Iot | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 09 Jul 2020 06:51:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Iot | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Synaptics to acquire Broadcom’s wireless IoT business for $250 million https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/christopher-nohall/synaptics-to-acquire-broadcoms-wireless-iot-business-for-250-million/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/christopher-nohall/synaptics-to-acquire-broadcoms-wireless-iot-business-for-250-million/#respond Wed, 08 Jul 2020 11:07:50 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=475984 This week, Synaptics announced that it will acquire Broadcom's wireless IoT business – including assets and manufacturing rights – for approximately $250 million in an all-cash transaction. The $250 million agreement between the two companies lets Synaptics acquire certain rights to Broadcom’s existing IoT technology as well as “future roadmap devices designed in advanced process nodes”. …

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This week, Synaptics announced that it will acquire Broadcom's wireless IoT business – including assets and manufacturing rights – for approximately $250 million in an all-cash transaction.

The $250 million agreement between the two companies lets Synaptics acquire certain rights to Broadcom’s existing IoT technology as well as “future roadmap devices designed in advanced process nodes”. Synaptics expects that the deal will bring the company approximately $65 million per year in sales and also provide “significant” growth potential. The company said that it hopes that the acquisition will accelerate its position in the consumer IoT market.

“Expanding our offering in the high growth IoT market has been one of the major focus areas for Synaptics and the addition of best-in-class wireless connectivity technology to our portfolio significantly enhances our overall position,” said Michael Hurlston, president and CEO, Synaptics. “This acquisition complements Synaptics’ ability to sell into a broad range of devices such as IP cameras, smart displays, speakers, home automation, and gaming consoles – all of which require cutting-edge technologies including Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and GPS L5.”

The acquisition is expected to finish in Q1 of the 2021 fiscal year. Synaptics said that it will provide the payment of $250 million from its existing on-hand cash balance – meaning that the company doesn't need to take a loan to finance the deal.

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KitGuru Says: This was an acquisition that flew under the radar, but a big, $250m deal has now been reached. Now regulator approval is needed before the deal officially closes in the months to come. 

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Microsoft acquires CyberX to bolster IoT security https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/microsoft-acquires-cyberx-to-bolster-iot-security/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/microsoft-acquires-cyberx-to-bolster-iot-security/#respond Fri, 26 Jun 2020 15:30:54 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=474086 Microsoft has been making a number of big moves lately. So far this month we've seen the Mixer streaming service begin closing operations and the announcement that Microsoft will be closing down many retail stores. Microsoft isn't just cutting back though, this week the company also announced that it has acquired CyberX.  CyberX is a …

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Microsoft has been making a number of big moves lately. So far this month we've seen the Mixer streaming service begin closing operations and the announcement that Microsoft will be closing down many retail stores. Microsoft isn't just cutting back though, this week the company also announced that it has acquired CyberX. 

CyberX is a cybersecurity company specialising in IoT, behavioural analytics and machine learning. Through this acquisition, Microsoft will be able to bolster Azure IoT security capabilities and improve security for existing products.

Two specific challenges that Microsoft hopes to solve by utilising CyberX technology include giving customers visibility in what IoT devices are connected to their networks and managing security on those IoT devices.

This is part of Microsoft's current IoT strategy, which will see $5 billion invested into that market segment. Microsoft will also continue to partner with a broad set of security providers, providing expertise and integration services.

KitGuru Says: We don't know how much Microsoft spent here, but CyberX did hold some very valuable patents, so a good chunk of money will have exchanged hands. It will be interesting to see what other moves Microsoft makes in the IoT space going forward. 

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Arm announces new processor IPs for AI and machine learning https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/james-dawson/arm-announces-new-processor-ips-for-ai-and-machine-learning/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/james-dawson/arm-announces-new-processor-ips-for-ai-and-machine-learning/#respond Wed, 12 Feb 2020 12:18:35 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=451450 Arm has announced details of its latest processors designed for artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Arm Cortex-M55, as well as the first microNPU (Neural Processing Unit), the Ethos-U55 which offer a combined 480x machine learning improvement for microcontrollers. Cortex-M based processors are already powering a vast range of AI products with over 50 billion …

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Arm has announced details of its latest processors designed for artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Arm Cortex-M55, as well as the first microNPU (Neural Processing Unit), the Ethos-U55 which offer a combined 480x machine learning improvement for microcontrollers.

Cortex-M based processors are already powering a vast range of AI products with over 50 billion chips shipped to partners. Arm claims that its latest Cortex-M55 is its most capable AI processor yet and is the company’s first Cortex-M processor to be based on the Armv8.1-M architecture.

Equipped with Arm Helium vector processing technology, the Cortex-M55 offers significantly enhanced energy-efficient, 5x digital signal processing (DSP) performance improvement and 15x machine learning (ML) performance compared to previous Cortex-M generations. In addition, custom instructions will be added to improve processor performance for specific workloads, which is a new feature for Cortex-M series processors.

