of Things devices.

     

    As part of the drive to get onto the IoT, Microsoft also announced Windows 10 initiatives for the makers’ community with various programs for Arduino, Raspberry Pi and Intel’s Minnowboard.

    At the same time the company announced how some software will soon be able to run on iPhones and Android devices with an extended Software Developers Kit.

    While this makes Windows more attractive for developers who no longer have to develop different versions for the Microsoft product, it’s also an admission the company’s phone strategy has failed.

    For Microsoft yesterday’s Build Conference was the opportunity for the company to show their vision of the market’s future that involves computers, mobile devices, the cloud and the Internet of Things.

    Whether Microsoft is part of that future is the main concern of CEO Satya Nadella.

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  • Hacking medical devices

    Hacking medical devices

    Security experts have hacked a teleoperated surgical robot Security experts hack medical robot.

    In a recently published paper, a group of academics showed how they had been able to change the instruction sequences, override commands or even take full control of the Raven II medical robot.

    That such a lack of security isn’t in the least bit surprising is a sad commentary on the world of connected devices and the Internet of Things.

    At the root of this problem is the software running this equipment has security added, at best, as an afterthought given the designers work from the assumption operators are in the room with the equipment,

    If we’re going to connect these devices to the public internet then security has to be built into them from the beginning.

    Whether we’re discussing remote medical equipment, driverless cars or the smart home, hardening and securing IoT devices is going to be of today’s industrial challenges.

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  • Dashing to the shops with the internet of things

    Dashing to the shops with the internet of things

    Amazon this week showed off their Dash Button, a device that lets brands set up a one press ordering system for customers.

    The idea is that a brand, say a laundry detergent, gives out buttons that when pressed will automatically deliver washing powder or whatever product is preprogrammed into the device.

    While its safe to say Amazon’s Dash button is a gimmick, it’s not hard to see washing machines, coffee makers or industrial equipment that comes preprogrammed to automatically order supplies when it detects reserves are running low.

    So the Dash Button could be showing us how the Internet of Things will help us shop with smart devices automatically organising deliveries for us.

    On it’s own the Amazon Dash Button won’t be changing the way we shop but the future of retail is going to be very different as the IoT rolls out.

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  • How Google could be about to disrupt the telco industry

    How Google could be about to disrupt the telco industry

    Google are in talks with Hutchison Whampoa for the Hong Kong based conglomerate to provide global roaming for Google’s proposed mobile phone network reports the London Telegraph.

    Hutchison, who recently agreed to buy UK operator O2 for £10.2 billion from Spain’s Telefonica, are one of the quiet global telecommunications players with services in East Asia, Europe and Australia. An international roaming agreement with Hutchison would give Google a substantial global headstart.

    While the mobile phone angle is the obvious service for a global cellular network, another attraction for both Google and Hutchison is the Internet of Things. Being able to offer a worldwide machine to machine (M2M) data service fits very well into Google’s aspirations with products like Nest.

    For the mobile phone operators, the prospect of Google entering their market can’t be comforting with the search engine giant having three times the stock market capitalisation of the world’s biggest telco, China Mobile.

    It may well be however communications companies have little choice as the software companies start to take the telcos’ profits just as they have done with many other industries.

    Should the story be true about Hutchison and Google being in talks it will probably be the start of a massive shift in the global communications industry and one that will see many national champions threatened.

    Google’s global network ambitions could change the future of the Internet of Things industry.

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