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Category: IoTUpdate

IoTUpdate

  • Lawmakers May Block FCC’s Ligado 5G Decision

    Lawmakers May Block FCC’s Ligado 5G Decision

    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently voted unanimously to allow Ligado to deploy a low-power 5G network, and lawmakers are not happy.

    In its initial ruling, the FCC authorized “Ligado to deploy a low-power terrestrial nationwide network in the 1526-1536 MHz, 1627.5- 1637.5 MHz, and 1646.5-1656.5 MHz bands that will primarily support Internet of Things (IoT) services.”

    There was only one problem with the FCC’s decision: It was opposed by numerous organizations and agencies, including major airlines, the Departments of Commerce, Defense and Justice. The reason for the objection is the potential for Ligado’s network to interfere with commercial and military GPS equipment.

    In an op-ed published in C4ISRNET, Sen. Jim Inhofe, Sen. Jack Reed, Rep. Adam Smith and Rep. Mac Thornberry lay out the case for why they believe the FCC made a mistake:

    “The problem here is that Ligado’s planned usage is not in the prime mid-band spectrum being considered for 5G — and it will have a significant risk of interference with GPS reception, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA),” the lawmakers write. “The signals interference Ligado’s plan would create could cost taxpayers and consumers billions of dollars and require the replacement of current GPS equipment just as we are trying to get our economy back on its feet quickly — and the FCC has just allowed this to happen.”

    The lawmakers go on to highlight that no fewer than nine federal agencies and departments did extensive testing and came to the conclusion that Ligado’s network would interfere with existing GPS equipment.

    “Considering the risks, it’s clear the FCC commissioners made the wrong decision regarding Ligado’s plan, which will set a disastrous precedent while impeding ongoing work on spectrum sharing,” the lawmakers continue. “The vulnerabilities to our national and economic security are not worth the risk, particularly for a band of spectrum that isn’t necessary to secure a robust 5G network.

    “We encourage the FCC to withdraw its approval of Ligado’s application and take this opportunity to work with the NTIA and other federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Transportation, to find a solution that will both support commercial broadband expansion and protect national security assets. Moreover, we expect the FCC to resolve Department of Defense concerns before moving forward, as required by law.

    “If they do not, and unless President Trump intervenes to stop this from moving forward, it will be up to Congress to clean up this mess.”

    We will continue to monitor the story for the FCC’s response and whatever action is taken by either side.

  • Preparing For The Reindustrialization Of America

    Preparing For The Reindustrialization Of America

    “If this truly is the Fourth Industrial Revolution it’ll be of the scale of the past three,” says legendary venture capitalist Duncan Davidson. “If we’re going to do this reindustrialization of America and prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it’s going to be more AI, more robotics, taking a lot of things like 3D printing, additive manufacturing it’s sometimes called, and putting it in scale operation in this country. Tech has a real part to play in that but this will pervade the whole country.”

    Duncan Davidson, General Partner at Bullpen Capital, says that the reindustrialization of America will be powered by tech but pervade the whole country in an interview on CNBC:

    Preparing For The Reindustrialization Of America

    Amazon might become a $2 trillion company. Digital ads, I think old media is really going to be in trouble here, Retail — if people can get by without the ads in the local newspaper and have the same sales why do they keep advertising? Remote collaboration — that’s an obvious category (to invest in). I think the two that are less obvious are first the gig economy, its thriving, people thought it was on its back legs. The final one is reindustrialization, what some people call the fourth Industrial Revolution, which is the next big thing coming out of this.

    I think Marc Andreessen’s piece was terrific. You think about the tech sector, it’s probably more important now to the economy than the auto sector, which has been driving this place for 100 years. We don’t have a really strong voice at the table here. He’s exactly right. We shouldn’t just repair roads and fix bridges, we have to build the future. I think what he’s getting at fundamentally is if we’re going to do this reindustrialization of America and prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it’s going to be more AI, more robotics, taking a lot of things like 3D printing, additive manufacturing it’s sometimes called, and putting it in scale operation in this country. Tech has a real part to play in that but this will pervade the whole country.

    The VC Model Is The Core Driver Of Growth In This Economy

    The VC model is the core driver of growth in this economy. If you go back and look at the stats it’s overwhelming. If you think about what we did in VC in the 80s it was PCs, it was hardware, it was disc drives. In the 90s it was software and the internet. More recently, it’s all kinds of things that is spread very broadly across the economy but basically is software-driven, There’s no problem with the VC industry rotating itself back toward industrial things and toward real things and away from software. In fact, it’s exactly the right industry to be agile and move very quickly to finance this next wave of innovation. 

