What is, and isn't, IoT

So what, exactly, is the Internet of Things (IoT)? And what isn’t it? That depends on whom you ask, and what you mean. There are tons and tons of ‘connected’ gadgets that people call IoT devices.But are they really IoT devices? The Internet of Things is, loosely, the world of connected, internet-enabled devices. But let’s turn to Wikipedia, just for fun: The Internet of Things (IoT) is the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices Internet infrastructure.

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December 2, 2014 Read
I'm an IoT Imp!

I got my electric imp and imp breakout board from SparkFun last week, and I decided to check it out today and see what I could do with it in an hour. I’m re-stocking my Internet of Things (IoT) bag of tricks, and this is the first device I’ve gotten in a while, so here’s how that went. Of course I have the requisite unpacking porn. It’s actually a pretty nice bit of kit, with a Cortex M3 stuffed into a SSD Memory Card form factor.

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November 24, 2014 Read
Who's Going to Drive IoT Innovation

Let’s face it, the Internet of Things (IoT) is hot right now. And it’s only going to get hotter. Everyone wants in on the perceived coming gold rush that will be the Internet of Things. And a gold rush is most definitely predicted! Gartner has said so here, and here. IDCsays so, too. I could go on and list how many analysts and media pundits, etc. agree, but that would just be redundant.

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November 20, 2014 Read
Drop a Brick On It

I’m all about connectivity. Yes, there are times to disconnect from the world, but that’s a personal disconnect. Applications and devices should, for the most part, be connected all the time. But connectivity is expensive and hard to maintain in remote places. If you’re connecting a server, or your house, there are many options available — let’s just go with that for now, shall we? The whole ISP monopoly issue will just get me wound up.

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November 19, 2014 Read
Making a Button

I can’t resist. I mean really. Who doesn’t need a big red button that you can program to … act like a big red button? But it’s so much more than just a button! I mean, a button is just something you push, right? This? This is so much more! The bttn communicates with the powerful bt.tn servers in the cloud. They dispatch messages and actions to almost any internet services so that what you want gets done.

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November 18, 2014 Read
Gadget Freak

I freely admit that I am a gadget freak. I’ll also (sometimes) admit that it’s a problem. I bought a Cookoo Watch as a Kickstarter Backer of the project. I own a FitBit — I’m on my third one, don’t ask. I’ll probably buy an Apple Watch. But one of the problems I have with most ‘wearable tech’ is that, well, it looks too much like tech. The Cookoo Watch was a great start, but the first version was really buggy and unstable — except as a watch — and I’ve come to find out that it’s un-upgradeable and is basically a paperweight.

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November 14, 2014 Read
Hardware Junkie

Ok, so in addition to being a gadget freak, I’m a hardware junkie. It’s been a while since I’ve actually done much hardware hackery, but that’s not because of a lack of desire. I bought an RFDuino dev kit last year as a Kickstarter backer that I just opened last weekend, and I haven’t done much with it so far. Turns out having nothing but BTLE is a lot less useful than I thought.

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November 14, 2014 Read
Hardware Extravaganza

It’s been a minute since I’ve posted anything new, and I apologize to anyone that follows along here and has missed my posting. I’ve been a bit busy lately with the MyNewt Operating System for IoT. It’s new, it’s cool, and it’s a lot of work right now. That being said, I thought I’d take a minute to show off some of the new hardware I have to add to the Big Board of IoT on my desk.

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January 1, 0001 Read