The Internet of Things 2016

2016 is apparently the launch year for IoT. The idea has been around for a while but nothing too much has actually taken off in a big way. Some big companies are showing major interest and a willingness for serious R&D. Samsung has introduced the SuperSmart fridge ...

http://www.cnet.com/news/samsungs-super-fridge-packs-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink/

I have a suggestion, amongst others, for Samsung: add wheels and google self drive. To hell with sending me pics of spoiled food, just have the fridge drive itself to the grocery store.

 

I think it's nonsense, I'm not planning to connect anything to the web, except for my desktop, laptop and smartphone. Even Smart TV might become a privacy and security risk, but Samsung did announce it will try to tackle the security part:

http://news.samsung.com/global/sams...mart-tv-security-solution-for-2016-and-beyond

 

Before long, there will be exploits to poison people via their smart kitchens

 

Unfortunately the reports on IoT from CES 2016 is all about what these inventors want to connect. There is not much on what apps can actually run on these products or if there is enough juice in the OS to develop apps that do much. Huawei says it will introduce an IoT OS at just 10 kilobytes. It supports "zero configuration, auto-discovery, and auto-networking." That could be a security and privacy nightmare.

http://www.cnet.com/news/your-smart-home-network-will-be-a-mess-to-start-with/

 

Browser Scareware Evolves, Now Targets Smart TVs

http://news.softpedia.com/news/browser-scareware-evolves-now-targets-smart-tvs-498745.shtml

 

Microsoft's W10 IoT Strategy still not clear

"Microsoft is still building embedded versions of Windows, which, these days goes by the name Windows 10 IoT. But, as indicated by Microsoft's various automobile partnerships announced at CES this week, the focal point of Microsoft's IoT strategy now seems to be forging deals for its cloud-connected services, rather than trying to embed Windows into all the things."

http://www.zdnet.com/article/did-microsoft-and-samsung-just-announce-an-iot-deal-nope/


Windows 10 IOT Core was a disappointment with Rasberry PI. "When Windows 10 IoT was first announced, there was great hope for a Windows RT-like experience. Being able to run real Windows applications on a Raspberry Pi would be a killer feature, and putting Skype on a Pi would mean real Jetsons-style video phones appearing in short order."

http://hackaday.com/2015/08/13/raspberry-pi-and-windows-10-iot-core-a-huge-letdown/

 

Scary, indeed. Someone on Hacker News pointed out that Nest was developed in Silicon Valley, where it doesn't get cold enough to freeze pipes or kill you. Someone else suggested adding a mechanical backup for low and high failsafe.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/article/china-india-lead-global-interest-in-iot-deployment/

"Businesses in the two Asian markets led their global peers, with 75 percent already tapping or had plans to deploy IoT applications and another 20 percent expressing interesting in doing likewise. In comparison, 52 percent of respondents in Latin America had deployed or were planning to deploy IoT, while 32 percent were keen to do so, revealed a Forrester study.."

Also from Dell and Intel ...

http://www.zdnet.com/article/dell-opens-singapore-lab-to-tap-iot-growth-in-apac/

"At the lab, customers can develop and test IoT POCs with various products from Dell and Intel, including the former's Edge Gateway 5000 series as well as servers, storage, and networking offerings."

 

http://arstechnica.com/security/201...et-of-things-for-photos-of-sleeping-babies/2/

 

"The company's NetGuard Security Management Center is designed to monitor and control all the security components on a network. This will help carriers and other IoT service providers take a more holistic approach to preventing and responding to attacks."

http://www.computerworld.com/articl...curity-tool-works-with-many-vendors-gear.html

 

The Internet of Things Will Be the World's Biggest Robot

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/02/the_internet_of_1.html

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/16/trend_qualcomm_snapdragon_android/

"If you've got a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip in your Android phone and tablet, make sure you grab its latest security updates – if you can.
And if you can't, well, get used to it: the Internet of Things is going to bring more and more un-patchable and insecure electronics onto the market, it's feared."

"... While Google will no doubt be looking for apps that exploit the flaws, its scanning systems are far from perfect, and any third-party app stores will be full up with free games that carry an unpleasant payload. "

 

Smart technology for dumb customers.

 

"PEOPLE WILL WILLINGLY hand over personal data from smart home devices in return for a few coupons and discounts."

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer...data-from-iot-devices-in-exchange-for-coupons

It begs the question: do the willing ever contemplate the consequences?

@DOSawaits "Smart technology for dumb customers". Got to agree.

 

Could Bandwidth Problems Derail the Internet of Things?

"The gap in demand for wireless bandwidth and capacity could end up crippling IoT, particularly in parts of the world where limited capacity already exists. ... Qualcomm is backing a long-range, low power Wi-Fi standard that could be used for Internet of Things devices. U.S. companies are considering such a network that would allow soon-to-be billions of connected things to send wireless signals without weighing down existing cellular networks. While it's still in development, part of the network is expected to launch in 2016."

http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...width-problems-derail-the-internet-of-th.aspx

 

Medical Equipment Crashes During Heart Procedure Because of Antivirus Scan

http://news.softpedia.com/news/medi...cedure-because-of-antivirus-scan-503642.shtml

 

Chaos Theory of Standardization in IOT

http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/47079/iot/chaos-theory-standardization-iot.html

 

Ring IoT Doorbell Bug Showed Videos from Other Houses

http://news.softpedia.com/news/ring-iot-doorbell-bug-showed-videos-from-other-houses-504084.shtml

 

There are loads of situations where Internet of things is useful, maybe not immidiately for average Joe, but check out what Thin Film is doing already. I dont know if it will explode in 2016 but I am sure that when the word spreads in the business it will. The technic is so new in the consiousness of people so the cant imagine all the things one can do.

I compare it to Neonode who made the first smartphone. Nobody cared until Steve Jobs saw the potentional of it.