    It’s just not here yet. But if this truly is the Fourth Industrial Revolution it’ll be of the scale of the past three. I think the boom in the venture world, let’s say from 2024 to 2032 or some time frame like that, will be bigger than we’ve seen in the last decade and probably rival what we saw in the 90s. What we see is an acceleration of current trends. So Zoom may be overvalued but the direction of remote collaboration tools, no question. Remote learning — universities may have a total change into more teaching online versus people going to the universities themselves. I can go down through the whole list. Look at what’s really surging and think of that as an acceleration that will continue.

    Preparing For The Reindustrialization Of America
  • 5G Shows Its Importance To Nation During Pandemic: GA. City Manager

    5G Shows Its Importance To Nation During Pandemic: GA. City Manager

    “We’ve had 5G here for over a year and not only has it not unveiled anything that caused us concern but as this pandemic has happened it’s actually shown its importance to the nation even more so than before,” says Peachtree Corners, GA. City Manager Brian Johnson. “The need for greater speed, lower latency, and greater capacity or bandwidth has (been apparent) as we’ve been forced to distance ourselves from each other and needed to communicate.”

    Brian Johnson, City Manager of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, says that the coronavirus pandemic illustrates the importance of 5G to the United States in an interview on OAN:

    No Indication of Any 5G Health Risk

    We are a metro Atlanta municipality and we were one of the first cities in the country to have 5G unveiled here. We launched 5G as part of not just a network for our citizens to use but our city has opened itself up to be a smart city living laboratory for technology in general. As part of the unveiling of our laboratory was the 5G rollout which we’ve had for a little over a year. 

    When it comes to any indication of there being any negative effects of 5G, as city manager of this municipality, there’s nothing more important to me than the health and welfare of the city’s residents. My staff, the mayor, and the city council are always reading and monitoring the agencies out there in the world whose job it is to study this kind of stuff. Whether it’s the World Health Organization or US Department of Health none of them have indicated that there’s any health risk. 

    5G Shows Importance To Nation During Pandemic

    We’ve had 5G here for over a year and not only has it not unveiled anything that caused us concern but as this pandemic has happened it’s actually shown its importance to the nation even more so than before. The need for greater speed, lower latency, and greater capacity or bandwidth has (been apparent) as we’ve been forced to distance ourselves from each other and needed to communicate. 

    This is especially true within the healthcare community with 5G where we’re seeing companies continuing to test their cutting-edge technology here in our city. We’re seeing a greater need for 5G as we move forward into this new normal than before.

    5G Shows Its Importance To Nation During Pandemic: GA. City Manager
  • FCC Prepares to Open 6 GHz Spectrum

    FCC Prepares to Open 6 GHz Spectrum

    The FCC is preparing to vote on making 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use in the 6GHz band.

    In a blog post on the FCC’s site, Chairman Ajit Pai laid out his plan:

    “Specifically, I have proposed a set of rules to make 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use in four segments of the 6 GHz band (5.925–7.125 GHz). This band is currently populated by, among others, microwave services that are used to support utilities, public safety, and wireless backhaul. So unlicensed devices will share this spectrum with incumbent licensed services under rules that are carefully crafted to protect those licensed services and to enable both unlicensed and licensed operations to thrive throughout the band. Ultimately, I expect that 6 GHz unlicensed devices will become a part of consumers’ everyday lives. For the rules we will vote on would play a major role in the growth of the Internet of Things, connecting appliances, machines, meters, wearables, and other consumer electronics, as well as industrial sensors for manufacturing.”

    The newly available spectrum will be a boon for numerous industries, not the least of which is 5G. With the FCC voting in April, it shouldn’t be long before devices using the 6 GHz band start showing up.

  • 5G is Delayed, But a Whole New World is Coming

    5G is Delayed, But a Whole New World is Coming

    “The fact is as much as 5G is going to be tremendous, and it’s going to bring an amazing architectural shift to our economy and to our markets and economy, it’s still not here,” says Skyworks Solutions CEO Liam Griffin. “It is here in certain areas but the rollout has been somewhat delayed due to the pandemic.”

    Liam Griffin, CEO of Skyworks Solutions, discusses on CNBC how the pandemic has temporarily delayed 5G but ultimately it will be a big part of a whole new world.

    It’s a Stay At Home World Right Now

    It’s a stay at home world right now (due to the pandemic). I talked about the digital traffic jam three or four years ago. At that time we talked about the networks being compressed and taxed and digitally clogged and we’re seeing this today. I mean it’s great that we’re seeing the network interfaces and the data traffic and the ability to do what we’re doing but we’re nowhere near where we’re headed. 

    We’ve got a long way to go in 5G. We’ve also got incredible Wi-Fi technologies coming. I think this pandemic situation is very difficult. It is a challenge and a big deal. But I think the technologies that we’re working on in our ecosystem with partners like Verizon and infrastructure players and even the Chinese⎯we’re all coming together to make this work. It’s a real indication of how necessary these applications are to the economy.

