Connected appliances take 5.4M steps forward
Where there is a need, sooner or later the gap will be filled. In this case, the gap is Internet-connected devices and the filling is $5.4 million.
In addition to raising $5.4 million in Series A financing led by investors Voyager Capital and Crosslink Capital, Ayla Networks announced collaboration with the Chinese online media company, Sina, in creating the Wi-Fi Weather Station. The device is designed to deliver targeted weather information for wherever one of the devices is located. Sina customers will be able to access these personal weather reports through their smartphone or other device.
It's another step forward in the "Internet of Things."
Buzzwords aside, this is a real thing.
It doesn't matter what you call it, it is happening. Devices are going to talk to the cloud, each other and you. Ayla Networks is looking to streamline the transition by providing manufactures with the means to make their products Wi-Fi-enabled easily while being cost effective. Offering a complete end-to-end solution, the young company (founded in 2010) provides the hardware, software and cloud support services. And a $399 Ayla Design Kit for the makers out there.
Purchasers of the Ayla Design Kit get access to microcontroller driver source (typically 5-20KB), demo applications and Ayla Application Libraries, which enable you to create great apps that securely control your Ayla-enabled devices with a smartphone or tablet. Supporting Android, iOS and web interfaces, you can focus on your UI and leave the networking, security and authentication to us.
This isn't just a game for the major appliance manufacturers anymore.
Consider the challenges ahead: cost reduction, ease of use, and time to market. Earlier this year, I wrote about smart appliances finally becoming a reality. Now, competition is increased and production is streamlined. The on-ramp is wide open. Just as the onetime buzzword "information superhighway" fell by the wayside, so too will the term "Internet of Things" disappear as it grows to be assumed as a given. With the challenges being met head-on through products and services such as Ayla's, it would seem that this future nears closer every day -- certainly at least two venture capitalist groups can think of 5.4 million reasons that it would be so.