 

For deployment in systems that require even more processing power, the Cortex-M55 can be paired with the new Ethos-U55, Arm’s first microNPU, to deliver a combined 480x increase in performance for machine learning applications, compared to existing Cortex-M solutions. Ethos-U55 is highly configurable which allows it to accelerate ML inference in area-constrained embedded and IoT devices. A smaller package provides power efficiency improvements as well as allowing the Ethos-U55 to run neural networks in smaller systems.

Both the Cortex-M55 and Ethos-U55 are fully supported by Arm’s Cortex-M toolchain, to allow distribution of traditional DSP and ML workloads and ensure developers have a seamless integration experience while getting the best possible performance out of the new Cortex-M55 and Ethos-U55 combined configuration.

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KitGuru says: AI and IoT devices are everywhere these days, this new processor combination from Arm will allow theses device to become more powerful and even smaller. What do you guys think of these new processors from Arm?

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ARM encourages orders for 1 trillion processors https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/andrzej/arm-encourages-orders-for-1-trillion-processors/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/event/andrzej/arm-encourages-orders-for-1-trillion-processors/#respond Thu, 04 Jul 2019 10:09:08 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=417189 What started as an ambitious project by the BBC to put computers into UK schools in 1981, ended with ARM dominating several global markets for microprocessors – including mobile phone giants Apple, Samsung and Huawei. Owned by Japan’s SoftBank, but still headquartered in Cambridge, the company is dedicated to being the most pervasive compute technology …

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What started as an ambitious project by the BBC to put computers into UK schools in 1981, ended with ARM dominating several global markets for microprocessors – including mobile phone giants Apple, Samsung and Huawei. Owned by Japan’s SoftBank, but still headquartered in Cambridge, the company is dedicated to being the most pervasive compute technology the world has ever seen. It takes IoT seriously and wants to be everywhere – in every product that can possibly encompass its technology. At Innovex, KitGuru was invited to a private briefing about DesignStart – ARM’s efforts to help new businesses explore, develop and deploy its state-of-the-art chip technology.

By the end of 2022, the more tech-savvy among you will have up to 500 connected devices in your home, according to Gartner. To put that in to context, it was 1982 when a Coca-Cola vending machine was first hooked up to the internet at an American university – so it could report back on stock levels and the temperature of its sugary drinks. By the end of 2022, that single device installation will have evolved into an IoT market worth close to $1.2 trillion – much of which will be enabled by ARM.

So how do you become the ‘processing option of choice’ in so many devices?   Well the major accounts have already invested millions of man hours into adapting ARM IP for their own purposes – so they are pretty much locked in. A significant amount of growth will come from companies that are, today, considered start-ups. Companies that may not even have produced their first commercial product yet.

ARM’s DesignStart programme aims to provide the tools and expertise necessary to enable new companies to thrive. The theory is that, as they thrive, so does ARM’s sales.

From the day it shipped its first product in 1991, it took ARM 26 years to sell 100 billion chips. In the 4 years from 2017 to 2021, ARM is on course to match that number with the sale of another 100 billion chips. IoT changes everything. ARM is now projecting the sale of 1 trillion chips in the following 4 years.

DesignStart Custom SoC/ASIC
The days when only a handful of companies needed bespoke silicon production are long gone. Historically, vast sums of time and money needed to be invested in fabrication plants, chip design and the army of expert staff needed to make it all work. These days, innovators with a clever idea want to get to market as soon as possible with a working solution and that’s where ARM steps in.

When a group from Marvell’s ship core development team near Shanghai wanted to start their own cellular IoT chipset solution venture called Eigencomm, they joined the ARM DesignStart Custom SoC/ASIC programme and were able to tape out in just 6 months. Moving from a first concept to a working design in half a year, was made possible because they could sign up with a simple form and knew that no royalties would be due (unless their products were commercially successful in the market). We’ve seen something similar in the way that the Unreal makes its game engine and development tools available. You only really pay when your idea is successful.

This programme offers Cortex-M0 and Cortex M3 CPUs with no upfront fee. It also gives the lowest cost route to Cortex-A5 CPUs as well as thousands of physical IP libraries.

DesignStart FPGA
Smaller projects will be focusing on FPGA technology for their solutions. Field Programmable Gate Arrays offer a core configuration on leaving the production facility, but they can then be customised using a HDL (Hardware Description Language). They tend to be larger and run slower than custom silicon, but they are perfect way to get your idea into the market when budgets are relatively low.

ARM also provides technical support for new ventures who want to sign up at DesignStart.

For those who are at the early stages, you can choose an ‘Eval’ option, where you can sign up in minutes and begin designing immediately. Commercial operations who want a faster path to production can chose the ‘Pro’ version.

According to ARM, these programmes have seen over 5,500 downloads and close to 500 commercial licences for CPUs being taken up.

KitGuru says: ARM's ecosystem manager, Alessandro Grande, introduced the programme to attendees at Innovex, specifically to encourage start-ups to innovate in the IoT space. Given that the number of exhibitors at the Taiwan Computer Association (TCA) event grew from 388 in 2018 to almost 500 in 2019, it's clear that ARM's ‘incubate the next generation of your own customers' approach is a smart one. Certainly if they'll be needing orders totalling 1 trillion chips.