    5G Delayed Due To The Pandemic

    The fact is as much as 5G is going to be tremendous, and it’s going to bring an amazing architectural shift to our economy and to our markets and economy, it’s still not here. It is here in certain areas but the rollout has been somewhat delayed due to the pandemic. However, we’re going to see a bigger uptick in the second half. 

    We’re working with the marquee companies largely in the US, China, and Europe and we’re seeing some great technologies. They’re going to launch, it’s just delayed right now. That’s where we’re going to see the quality, the experience, the bandwidth upside that we’ve been talking about. That will happen.

    5G Is a Multi-Year Thematic Move

    5G is a multi-year thematic move. The interesting thing is that people today are clamoring to get the technology. The issue that we have and in what manifests in the demand weakness has really come about by a supply shock. It’s the supply chain in Asia and other parts of the world where folks couldn’t go to their factories and work. It creates a delay but we don’t think it’s perishable. 

    We think this 5G technology is absolutely going to launch. Some of that demand that did not get executed in our Q1 or Q2 will move forward into the back half of 2020 and certainly into 2021. We see this as a pause more than a complete deep dive. 

    Interesting Applications Are Really Emerging Through 5G

    I saw the Verizon CEO talking about a 20 percent upside in data traffic and Vodafone also just announced a 50 percent increase in data traffic. So if you look at how this works, the smartphone⎯that’s your quarterback. They’re doing a lot of the work. But think about the IOT space, machine to machine, autonomous driving, and security. All of these interesting applications are really emerging through 4G, 5G and higher speed Wi-Fi. It’s creating a new experience. 

    If we look at what we’re doing with the young people today, the Millennials, I got three kids, they’re all face-timing. It’s just a whole new world. In a way, I think there are some real positive thematic changes that we can capitalize on once we get through this challenge with the pandemic.

    5G is Delayed, But a Whole New World is Coming, Says Skyworks Solutions CEO Liam Griffin
  • China Relying on Robots to Help Fight Coronavirus

    China Relying on Robots to Help Fight Coronavirus

    China may have finally turned a corner in its fight against the coronavirus, and it has robots to thank for helping it do so.

    Throughout the coronavirus pandemic China has issued cutting edge technology in an effort to combat the virus. Early on Chinese authorities used AI-driven robots to scold people for being in public without wearing masks, while companies worked on using drones to deliver medicine and supplies to patients without endangering healthy people.

    As China has continued to fight the pandemic, robots continue to play a significant role in the ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the virus. According to All About Circuits, in addition to the robots scolding people for not wearing masks, authorities are also relying on robots that scan crowds for raised temperatures, one of the earliest symptoms of infection. The robots “include high-resolution cameras and infrared thermometers that are capable of scanning the temperatures of up to 10 people at once who are in a radius of 5 meters. If one of these robots discovers somebody who is not wearing a mask or who has a high temperature, an alert is sent to the authorities.”

    China’s success with robots is only possible due to a combination of 5G, AI, edge computing, cloud computing and IoT. The end result are robots capable of interacting with people in a way never before seen. As All About Circuits highlights, that interaction can be eerily lifelike:

    “You there! The gentleman wearing a red coat holding an umbrella in your left hand—yes, you. You are not wearing a face mask, please put one on immediately. If you do not have one, come to the police car and we will provide you with one.”

    With robots finally beginning to deliver on the promise proponents have long held out, it’s little wonder Microsoft, AT&T, Google Cloud and Verizon are all working hard to capitalize on the emerging technologies.

  • The Future Of Schools With Tech

    The Future Of Schools With Tech

    With today’s constantly growing tech advances, there are a plethora of amazing applications across many different forums and disciplines. Amid socially connecting people across the globe and lucrative business innovations, it comes as no surprise that there are some new and exciting advances available in the classroom. Educators are looking ahead far into the future to greatly enhance the learning experience of their students. 

    More than 9 out of 10 educators are interested in, and/or anticipate using technology in their classroom. More specifically, they are using interactive videos, and self-paced curriculum aided by artificial intelligence. Many see these new applications as a way to not only reach more students but as essential to their future success. Increased use of video as a medium is believed by most educational institutions to foster collaboration amongst educators, promote professional development, and most importantly increase student achievement and satisfaction. The most prevalent uses of video focus on enhancing the learning experience for students and freeing more time for teachers to allocate towards other important tasks. 

    One such enhancement is a new approach to education in the classroom, or more aptly put, outside of the classroom. Flipped instruction is exactly what it sounds like, things traditionally done within and without the classroom are opposite. Historically the teacher reviews homework and then presents new content, which the student then practices at home. In a flipped instruction model, students learn new material before coming into the classroom via video and other technology to teach the teacher, and then in-class time is utilized for the exploration of applications. 

