For the last four months, we have been recording TMiT on YouTube. The goal is to provide a quick-and-dirty overview of the most interesting things that happened over the last month in the world of IoT and connected devices. With feedback from our viewers, we decided to provide that information in a blog post. So, keep the feedback coming. Enjoy!
Intel Unveils Compute Card, a Credit Card-Sized Compute Platform
Intel has released another piece of hardware that's a perfect fit for IoT devices. It’s called the Compute Card. It it a credit-card-sized, full-fledged computer. The Compute Card's goal is to be used in larger devices like refrigerators and kiosks. You should see this hardware become available sometime mid-2017.
B2B IoT Bttn Shrinks in Price for US Market Push
The Button Corp. makes smart buttons. They are very similar to the Amazon Dash buttons. Button has recently decreased the price of one of their buttons called bttn; the goal is to tap into the US market. With bttn, businesses can offer their customers a branded button that serves as a quick way to interact with their business. So, it can do things like place an order, or make a support request at the touch of a button. In the end, to Button's customers, it’s all about improving their customer experience. The bttn costs about $2/month and now runs on Sigfox’s network.
A Shocking Wearable: Pavlock
Pavlok has created an impressive wearable to keep up with New Year's resolutions. It’s a device that sits on your wrist, tracks habits you set, and shocks you if you break the habit. Yes, it will shock you. It's a shock collar for humans. To track the habits, it just has a ton of integrations into services like IFTTT and other APIs. People have used this device to wake up earlier or even quit smoking.
How This Adorable Robot Won CES 2017
Kuri is a cute, little robot for your home. It was meant to mimic famous robots like R2D2 or Wall-E. It functions like a smart home hub, similar to Alexa or Google home, but it will walk around and have lifelike conversations with you. The main purpose of this robot is meant to get the average person used to having a robot in the home.
Willow’s Wireless Pump May Be a New Mom’s Breast Friend
As time goes on, we will see IoT solve more specific problems. At CES, a new type of of breast pump was released called the Willow breast pump. This new pump really touches on the problems with all existing breast pumps. For example, instead of being loud and obvious, it’s discreet and hands-free, making it a great experience for women.
Alexa, Alexa Everywhere
Also at CES, their were Alexa devices everywhere. Alexa was a big trend this year, which I’m sure was Amazon’s goal. We even saw a new Amazon Echo computer that uses Alexa. But, this new device is created by Lenovo. So, Alexa devices are now competing with Alexa devices.
Can Alexa Help Solve a Murder?
Speaking of Alexa, the device was involved in a murder investigation. Unfortunately, a smart home enthusiast was found dead in his apartment, but he had an Amazon Alexa. Amazon saves the last sixty seconds of audio before the Alexa command was spoken. The police are hoping that this last sixty seconds seconds would include something valuable for their case. But, Amazon said no, they can’t have access to the data. This is a story to keep up with because it has the same path and implications of the iPhone case last year.
That’s All for This Month
Did I miss anything? As always, your feedback is important.
Until next time, Stay Connected!