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IFA 2018: Panasonic talks HDR10+ compatible displays and its focus on connectivity https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/damien-cox/ifa-2018-panasonic-talks-hdr10-compatible-displays-and-its-focus-on-connectivity/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/damien-cox/ifa-2018-panasonic-talks-hdr10-compatible-displays-and-its-focus-on-connectivity/#respond Wed, 29 Aug 2018 18:07:47 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=384804 Panasonic has kicked of its 100th anniversary celebration by unveiling its plans to bolster IoT efforts in Europe, announcing a partnership with British network provider Vodafone. Additionally, the firm has revealed its line-up of HDR10+ compatible displays in partnership with Samsung and 20th Century Fox. One of Panasonics core focuses throughout 2018 is connectivity, exploring …

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Panasonic has kicked of its 100th anniversary celebration by unveiling its plans to bolster IoT efforts in Europe, announcing a partnership with British network provider Vodafone. Additionally, the firm has revealed its line-up of HDR10+ compatible displays in partnership with Samsung and 20th Century Fox.

One of Panasonics core focuses throughout 2018 is connectivity, exploring how the world is brought together by the Internet of Things (IoT). Continuing an expansion with IoT-based home appliances, such as new air conditioners that utilise low bandwidth functionality. Introducing Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT), Panasonic will be testing the waters of its Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) wireless technology in Japan in collaboration with the country's “leading provider,” while Vodafone is set to take the reins here in Europe.

Vodafone is certainly well suited to the job as one of the leading providers of IoT connectivity, boasting 74 million connected devices across 9 different countries. Erik Brenneis, leader of Vodafone's Global Enterprise, was quick to express his excitement at working with Panasonic.

Despite the collaboration, its seems as though Panasonic displays will be the first to see the benefit of frame-by-frame dynamic metadata, with HDR10+ certification coming to its FZ950 Series, FZ800 Series, FX780 Series and FX740 Series. Despite lacking a handful of key features in comparison to Dolby Vision, Panasonic head Michiko Ogawa says that HDR10+ “will be widely adopted” as a standard in the industry.

HDR10+ is designed to preserve “the true intent of filmmakers” by meeting these three requirements:

  • The display performance certification qualifies requirements on the display mode, peak luminance level, peak luminance stability, transfer function and white point tracking performance and color gamut coverage.
  • The metadata processing certification qualifies carriage and accuracy of metadata over interfaces. The display management performance certification qualifies tone-mapping based on HDR10+ Metadata such as shadow preservation.
  • The Ultra HD Blu-ray player certification qualifies the processing and accuracy of HDR10+ Metadata carriage over the HDMI interface.

While Fox is set to be one of the primary providers of HDR10+ content, the studio will be joined by Warner Bros. and Amazon Prime Video, with the latter sporting the largest HDR10 compatible content to date. Still, there's a long way to go before the certification becomes a standard.

KitGuru Says: Like 4K, I would personally wait for more HDR10+ content to drop before spending a pretty penny on a display blessed with the technology. Of course, if you're an enthusiast than the quality looks to be a day-one purchase with just how crisp the colours are. How do you feel about Panasonic's push on HDR10+ and IoT connectivity?

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Google to fix a location data leak found in Google Home and Chromecast https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/ryan-burgess/google-to-fix-a-location-data-leak-found-in-google-home-and-chromecast/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/ryan-burgess/google-to-fix-a-location-data-leak-found-in-google-home-and-chromecast/#respond Tue, 19 Jun 2018 14:30:04 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=377170 IoT devices have been causing nothing but trouble in terms of security. Whether it is always-on microphones or using unprotected devices in a botnet, something is always going wrong. Google’s Home and Chromecast are next in a long list after it was discovered they were both leaking location data. Craig Young, a security researcher for …

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IoT devices have been causing nothing but trouble in terms of security. Whether it is always-on microphones or using unprotected devices in a botnet, something is always going wrong. Google’s Home and Chromecast are next in a long list after it was discovered they were both leaking location data.

Craig Young, a security researcher for Tripwire, initially found the flaw. He said the attack works by asking a Google device for a list of close wireless networks and then cross-references that list with Google’s geolocation lookup services.

Young spoke to KrebsOnSecurity about the flaw: “An attacker can be completely remote as long as they can get the victim to open a link while connected to the same Wi-Fi or wired network as a Google Chromecast or Home device,”

Young first reached out to Google about this issue in May, but they simply closed his bug report with a “Status: Won’t Fix (Intended Behavior)” message. However, now that the story has made it out to the public, Google has since confirmed that it will be working on a fix and releasing it at some point next month.

KitGuru Says: Google really needs to get its act together when it comes to device security, especially if they want their IoT devices to take off. What are your thoughts on how Google handled this issue?