    This is markedly more student-oriented in comparison to traditional education, which increases student engagement. Another benefit is that students can work more collaboratively, increasing essential soft skills that enable students to effectively interact with the members of their community, future place of employment, and the world at large. One of the potential drawbacks is that in congruence with a collaborative classroom is the potential for a busier and noisier workspace. This makes concentration for some students difficult, let alone acclimating to the entirely foreign learning experience. In addition, flipped instruction must be executed well in order to capitalize on any of the potential benefits. The fact that 18% of school-age children in the U.S. do not have access to the internet at home poses another potential barrier that while glaring, has more remedies than one might think.

    Chatbots are an additional advancement in the arsenal of technologically minded educators. Their value as a resource to students and teachers alike has become evident. Chatbots can help with the repeated review, regularly reminding students of previously learned content before they forget using algorithms to predict the point deterioration of short-term memory. They can give students immediate feedback, which helps students greatly improve compared to those who have a delay in feedback. Chatbots can adjust the curriculum to the student’s pace, and even grade papers with a 92% accuracy, removing a huge burden off the educator’s load of work. 

    There are three notable applications of chatbots that should be brought to your attention. Snatchbot is a chatbot that is free to be embedded into pre-existing platforms such as Blackboard to answer FACs, help with online course navigation, and give immediate answers. The second is the Summit Learning Project, which has developed chatbots that can adapt learning to each student, finding students’ trouble spots and adjusting accordingly, allowing teachers to focus on lesson planning. Finally, Jill Watson is a chatbot built on IBM’s Watson which uses data from the course’s forum to answer students’ technical questions about the learning platform. With the help of these and more tech in the classroom, students and educators have a bright future in an ever-advancing world.

    Learn more about reimagining schools with technology here!

    This post originally appeared on Kivo Daily

  • Sparrho CEO: Using Augmented Intelligence to Build Trust in Brands

    Sparrho CEO: Using Augmented Intelligence to Build Trust in Brands

    Many companies are working to build authentic and trusted brands with consumers. This is especially true with pharmaceuticals, biotech, and med-tech companies. The CEO of Sparrho, Dr. Vivian Chan, says that their approach combines artificial intelligence and 400,000 Ph.D.’s to deliver scientific data to companies. This data helps companies back up their marketing messages which enables them to more effectively build that vital trust with their customers.

    Dr. Vivian Chan, Sparrho CEO, recently discussed on CNBC their unique hybrid AI approach to helping companies use science and information to back up their brands messaging:

    AI Enables Humans to Make Better-Informed Decisions

    Artificial intelligence is really about algorithms and how we can use data that we collect to enable humans to make better-informed decisions. I not at all about having computers make decisions on behalf of humans. In a way, I think it’s machines that will be helping evolve the tasks and not actually replacing the human roles. Human roles themselves will be evolving also as the technology improves. This allows humans to have more headspace to be thinking about things that machines can’t do right now.

    Machines can’t necessarily summarize a lot of pieces of contextual analysis very well yet to a 100 percent accuracy and humans are still better at making nonlinear connection points. For example, being able to say that this mathematical equation is super relevant to an agricultural problem. If we don’t have the tagging and reference and citations humans are still better at making those nonlinear new connection points than machines.

    Humans are still good at coming up with the questions. If you actually pose the right question and you train the data and the algorithms you might actually get the right answer. However, you still need to have the humans to be thinking about what the questions are in order to ultimately get the answers.

    It’s About Using AI as a Means to an End

    I  think the angle is really thinking about using AI as a means to an end and not just the end. Ultimately, this is a hybrid approach and various different people are calling it differently. Even MIT professors are calling it a hybrid approach. We’re calling it augmented intelligence. We need to come up with a good relationship between humans and machines. Marketing is about building relationships. It’s about building relationships between brands and consumers and now how do we build that relationship digitally?

    Using Science to Build an Authenticated Brand

    In this digital age, consumers are a lot more tech savvy but are also information savvy. They want to know what the is science behind certain things. Even if you’re talking about CPG, consumer packaged goods, what is the science behind a shampoo product right now when it claims 98 percent prevention of hair loss? What is the real science behind that and how do we actually bring that simplified science-oriented message to the consumer? How can consumers educate themselves and make informed decisions based on the products and thereby build a stronger brand relationship?

    Ultimately what we’re trying to do at Sparrow is simplify science to build trust in brands. Especially for marketing departments and brands, it’s really allowing them to have the evidence-based science and the facts because building a very authenticated brand is what is meaningful to consumers. Research says that about 71 percent of consumers immediately reject content that looks like a sales pitch. Building a relationship and having an authenticated brand and content is super important in building that relationship between brand and consumers.

    Sparrho Provides Content as a Service On Demand

    We’re going even wider with that by providing what we call content as a service or relevant content on demand. We then integrate that into the digital platforms or the brands. We have what we call augmented intelligence with over 16 million pieces of content that is augmented by a network of more than 400,000 monthly active PhDs in a150 countries. They curate and summarize what’s actually happening in the latest of science.

