In History and Direction of Wearables Part 1, we looked at the Consumer Electronics Association’s numbers for wearables, from 2014 through the end of 2015. CEA’s Director of Business Intelligence Jack Cutts released his forecast figures for the wearables category, specifically in terms of fitness trackers, smartwatches and smart eyewear. In Part 2 of our report, we look at CEA’s projected numbers regarding wearables from 2016 through 2018 and beyond. “This time next year will be the beginning of the wearables mania,” said Cutts. Continue reading CEA Exec on the History and Direction of Wearables (Part 2)

In a speech at CES earlier this week, Edith Ramirez, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission addressed her concerns about the current state of privacy regulations related to companies that rely on the collection of consumer data. Ramirez urges tech companies to spend more time developing security measures to ensure consumer data remains protected from potential hackers. Ramirez also advises companies to take careful precautions now and be more transparent about their use of data. Continue reading FTC Chairwoman Concerned About Data Security and Privacy

A group of movers and shakers in the MEMS/sensors industry gathered during a day-long conference at the 2015 CES in Las Vegas yesterday to discuss how their technologies need to evolve in order to enable a smart Internet of Things. Panelists addressed the need for improved sensing technologies, smaller form factors and better integration. Companies represented during the early afternoon session included SunEdison Semiconductor, IBM, Evernote, ARM and virtual reality startup Virtuix. Continue reading Tech Session: Developing MEMS and Sensors for a Smart IoT

Developers of health and fitness wearables — currently the industry’s biggest segment — are challenged with providing accurate and reliable biometric information. If the consumer cannot be convinced that calories burned, steps taken, and blood pressure numbers do not reflect reality, then health and fitness wearables will never gain the traction they need to become mass market. Enter Valencell, a core technology provider for biometric information to silicon providers and OEMs. Continue reading Sensors/MEMS Session: Biometric Information for Wearables

The Internet of Things will comprise 200 billion devices by 2020, according to Steve Holmes of Intel’s New Devices Group. He spoke about “Challenging Developers to Make It Wearable” during a day-long Sensors and MEMS Technology Conference at this week’s CES in Las Vegas. “I want to talk to you about why I think people are under-estimating the impact of wearables, what Intel is doing and to share some of the things we’ve learned about bringing products to market,” he said. Continue reading CES Session: Challenging Developers to Make It Wearable

Wearables are powered by MEMS (Microelectrical Mechanical Systems) and sensors, and the MEMS Industry Group (MIG) is focused on addressing the issues that will help catapult wearables and the Internet of Things to become more powerful market segments. The wearable sensor market is expected to expand seven-fold in five years, to be valued at more than $450M in 2018. At CES, MIG Executive Director Karen Lightman introduced a day-long conference devoted to MEMS and sensors. Continue reading MEMS and Sensors Power Wearables, the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is just a pipedream if the network to connect devices and people cannot handle the traffic. 5G is the fifth generation mobile network that aims to enable the IoT, and at the 2015 CES executives from Cisco, Ericsson and Samsung discussed how the network will be created. Dramatic increases in global mobile traffic are widely anticipated, with an estimated 50 billion connected devices in play by 2020. Cisco predicts an 11-fold increase in global mobile data traffic between 2013 and 2018. Continue reading The Internet of Things: 5G Mobile to Enable Connected Devices

The 2015 International CES promises to mark a significant turning point in the Internet of Things (IoT) — fully acknowledging that we know little about the final form that the concept will eventually take. However slowly the variety of sensors become tied to the things around us (and on ourselves), IoT will provide endless opportunities for both dead ends and the realization of promises that will most assuredly surprise us. Expect this conversation to be a major theme in Las Vegas next month. Continue reading CES: How Will the ‘Internet of Things’ Fit into Everyday Life?

As social media has become a ubiquitous medium for interacting with our closest confidants and broader audiences, we have become accustomed to digitizing all sorts of personal info, from contact lists to our current mood. The 2015 CES looks poised to showcase the evolution of this digitization process, with eyes firmly fixed on our personal surroundings. In addition to the cultural effects of the anticipated “sensorization” revolution, other tech is striving to make it a reality at home, on the road and everywhere in between. Continue reading CES: Digitizing Your Environment via the ‘Internet of Things’

As the Internet of Things grows, the creators of OpenSensors.io believe that the public could benefit from sharing data from the many sensors that collect information around the world. OpenSensors is like a social network, where people can publish their data and subscribe to other people’s data. The software brings all of the info together, making it easier to route it to the appropriate locations. The open source nature of the data means anyone could use it for their own research or app. Continue reading OpenSensors.io Lets Anyone Share Data from Smart Devices

Google’s cloud computing customers just got faster connectivity options and tools to share data between devices in real time. The tech giant announced its new Google Cloud Interconnect, a new service that gives developers three options for fast connectivity to Google’s servers. Google also started integrating technology from its latest acquisition of Firebase, a startup that specializes in real-time backend service, and has developed a “Triggers” tool for Google cloud computing. Continue reading Google Bolsters its Cloud Computing Services with New Tools

ETCentric community member Lee Lanselle forwarded us news that Samsung has acquired SmartThings, maker of smart-home controllers, for around $200 million. While SmartThings will continue to operate independently under CEO Alex Hawkinson, its three facilities are expected to move to Palo Alto to become part of Samsung’s Open Innovation Center (run by former Google and AOL exec David Eun). SmartThings, which is owned by Physical Graph Corp., began in 2012 as a Kickstarter project. Continue reading Internet of Things: Samsung Purchases Startup SmartThings

RadioShack plans to stock DIY kits in its retail locations that provide consumers with the ability to create an array of connected devices. New York startup LittleBits has been selling sets that allow users to connect, for example, a sound detector to a LED light, for illuminating a small space every time a radio is turned on. LittleBits now offers its $99 Cloud Starter Bundle that connects gadgets to the Internet, while companies such as Bug Labs and Electric Imp are also offering ways to create connected devices. Continue reading Kits for Internet-Connected Devices to Hit RadioShack Shelves

Last week, we reported that Microsoft was joining Qualcomm and 50 other members of the AllSeen Alliance, in an effort to develop open source standards for the Internet of Things. Yesterday, a group of tech companies led by Intel announced the formation of a competing organization. The Open Interconnect Consortium — which also includes Atmel, Broadcom, Dell and Samsung — similarly plans to develop standards for wirelessly connecting devices to each other and the Internet. Continue reading Open Interconnect Consortium Plans to Develop IoT Standards

Evernote CEO Phil Libin believes that as wearable electronics supplant smartphones, apps and ads will increasingly feel out of place. Speaking at the MIT Technology Review Digital Summit, Libin noted that the convenience of wearables such as Google Glass or a smartwatch will rely on the instant delivery of information. Firing up an app or waiting on an ad would likely alienate users. Libin predicts that users will prefer ambient services that run in the background and move forward as needed. Continue reading Evernote CEO Says No Future for Apps and Ads with Wearables