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Outdoor internet connectivity: Addressing the lack of outdoor networking https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/andrej-kovacevic/outdoor-internet-connectivity-addressing-the-lack-of-outdoor-networking/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/andrej-kovacevic/outdoor-internet-connectivity-addressing-the-lack-of-outdoor-networking/#respond Mon, 28 May 2018 19:09:15 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=374628 In the ever-changing fight to bring connectivity to our daily lives, there remains a solid disconnect between our indoor networks and how we treat the internet when we step outside our front door. For many, private home internet use is approached with zest and zeal. Pushing connectivity into every room in one's home is as …

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In the ever-changing fight to bring connectivity to our daily lives, there remains a solid disconnect between our indoor networks and how we treat the internet when we step outside our front door.

For many, private home internet use is approached with zest and zeal. Pushing connectivity into every room in one's home is as common as can be, and the internet itself hosts discussion after discussion and article after article of ways to bring a home into the 21st century through networking solutions. The concept of the Internet of Things revolves around this concept, relying heavily on networking up every component in a home that can accept an internet connection.

Yet at the same time there is an odd shying away from taking this connectivity outside of the realm of living rooms and bedrooms, as if the outer reaches of yards, gardens or even garages can't benefit from having an active connection.

Granted, there is a solid precedent for this problem in the form of solving wireless communication issues that have plagued us since wireless internet connectivity became an option. It can be hard enough to set up a home network that provides indoor signals strong enough to be used home-wide, let alone setting up a system that reaches outdoors, but options are available and aren't as unusual as one might think, which opens up a world of outdoor connectivity that could bring about tangible improvement to our daily lives.

Home security often revolves around closed-circuit cameras and wireless monitoring, but this can be taken a step further and adapted into wireless doorbells with built-in cameras that offer a mixture of security and convenience, though many of these same features can be achieved through a home network of security cameras, albeit at a much higher cost.

cameras linked to a wireless hub and how the advent of cloud storage has taken a step towards removing one of the most unfortunate flaws in security through physical removal of storage devices. Yes, there is always the threat that your cameras may be spotted and removed, but that doesn't stop their information from being uploaded to a server that can't simply be carted off.

Yet outdoor improvements through networking don't have to revolve solely around security. Sometimes a simple quality of life improvement can boost how you feel about outdoor spaces or make better utilisation of your time, as is the case with outdoor smart lighting or wireless speakers for the sake of entertainment and ease of finding your way around after dark.

Range repeaters and even powerline adaptors offer methods of taking the internet into a realm that it has sorely neglected for a few years too many, but excuses for avoiding an outdoor-friendly network mostly revolve around the price of investment at this point in time. Mesh Wi-Fi systems are still relatively new and their price point reflects that, hampering many potential users from investment. Remote users may have difficulty finding a signal over anything but their cell phone's wireless plan which is oft woefully underpowered when it comes to handling extensive outdoor networks, which then lends credence to investing in NBN plans to make up for mobile plan shortcomings.

With any luck one can hope that an outdoor IoT approach can lead to wider adoption of technologies and gadgets that broadcast information for the good of all. The slow advent of smart cities might be spurred along if more of their inhabitants adapted and joined the wider world of connectivity to take advantage of existing technologies; Smart weather tracking and reporting is but the smallest of helpful uses for real-time data collection when compared to examples like Kansas City's live reporting of traffic, both consisting of vehicles and pedestrians, to help its citizens judge ideal travel times and the accessibility of public parking.

Stepping into a future where outdoor spaces are as connected as the indoors isn't an overnight dream, however, requiring a hint of dedication and mindfulness towards how helpful connectivity can truly be. For some, it takes a bit of imagination to figure out just how to make an outdoor network helpful for something beyond watching Netflix by the pool, yet for others it's just another extension of a digital lifestyle that is creeping into the public eye. Early adoption isn't always cheap or easy; Sometimes you have to take leaps of faith to show others just how productive and useful your dreams truly are.

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Is Audio The New Future Of Advertising? https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/larry-alton/is-audio-the-new-future-of-advertising/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/larry-alton/is-audio-the-new-future-of-advertising/#respond Thu, 29 Mar 2018 12:00:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=368827 Today, most advertising takes place on the internet because that’s where people spend their time. Direct mail isn’t dead, but it has taken a backseat to platforms like Facebook ads and Google Adwords. While Facebook’s ads are seen only on Facebook, Google’s ads can be seen on a good number of blogs. However, online advertisements …

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Today, most advertising takes place on the internet because that’s where people spend their time. Direct mail isn’t dead, but it has taken a backseat to platforms like Facebook ads and Google Adwords. While Facebook’s ads are seen only on Facebook, Google’s ads can be seen on a good number of blogs.

However, online advertisements are delivered differently to mobile users. When using a browser, mobile users often see a mobile-specific version of a website that doesn’t display ads at all.

To bypass this, advertisers have been integrating static ads graphically into app interfaces, playing video ads at random intervals of time. Most mobile users find these ads annoying, so app makers have backed off a bit.

Amazon integrates ads into some of their mobile devices in the Kindle lineup, although users can still opt out of ads by buying an ad-free device. Consumers are more willing to accept ads on Kindle devices because they don’t use them as much as they use their smartphones.