    We know that in about 60 percent of pharmaceuticals, biotech, and even med-tech companies, are spending more than $50 million per year just in content. Content has been the major driver for a lot of their marketing. In pharmaceuticals, they’re trying to really bring that relationship that they have offline to online. It’s at the heart of this digital transformation age that we are going through. This is really helping bring that relationship online by using the right engaging content. Our goal with Sparrow is to drive more engagement and ultimately more sales.

  • Apple’s ‘AirTag’ May Launch Q3 2020

    Apple’s ‘AirTag’ May Launch Q3 2020

    TF Securities analysts Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple suppliers will ramp up production to deliver its upcoming AirTag devices in 2020.

    AirTag is the name Apple is believed to be using for its planned Tile-like devices that can be used to keep track of virtually anything. The devices will use Ultra-Wideband, similar to the iPhone 11. An individual will be able to use AirTags to keep track of a computer bag, suitcase, keys or other items, all from within the Find My app.

    According to a research note, shared by 9to5Mac, Kuo doesn’t explicitly say that AirTags will be released this year, but it is suggested. Kuo expects Apple’s partners and suppliers to start ramping up production in Q2 and Q3 2020.

    With 5G iPhones, iPads, new MacBooks (with an improved keyboard) and now AirTags, all expected in 2020, it’s shaping up to be a good year for Apple users.

  • Western Digital Flash Storage Ready For 5G

    Western Digital Flash Storage Ready For 5G

    5G stands ready to revolutionize mobile applications and services with speeds far exceeding what’s currently available. In light of that, Western Digital has announced a new line of flash storage specifically for 5G devices.

    The new iNAND® MC EU521 is designed to be fast enough to keep up with 5G speeds and ensure the device storage doesn’t create a performance bottleneck. The new storage “offers turbo sequential write speeds up to 800MB/s to better enable enhanced user experiences for applications such as downloading 4K and 8K media, large file transfers from the cloud, and gaming.”

    The memory will be available in 128GB and 256GB capacities, making it ideal for smartphones and tablet.

    “Smartphones now demand more performance and capacity as they often serve as the primary computing device for everything from streaming video, playing music, gaming and photography, to payments and mapping,” said senior vice president and general manager, Huibert Verhoeven, Western Digital’s Automotive, Mobile and Emerging business unit. “The SLC caching in the iNAND EU521 with Write Booster offers users several key performance improvements that when coupled with 5G are expected to bring faster movie downloads than ever before. This, and other capabilities make the EU521 a great option for today’s mobile equipment manufacturers.”

    Western Digital says the new memory will be available in March. Given the performance it offers, it’s a safe bet the company will have a hit on its hands.

  • Ring Making Major Changes To Improve Privacy

    Ring Making Major Changes To Improve Privacy

    After ongoing issues, Ring has informed users it is implementing a number of changes to improve privacy and security.

    Ring’s blog post comes as the company is trying to do damage control over a number of mishandled privacy issues. First there were multiple reports of the company’s cameras being hacked, followed by VICE investigating the service’s security and finding it wanting, to say the least. The worst revelation came when the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) found that Ring was sharing personally identifiable data with a number of companies, without properly disclosing it to consumers. Ring’s response did nothing to help the situation, admitting they were sharing data with more companies than they said, but that customers should trust they were doing it responsibly.

    In the company’s blog post, Ring tries to address multiple concerns, beginning with two-factor authentication.

    “While we already offered two-factor authentication to customers, starting today we’re making a second layer of verification mandatory for all users when they log into their Ring accounts,” reads the blog post. “This added authentication helps prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your Ring account, even if they have your username and password.”

    The company also addressed its data sharing policies.

    “Ring does not sell your personal information to anyone. We occasionally collaborate with third-party service providers that specialize in delivering different benefits, such as identifying and solving your problems faster when you contact Ring Community Support, providing you with personalized Ring offers and discounts, and communicating important alerts about your devices, like when your battery is low. Collaborating with these third-party service providers allows us to deliver the best possible Ring experience to you.”

    Ring says it is implementing a number of changes. First it is temporarily pausing most third-party analytics data sharing. Second, the company is also providing customers a way of opting out of third-party data sharing for personalized ads.

    Overall, this is a good first step for the company. If Ring had built its service with these steps already in place, they would not have spent the last couple of months losing customer trust and doing damage control.

  • ARM Working On New Edge AI Chips

    ARM Working On New Edge AI Chips

    Artificial intelligence (AI) on the edge is a critical factor to widespread AI adoption and ARM is tackling the problem head-on with a pair of new chips, according to The Verge.

    Edge AI is the ability to run AI locally, on-device, rather than offloading to a remote server. The obvious benefits are increased speed, since there’s no latency back and forth between the remote server, as well as increased privacy.

