internet of things

Episode 25: Le Web and the iPad Mini tortured in Paris

At the Le Web conference in Paris in December, the theme was a phrase I wish I'd thought of: the Internet of Things. The show was all about our connected present and future, a world in which all our devices are connected to each other, to us, and to the great Data Cloud in the sky. I interviewed entrepreneurs, futurists, designers, and big company names about what that future will hold and when it might come about for a special Future Tech package in this episode.

The most interesting thing to come out of those interviews, to me, was … Read more

For the Internet of things, a cheap but slow network

PARIS -- Wi-Fi's range is too short, 3G and 4G are too expensive, and both use too much power. A French start-up called Sigfox, says it's licked these network problems -- at least for the idea called the Internet of things.

The Internet of things involves networking countless devices such as cars, toys, heart rate monitors, and traffic lights. These devices may not necessarily need the network capacity of a smartphone used to watch videos, but they need to connect from all over and they need to run on a small battery.

Sigfox's network, using a technology … Read more

The 'Internet of Things' gets new digs

The "Internet of Things" has a new and improved switchboard.

Pachube -- basically an API to connect and collect data from all kinds of devices, sensors, and environments worldwide -- yesterday rebranded and relaunched itself as Cosm, with a new focus on collaboration and social elements.

Pachube's founders first envisioned it as a "patch bay" to connect the Internet of Things, but say they've since expanded the vision to be less about "behind-the-scenes infrastructure."

"The idea of the Internet of Things needing a piece of equipment has become less useful than the concept of it involving shared 'workspaces' and 'environments' ('microcosms' and 'macrocosms')," write's Cosm's Usman Haque in a blog post announcing the changes.

Aside from the name change, which Haque repeatedly touts as much easier to pronounce than Pachube, Cosm's improvements include a new user console to monitor data feeds, more real-time data, commenting, and a more sophisticated system to manage into the thousands of devices.… Read more

Ninja Blocks add spy power to everyday stuff

If your world isn't already complex enough, or if you're just a control freak, it's time to add some ninja to your life.

Sensor-equipped platforms called Ninja Blocks are designed to bring the Internet of things to a ubiquitous, open-source reality.

The result of a recent successful Kickstarter project that raised more than $100,000, Ninja Blocks obey simple "if this, then that" commands to add functionality to your environment through the Web.

For instance, when your friends are playing on Xbox Live a Ninja Block could trigger an action in your living room, like turning on a lamp. Or a Ninja Block could text your phone when a package is delivered to your door. You could also activate household lights or electronics via your Ninja by talking to Siri. … Read more

Nest's smart thermostat chills out with new A/C feature

The gadgets in your smart home now come with software updates.

Nest Labs today released the equivalent of version 2.0 software for its smart thermostat on the Web, iOS or Android. The software tweaks for the $249 Learning Thermostat are designed to help people better understand how thermostat changes affect energy usage.

The update presents energy history data over 10 days, a longer period than before and indicates when heating and cooling systems turned on. It can also show what caused setting changes -- the weather, a manual adjustment, or an auto-away setting.

A new air conditioning feature, called … Read more

Google X Labs: First Project Glass, next space elevators?

I will be probably the last person to use augmented reality specs from Google's Project Glass. But I have to applaud the company for taking on far-out concepts at Google X Labs.

Google today for the first time acknowledged Project Glass, in which an eyeglass-like frame essentially brings the Internet to a small screen above the right eye. The demonstration video shows, from the perspective of someone wearing the glasses, a person communicating with friends and looking up information just as he might use a smartphone.

Personally, I don't need any more distractions as I move through my … Read more

'Smart cows' can text owners when mooood strikes

You may have heard of the Internet of things. Now researchers in the U.K. are trying to build the Internet of animals.

The University of Strathclyde has begun a $2.2 million project to equip cows with a "smart collar" that will allow their owners to keep tabs on them via cell phone.

The collar uses the same 3D sensor found in Wii video game controllers to detect shifts in the cow's head position. The data is then sent wirelessly over the cell phone network or a local network.

When a cow lowers its head, it'… Read more

Smart tag lets you print electronics on plastic

Advances in printed electronics could rapidly redefine what a "computer" is.

Oslo, Norway-based ThinFilm Electronics announced plans to create an electronics device with basic computing components printed on a strip of plastic. The "smart tag" features ThinFilm's memory with printable transistors from research company PARC, a battery, and display.

It appears that the first use of the very simple computing device will be to monitor temperature on perishable goods. South African company PST Sensors and ThinFilm plan to make a prototype of a disposable temperature sensor to monitor foods or medicine, such as vaccines.

When … Read more

A smart power outlet goes industrial

The average consumer isn't likely to spend much effort managing home energy. Big power users in businesses, on the other hand, will go out of their way cut down on waste.

Start-up company Tenrehte, based near Rochester, New York, launched its PicoWatt smart outlet at CES two years ago, aiming to appeal to green-minded consumers. The idea is that a sub-$100 Wi-Fi-enabled smart outlet would transmit energy data to an online app which would let consumers save money by scheduling things to run at off-peak times.

Now two years later, Tenrehte has changed its focus to industrial and … Read more