The average smartphone user multi-tasks instead of staying glued to their screen. They’re driving, walking, running, or engaged in other activities. They use the hands-free feature and voice activation as often as possible. When they do look at their screen, they’re either posting on social media, flipping through a playlist, or texting a friend. When a video advertisement plays, they’re often just listening.

A new era of advertising is emerging

How do you advertise to a generation of multi-taskers who prefer hands-off, voice activation for everything? How do you capture the attention of people who only use mobile devices, barely skim articles, and only look at their screen to engage with friends?

The answer is through audio ads. Audio is an effective platform, and it’s been around for over 100 years.

This study performed by Nielsen found that using radio ads, advertisers “gained an average $6 return for every $1 spent.” Although retailers generated a significantly higher return than other types of businesses, everyone generated a positive return.

Media sources are always evolving, and unlike newspaper ads, radio ads are still a viable medium for advertisers. Rather than buying ad spots on local radio stations, advertisers are buying ad spots on streaming radio and various smartphone apps. It’s the same type of platform, just with a twist.

The result of the rapid evolution in media technology is that smartphones have become the new newspaper. People aren’t afraid to admit they don’t read the paper, either. “I don’t rely on [the newspaper] anymore for current local or worldly news,” says Heather Morrison of MediaTwo, “I use my smartphone.”

Perhaps that’s why millennials have a reputation for not reading the newspaper. It’s not that they don’t read the news – they just prefer their mobile device.

What does this mean for the future of advertising? When you consider the number of smart devices in homes across America and the potential for broadcasting ads, it seems ads will soon be seamlessly integrated into daily life in the home.

IoT devices have always had the potential to deliver ads

Every IoT device connected to the cloud has the potential to deliver ads to users. It works the same way adware works on a desktop or laptop computer. The only difference is, as consumers embrace voice-activated devices, advertisers are doing the same. Alexa, for instance, is about to become an advertiser’s best friend.

Amazon’s virtual assistant named Alexa is a computer program that lives inside the company’s Echo smart speaker as well as other Amazon devices. Alexa allows users to speak commands that control other smart devices, play music, and a few other things. Alexa isn’t in every home (yet) but has gained popularity in the last two years.

Amazon is already negotiating with companies like Clorox and Proctor & Gamble to promote their products on Echo devices in Alexa’s voice. Like every good advertising campaign, the products advertised will be based on the consumer’s shopping history.

According to CNBC in the article linked above, “Advertisers and brands are particularly focused on search placement on Alexa because shoppers are more likely to select a top result on a voice assistant than they are on the web, where it’s easy to scroll down or ignore written suggestions.”

Although Amazon isn’t ready to launch a paid search ad product for Alexa yet, it’s coming. The potential for revenue from paid search is too great to be cast aside.

The idea of having advertisements broadcast in the home sounds like something out of George Orwell’s, but get ready because it’s coming sooner than you think.

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Intel scales back IoT operations, laying off 140 staff members https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/damien-cox/intel-scales-back-iot-operations-laying-off-140-staff-members/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/damien-cox/intel-scales-back-iot-operations-laying-off-140-staff-members/#comments Wed, 05 Jul 2017 20:24:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=339678 After dropping three of its IoT-focused product lines in June, a total of 140 jobs will be eliminated across two of its headquarters. Multiple reports suggest that at least 100 staff have been laid off at Santa Clara HQ while Leixlip, Ireland will be hit with another 40 redundancies. The Silicon Valley Business Journal reports …

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After dropping three of its IoT-focused product lines in June, a total of 140 jobs will be eliminated across two of its headquarters. Multiple reports suggest that at least 100 staff have been laid off at Santa Clara HQ while Leixlip, Ireland will be hit with another 40 redundancies.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal reports that in its second round of cuts this year, Intel has “has laid off nearly 100 people at its Santa Clara headquarters” while The Times claims that a further 40 redundancies will hit the Leixlip, Co Kildare campus which is known for designing the Galileo chip development board.

These reports follow Intel announcing last month’s plans to discontinue Galileo, along with Joule and Edison that originated from the Santa Clara HQ. Developers and product makers still have a chance to place orders for the three Internet-of-Things operations until 16th September as Intel will cease to ship units after 16th December. It’s worth noting that any orders cannot be cancelled or refunded.

Image Credit: BMW

These claims are further backed by an Intel spokeswoman giving a statement to The Times, saying that “There have been some changes in our workforce that are driven by the needs and priorities of the business, which we constantly evaluate.”

Intel’s workforce received a significant 11 percent cut last year, with 12,000 staff made redundant and following the closure of the Intel Developer Forum, it seems the company are in hot waters lately. It’s not all bad for Intel, of course with the company investing $7 billion into its Fab 42 semiconductor which is said to create an extra 10,000 jobs. This along with the $4.125 million collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, looking visual cloud capabilities, could help rebuild a lot of that which was lost.