    According to The Verge, ARM is working on “the Arm Cortex-M55 and the Ethos-U55, a neural processing unit meant to pair with the Cortex-M55 for more demanding use cases.” The Cortex-M55 provides up to 15 times better machine learning performance and up to 5 times better digital signal processing performance than previous Cortex-M processors.

    Unlike Intel or AMD, ARM doesn’t manufacture its own processors. Instead, it designs them and then licenses those designs to other companies, such as Apple, who go on to manufacture and use them. With these new chips, however, ARM isn’t targeting phones and tablets. The goal is to use the chips to “develop new Internet of Things devices, bringing AI processing to more devices that otherwise wouldn’t have those capabilities.”

    If the Cortex-M55 lives up to the hype, it should help usher in a whole new generation of AI-enabled devices and services.

  • SpaceX Plans to Spin Off Starlink, Offer IPO

    SpaceX Plans to Spin Off Starlink, Offer IPO

    Bloomberg is reporting Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to spin off Starlink in an effort to help shake up the internet industry.

    SpaceX has already launched 240 of its Starlink satellites into space, and is moving forward in batches of 60 at a time. Once complete, the Starlink satellite network will provide high-speed internet access globally, beginning this summer. As Bloomberg points out, currently Starlink only covers higher latitudes, but expects to cover the entire globe by the end of the year.

    At a private investor event, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell indicated the company is ready to take the next step.

    “Right now, we are a private company, but Starlink is the right kind of business that we can go ahead and take public,” said Shotwell. “That particular piece is an element of the business that we are likely to spin out and go public.”

    Investors will likely welcome the move, especially given the company’s potential.

    “This is going to turn SpaceX into a company that is providing service to consumers, which we are excited about,” Shotwell said, while also saying the internet service will be “less than what you are paying now for about five to 10 times the speed you are getting.”

    nIf SpaceX is able to deliver on Shotwell’s promise, an independent Starlink could be game-changer, in terms of providing affordable, high-speed internet to underserved markets.

  • Apple Watch Outsells Entire Swiss Watch Industry

    Apple Watch Outsells Entire Swiss Watch Industry

    It may only represent a small percentage of Apple’s revenue, but the Apple Watch has already beat the entire Swiss watch industry by a large margin, according to Strategy Analytics.

    According to the press release, Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We estimate Apple Watch shipped 30.7 million units worldwide in 2019, growing a healthy 36 percent from 22.5 million in 2018. A blend of attractive design, user-friendly tech and sticky apps makes the Apple Watch wildly popular in North America, Western Europe and Asia.”

    In contrast, the entire Swiss watch industry only shipped 21.1 million units in 2019, a 13% decline from 2018. Strategy Analytics chalked this up to Apple delivering a better product.

    “Traditional Swiss watch makers, like Swatch and Tissot, are losing the smartwatch wars,” Waltzer added. “Apple Watch is delivering a better product through deeper retail channels and appealing to younger consumers who increasingly want digital wristwear. The window for Swiss watch brands to make an impact in smartwatches is closing. Time may be running out for Swatch, Tissot, TAG Heuer, and others.”

    In view of this report, it’s little wonder Jefferies analyst Kyle McNealy is predicting 2020 will be a “breakout year” for Apple wearables.

  • 5G To Enable Much Higher Performance Games, Says Zynga CEO

    5G To Enable Much Higher Performance Games, Says Zynga CEO

    • 5G to enable much higher performance games.
    • 5G to bring more people into a gaming experience.
    • 5G will enable games that are zero downloads.
    • Touch an ad on Instagram and instantly play the game.

    “5G is going to be a real tailwind for growth in mobile,” says Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau. “It’s going to enable much higher performance games. They’re going to be able to bring more people into a gaming experience. You’ll be able to have games that are zero downloads where you can play them right over the air and never have them installed on your phone. If you’re looking at an ad on Instagram you’ll be able to touch that ad and quickly be able to play the game without having to go to the App Store.”

    “It’ll also enable new forms of innovation in terms of distribution, the funnel of how you manage players, will be a lot more efficient and strong,” says Gibeau. “As infrastructure around 5G rolls out globally over these next several years it’s going to be a huge boost for us.”

    5G To Enable Much Higher Performance Games, Says Zynga CEO


  • Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to Open NRF 2020 Vision: Retail’s Big Show

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to Open NRF 2020 Vision: Retail’s Big Show

    In a press release issued today, the National Retail Federation (NRF) announced that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote at the federation’s 109th annual convention.

    Microsoft has supported the NRF’s annual convention for over 20 years, leveraging their IoT, cloud, data, AI, modern workplace and mixed reality solutions to help retailers digitally transform and embrace intelligent retail.

    “At NRF 2020, we’re bringing together the brightest and most influential leaders from around the world who have a clear vision for the retail industry’s future,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Satya Nadella will kick us off with an inspiring session on how Microsoft’s success is built around a purpose-led culture and business model.”

    Other notable speakers include:

    Mastercard President and CEO Ajay Banga

    Hudson’s Bay Company CEO Helena Foulkes

    Sam’s Club President and CEO John Furner

    Crate and Barrel CEO Neela Montgomery

    Nordstrom Co-President Erik Nordstrom

    Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (2015-2019) Paul Ryan

    Additional details for sessions and speakers at NRF 2020 Vision: Retail’s Big Show can be accessed here.

    Complimentary registration is available to editorial members of the news media and discounted registration is available to accredited retail analysts. For more information, visit the NRF 2020: Retail’s Big Show media registration page.

    About NRF
    The National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail thrive. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP and supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies.

  • Verizon and Honeywell Partner to Deliver Smart Utilities

    Verizon and Honeywell Partner to Deliver Smart Utilities

    Verizon has announced a partnership with Honeywell “to help utilities speed up and simplify the deployment of new communication-enabled, intelligent sensors and controls for the smart electric grid.”

    Honeywell is one of the leading makers of building control systems, with their equipment powering some 10 million buildings. In recent years, the company has been pushing into Internet of Things (IoT) territory, working to deliver smart building and utilities technology. The partnership with Verizon is a significant step in that direction, providing the telecommunications component the company needs.

    “Working with Honeywell on these next-generation solutions will enable the reliability and scalability of the communications needed to deliver smart metering, manage distributed energy resources, conserve water, and make the digital world work better for utilities and consumers,” said Jay Olearain, director, Enterprise Products and IoT at Verizon. “Our Connected Utilities solutions bring connectivity and computing capabilities to all kinds of IoT devices, helping companies like Honeywell grow their leadership positions in the utilities space and expand their business models into new market opportunities.”

    Verizon says its edge computing will help Honeywell integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into meters. This will open a whole new world of opportunities for utilities to better manage the grid and energy demands moving forward.

    “The Honeywell portfolio of utility applications and analytics expands with the new capabilities of wireless IoT,” said Ann Perreault, director, Connected Utilities, Honeywell Smart Energy. “By taking advantage of an already built, cellular infrastructure, our utility customers can more quickly deploy new capabilities based on interoperable communications, allowing them to facilitate innovation. This means that it is easier and more cost effective for utilities to apply analytics to plan for energy demand and to integrate emerging new technologies including micro-renewable generation, electric vehicles, battery storage and semi-autonomous control into the next evolution of the grid.”

    The partnership will initially involve Verizon’s LTE, but the companies are exploring the benefits 5G can bring to the table as it becomes more widely available.

  • Apple Introduces ‘Apple Watch Connected’ Gym Partnership

    Apple Introduces ‘Apple Watch Connected’ Gym Partnership

    CNBC is reporting that Apple has unveiled a new gym initiative called “Apple Watch Connected.”

    At the time of launch, four gyms have joined the program, including Basecamp Fitness, Orange Theory, YMCA and Crunch Fitness, although that number will likely grow quickly since its free for gyms to participate. Participating gyms must offer four tiers to qualify:

    • The gym has to provide iOS and Apple Watch apps for members to login at the gym, see classes and track their fitness.
    • The gym has to provide a way for Apple Watch owners to earn some kind of credit or reward, such as a way to earn money off of their bill if they work out a certain amount.
    • The gym must accept Apple Pay.
    • With few exceptions, gyms must support GymKit on cardio machines. This allows the machines to provide a wealth of information to Apple Watch, more than it might be able to get on its own, about the type and intensity of a workout.

    As CNBC points out, there’s a big benefit to gyms, as Apple Watch integration will likely lead to lower membership turnover.

  • Audi Cars Will Talk To Traffic Lights And Construction Zones

    Audi Cars Will Talk To Traffic Lights And Construction Zones

    Audi plans to roll out C-V2X technology, enabling its cars to talk to construction zones and traffic lights, according to a press release.

    The technology will initially be deployed in the third quarter of 2020 in Virginia, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). C-V2X uses spectrum the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set aside for connected vehicle safety.

    C-V2X will be able to provide a countdown at traffic lights, letting the driver know how long they have until the light turns greens. It will also alert drivers to construction, delivering “graduated warning, with the last link being a low-latency, reliable warning to drivers of the workers’ physical presence.”

    Eventually the technology could even be used to communicate between vehicles, with cars automatically alerting other vehicles to obstacles, icy conditions or other dangers. The technology is the natural progression and expansion of crowd-sourcing apps like Waze, which allow drivers to alert each other to dangers on the road. Unlike those type of apps, this technology will be in the background, seamlessly sending and receiving updates to nearby vehicles, without requiring driver involvement and the subsequent distractions that can cause.