KitGuru Says: Companies restructure all the time and with the size of Intel, it is difficult to see if the company is in trouble or simply reprioritising. Still, that’s an awful lot of people out of the job, hopefully they all land on their feet.

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Maker gets Cortana with Windows 10 IoT Core Creators Update https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/paul-taylor/maker-gets-cortana-with-windows-10-iot-core-creators-update/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/paul-taylor/maker-gets-cortana-with-windows-10-iot-core-creators-update/#respond Wed, 12 Apr 2017 19:41:42 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=330143 Maker aficionados of the Windows 10 IoT Core persuasion will be happy to know that Cortana has landed. The Windows 10 Creators Update milestone has delivered on a number of new features, including the Cortana voice assistant, which can now be used by makers in their Windows 10 IoT implementations. Other added features include new …

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Maker aficionados of the Windows 10 IoT Core persuasion will be happy to know that Cortana has landed.

The Windows 10 Creators Update milestone has delivered on a number of new features, including the Cortana voice assistant, which can now be used by makers in their Windows 10 IoT implementations.

Other added features include new APIs and development tools, as well as remote device discovery, cloud device management, support for additional hardware in the form of drivers and interoperability, power management among other things.

Right now it seems Microsoft Cortana may not have an identical set of voice commands as you'd have on a full desktop experience, and it will only support American English keyword spotting (KWS), but it does have the ones that matter and that make it a useful assistant: setting reminders, checking news, building to-do lists, checking traffic, calculator, weather look-up, etc… You can also develop your own voice commands to add local commands to Cortana.

Delivering a voice assistant is a good way of opening up the practical uses of devices (although using voice commands to command robots in a noisy factory might be an issue). Cortana seems like the right thing for Makers and their home projects. It will certainly go a long way to make that Magic Mirror project a bit more interactive. All you'll need to do is follow the guidelines in the Microsoft Speech Platform spec.

In terms of hardware support, you can now run Cortana on Raspberry Pi 3 and 2, DragonBoard 410C, MinnowBoard MAX and a number of reference development kits from Intel and Qualcomm.

KitGuru Says: It's good to see that Windows IoT Core is not stagnating as much as the rest of the IoT hardware business.

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The FTC goes after D-Link over poor security practises  https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/the-ftc-goes-after-d-link-over-poor-security-practises/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/the-ftc-goes-after-d-link-over-poor-security-practises/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2017 17:10:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=316811 It looks like D-Link has found itself in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week as the US regulator has filed charges against D-Link for putting consumers' privacy and security at risk with its products. As part of the FTCs current initiative to ensure companies are taking proper steps to ensure secure …

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It looks like D-Link has found itself in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week as the US regulator has filed charges against D-Link for putting consumers' privacy and security at risk with its products. As part of the FTCs current initiative to ensure companies are taking proper steps to ensure secure IoT devices, the commission has been cracking down on several companies selling wireless routers and even webcams without adequate security.

D-Link in particular currently sells wireless routers and Internet Protocol Cameras. According to the FTC, D-Link has not been maintaining the safety standards it claims to adhere to on its own website. As the FTC puts it, “when manufacturers tell consumers that their equipment is secure, it's critical that they take the necessary steps to make sure that's true”.

iot

“Hackers are increasingly targeting consumer routers and IP cameras and the consequences for consumers can include device compromise and exposure of sensitive information”, the commission continued.

According to the complaint, D-Link has been promoting its products with ‘Advanced Network Security', but the FTC found that D-Link's camera software is ‘hard-coded' with weak login credentials, such as the username and password being ‘guest'. This can allow unauthorized users to access the camera feed. Some of D-Link's routers have also been found to have a software flaw that could allow hackers to inject commands and take over routers. The FTC also claims that D-Link has mishandled private key codes used to sign into D-Link software, leaving user credentials unsecured in clear text formats.

The FTC is concerned that hackers could exploit these vulnerabilities using very simple methods. Now, we just need to wait for D-Link to respond to the FTC's complaint but it is likely that the company will need to make a few changes to the way it handles security on its Internet of Things connected devices going forward if it wants to avoid penalties.

KitGuru Says: The FTC has previously cracked down on other companies for poor security practises with IoT connected devices and it looks like they aren't going to stop any time soon. Do any of you own a D-Link router or camera

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Camera driven mass DDOS attack used rented botnets https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/camera-driven-mass-ddos-attack-used-rented-botnets/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/camera-driven-mass-ddos-attack-used-rented-botnets/#respond Mon, 31 Oct 2016 12:13:14 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=310288 The last month has seen DDOS attacks on various sources on a magnitude no one has ever seen before: in some cases more than a terabit per second of data. This was more than anyone thought possible, but it was all because whoever was responsible, rented some of the most extensive botnet networks, made up …

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The last month has seen DDOS attacks on various sources on a magnitude no one has ever seen before: in some cases more than a terabit per second of data. This was more than anyone thought possible, but it was all because whoever was responsible, rented some of the most extensive botnet networks, made up of many Internet of Things (IOT) devices.