    “VDOT has long supported research into the benefits of connected and automated vehicles, particularly those aspects that have the potential to significantly enhance safety,” said Cathy McGhee, Virginia’s Director of Transportation Research and Innovation. “The inclusion of shorter-range, direct communication in the 5.9 GHz band using C-V2X is exciting, as it can allow us to evaluate this emerging communication option for essential and practical safety and mobility services, including saving the lives of maintenance and construction personnel in work zones.”

    “We recognize the immediate value of the spectrum that the FCC proposed to allocate to C-V2X, and we endeavor to show our V2X equipped cars on real roads engaging in how transportation safety and mobility could be jump-started,” said Anupam Malhotra, Director, Connected Vehicle Services, Audi of America. “We are excited about our participation in this pilot deployment as it highlights the broad societal advantages that technology is now poised to deliver through the full 5.9 GHz V2X spectrum near term with far, far more to come as connected and automated vehicle fleets emerge over the next decade.”

  • Rockwell Automation Taking Manufacturing To Whole New Level

    Rockwell Automation Taking Manufacturing To Whole New Level

    “The acquisition today of Fiix is a really exciting one,” says Rockwell Automation CEO Blake Moret. “It spans the gap that’s traditionally existed between manually entered keystroke data and real-time data that’s coming from the equipment itself. This helps take maintenance and automation really to a whole new level.”

    Fiix Inc. is a privately-held, AI-enabled computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) company. Fiix, founded in 2008, is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

    “We’re really taking manufacturing to a whole new level,” added Moret. “We’re taking the traditional operational technology and know-how that’s existed on the plant floor for so many years and we’re marrying that with IT technology and bringing those together. It’s really unlocking a whole new level of productivity across all the industries that we serve.”

    Fiix’s cloud-native CMMS creates workflows for the scheduling, organizing, and tracking of equipment maintenance. It connects seamlessly to business systems and drives data-driven decisions. The company’s revenue grew 70% in 2019 with more than 85% recurring revenue.

    “We believe that the future of industrial asset management is performance-based,” said Tessa Myers, vice president, product management, Software & Control, for Rockwell Automation. “With the addition of the Fiix platform and expertise, our customers will benefit from a 360-degree view of integrated data across automation, production, and maintenance, helping them to monitor and improve the performance of their assets and optimize how maintenance work is done.”

    James Novak, Fiix CEO, said, “From the beginning, Fiix has been on a mission to connect maintenance and operations teams to the tools, resources, and technology they need to modernize and join the future of maintenance. Joining Rockwell Automation will allow us to help even more companies modernize maintenance and increase asset performance by connecting to industry-leading data, automation, and production systems.”

    The company says that the addition of Fiix directly aligns with Rockwell Automation’s software strategy.

    Rockwell Automation CEO Blake Moret also discussed their involvement with COVID treatments and the vaccine:

    “We’re involved with virtually all of the manufacturers who are working on the treatments and the tests and the vaccines around the world for the COVID virus. We’re really helping them and helping the world to recover. So we’re involved in the formulation, the packaging, the tracing, and you obviously have to do this at unbelievable scale to be able to meet the need.”

    Rockwell Automation Taking Manufacturing To Whole New Level
  • PSA: Cybercriminals Preying On Nest Users With ‘Sextortion’ Scheme

    PSA: Cybercriminals Preying On Nest Users With ‘Sextortion’ Scheme

    Following reports of connected security cameras, such as Ring and Nest, being targeted by hackers, scammers are preying on people’s fears with a “sextortion” scheme, according to CNBC.

    The scam relies on “social engineering,” or the ability to convince an unsuspecting victim do something they wouldn’t normally do, through the use of charm, guilt, shame or authority. The scammer has usually done enough research and has enough information and half-truths to make the scam seem credible.

    According to CNBC, IT security firm Mimecast saw “a huge spike in the new tactic, with more than 1,600 scam emails intercepted in just a two-day period from Jan. 2 to Jan. 3.”

    When describing this particular scam Kiri Addison, head of data science, said “this one is a bit different. It stood out, because it’s really convoluted in a way. It starts out with a single email saying ‘we’ve got some nude photos of you.’”

    The email will include a link to a website showing Nest footage from an innocent area the person could have visited, such as a bar or restaurant. The idea is to make the person believe they’ve been monitored and recorded over a long period of time, in any number of situations, making it more believable they may have been recorded in a compromising position.

    Ultimately, the victim is walked through the process of establishing a bitcoin wallet and paying the scammers $500 to keep their photos and videos from being released on porn sites. It’s important to understand there aren’t actually any photos or videos.

    As CNBC points out, “if you receive a sextortion email, the best thing you can do is ignore it.

    “Although internet-connected cameras and smartphones can be hacked, this is a very rare event. It’s practically non-existent for such a hack to be combined with an extortion demand.”