Although it's been suspected that botnet rental was a growing industry in the bowels of the internet, this recent loaning and subsequent attacks have proved to be far more extensive than anyone expected or even thought was viable. Whoever was behind it was clearly well connected and well funded.

In each instance of the large-scale DDOS attacks in recent weeks, a network of IOT devices infected with the Mirai malware was largely responsible. The self-spreading malware has hooked its tentacles into many thousands of devices around the world and has proved very effective at helping to take down online services.

But in some cases another network known as Bashlight was used too, as well as other less well known botnets.

iotcamera

Source: Vitamin/Pixabay

“We believe that there might be one or more additional botnets involved in these attacks,” Dale Drew, CSO of Level 3 Communications, said in a chat with Ars. “This could mean that they are ‘renting' several different botnets to launch an attack against a specific victim, in which multiple other sites have been impacted.”

Since these large scale attacks ISPs across the world have taken steps to try and limit the extent to which IOT devices can be used in these sorts of attacks, but it will take increased security measures from device manufacturers before the exploits are really patched up.

It could be too that we'll see these sorts of larger scale attacks in the future. If there is a financial incentive to create bots and then loan them out for a fee, that could become quite a dangerous precedent to set. Can you think of a better audition than the recent, large-scale attacks?

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: You'd have to imagine with all of the political mud slinging going on at the moment, that there are a few camps who have considered leveraging this tactic themselves. 

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Linux.Wifatch ‘malware’ is actually making routers more secure https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/linux-wifatch-malware-is-actually-making-routers-more-secure/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/matthew-wilson/linux-wifatch-malware-is-actually-making-routers-more-secure/#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2015 19:07:14 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=270532 We seem to have a vigilante white hat hacker on our hands, as newly discovered ‘malware' aimed at Internet of Things devices and certain routers appears to be making these devices more secure. The Linux.Wifatch virus is doing the exact opposite of what most viruses would, rather than stealing user information or holding systems for …

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We seem to have a vigilante white hat hacker on our hands, as newly discovered ‘malware' aimed at Internet of Things devices and certain routers appears to be making these devices more secure. The Linux.Wifatch virus is doing the exact opposite of what most viruses would, rather than stealing user information or holding systems for ransom, it is actually improving security.

Linux.Wifatch was discovered by security firm, Symantec, which explained: “We first heard of Wifatch back in 2014, when an independent security researcher noticed something unusual happening on his home router. At first sight there was nothing unusual about it. As part of Symantec's efforts to identify malware targeting embedded devices we run a large network of honeypots that collect many samples, and Wifatch seemed to be just another of these threats.”

wifatch-header

“However, after a closer look, this particular piece of code looked somewhat more sophisticated than the average embedded threat we usually spot in the wild. Once a device is infected with the Wifatch, it connects to a peer-to-peer network that is used to distribute threat updates. The further we dug into Wifatch's code the more we had the feeling that there was something unusual about this threat. For all intents and purposes it appeared like the author was trying to secure infected devices instead of using them for malicious activities.”

The Wifatch virus has been under observation for a few months now by the security firm. However, it also pointed out that it hasn't been observed performing any malicious acts so far, which could potentially change at some point as the code contains backdoors for the author to use at will. At the end of the day, this is still injected code without user consent or knowledge, mostly over Telnet connections, which means its worth keeping an eye out for.

If you're interested in reading a more in-depth analysis of Wifatch, you can find the full Symantec report, HERE. I'd recommend giving it a read, it really is some fascinating stuff.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is certainly an interesting story. Normally when we hear about new viruses, it turns out to be some form of ransomware or part of some future phishing scam but Wifatch doesn't appear to be doing anything malicious at this point in time. 

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Samsung shifts resources from smartphones to other projects https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/anton-shilov/samsung-shifts-resources-from-smartphone-development-to-other-projects/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/anton-shilov/samsung-shifts-resources-from-smartphone-development-to-other-projects/#respond Thu, 20 Nov 2014 00:00:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=222428 Less than a month after reporting lower-than-expected revenues and profits because of challenges on the market of smartphones, Samsung Electronics is reconsidering its investments in development of handsets. Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest maker of mobile phones and smartphones, has the broadest family of smartphones among all suppliers. While this has helped the company to …

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Less than a month after reporting lower-than-expected revenues and profits because of challenges on the market of smartphones, Samsung Electronics is reconsidering its investments in development of handsets.

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest maker of mobile phones and smartphones, has the broadest family of smartphones among all suppliers. While this has helped the company to win market share from competitors, a huge lineup confuses buyers and costs a lot of money to develop. In a bid to streamline its expenses and put its resources into better use, Samsung recently transferred engineers from mobile phones to other projects.

Samsung shifted about 500 workers from handsets and re-allocated them largely to the Internet-of-Things projects, reports Bloomberg news-agency citing people familiar with the matter.

samsung_galaxy_s4_mini_2

Operating profit of Samsung’s mobile phone business unit slumped to 1.75 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in the third quarter of 2014 from a record 6.7 trillion won a year earlier. Sales of Samsung’s handsets declined 35.6 per cent year-over-year to 23.5 trillion own. As a result, the company began to quickly reorganize its business unit and shift valuable resources to promising projects.

“Unlike its Japanese peers, at Samsung its chairman’s plans are executed fast,” said Atul Goyal, an analyst at Jefferies Group LLC. “Being family-controlled has worked in their favor.”

samsung_gear2_1

The shift of resources from mobile phones to various IoT and wearable electronics projects may be a wise move. In the past twelve months Samsung Electronics has managed to capture a strong share in the market of smart-watches. Strengthening smart-watch development team will let Samsung offer even more competitive products going forward, an important thing, given the fact that Apple is about to start selling its smartwatch.

It is interesting to note that Samsung’s smart-watches and, possibly, other wearable and non-wearable gadgets that belong to the Internet-of-Things world are based on the Tizen operating system (even though Samsung formally supports Android Wear platform too). As a result, when Samsung shifts resources from smartphones, it shifts them to Tizen and, possibly, Android Wear. As a result, Samsung’s slumps on the market of smartphones may be a good thing for Tizen and Android Wear platforms.

Samsung did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While we do not know exact plans of Samsung concerning development of smartphones going forward, if the company decides to shrink the number of different models and concentrate on making better handsets, then it will definitely be good for both Samsung and its customers.

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ARM unveils Cortex-M7 for smart devices, industrial equipment https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/anton-shilov/arm-unveils-new-cortex-m7-for-smart-appliances-industrial-equipment/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/anton-shilov/arm-unveils-new-cortex-m7-for-smart-appliances-industrial-equipment/#respond Wed, 24 Sep 2014 22:59:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=213405 ARM Holdings this week introduced its new Cortex-M7 processor that promises to double the compute and digital signal processing (DSP) capability for high-end embedded applications used in next generation vehicles, connected devices (including the so-called Internet-of-things devices), and smart homes and factories. The ARM Cortex-M7 core is based on the ARMv7-M 32-bit instruction set and …

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ARM Holdings this week introduced its new Cortex-M7 processor that promises to double the compute and digital signal processing (DSP) capability for high-end embedded applications used in next generation vehicles, connected devices (including the so-called Internet-of-things devices), and smart homes and factories.

The ARM Cortex-M7 core is based on the ARMv7-M 32-bit instruction set and features 6-stage superscalar pipeline with branch prediction. The core can work at up to 400MHz and offers up to 3.23DMIPS per MHz. The Cortex-M7 can integrate large caches, a floating point unit high-performance memory interface for new-generation devices and so on. The new core is compatible with already developed applications. ARM claims that the Cortex-M7 delivers 2000 Coremarks at 400MHz when implemented using low-cost 40nm low-power (40LP) process technology.

ARM expects Cortex-M7 to be sued for smart control systems employed in a range of applications such as motor control, industrial automation, advanced audio, image processing, a variety of connected vehicle applications and other Internet of Things (IoT) uses.

arm_Cortex-M7-chip-diagram

“The addition of the Cortex-M7 processor to the Cortex-M series allows ARM and its partners to offer the most scalable and software-compatible solutions possible for the connected world,” said Noel Hurley, general manager of CPU group at ARM. “The versatility and new memory features of the Cortex-M7 enable more powerful, smarter and reliable microcontrollers that can be used across a multitude of embedded applications.”

Early licensees of the Cortex-M7 processor include Atmel, Freescale and ST Microelectronics.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As embedded computing devices get more complex, it is not surprising that processing cores which power them also gain performance.

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Intel: we need to develop processors for devices that could cost $0.5 https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-we-need-to-develop-processors-for-devices-that-could-cost-0-5/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/intel-we-need-to-develop-processors-for-devices-that-could-cost-0-5/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2014 03:49:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=210238 Chief executive officer of Intel Corp. said at a conference on Wednesday that while ten years down the road the company will continue to get a bulk of its revenue from PCs and servers, a significant part of its revenue will come from mobile, Internet-of-Things and other emerging market segments. The CEO of the company …

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Chief executive officer of Intel Corp. said at a conference on Wednesday that while ten years down the road the company will continue to get a bulk of its revenue from PCs and servers, a significant part of its revenue will come from mobile, Internet-of-Things and other emerging market segments. The CEO of the company expects that eventually it will have to offer solutions for ultra-low-cost devices that will still need computing and communications capabilities.

“One of the things we are working on right now is really figuring out how to take our silicon leadership and our architecture down into we talk about parts that may only cost $0.50 and have comms, CPU, everything down there and can run on small batteries,” said Brian Krzanich at the Citi Global Technology Conference.

Ten years from now Intel expects to offer a lot of products for devices not imaginable today. Not only electronics in general, but things around us are going to get smarter. As a result, there will be a need for chips that cost a lot less than they do today, but deliver similar functions. While now it is hard to imaging ultra-cheap products with computing capabilities, ten years ago we barely could imagine sub-$100 smartphones.

intel_quark

Still, Intel is confident that personal computers and servers will continue to bring it a lot of money. The market segments are just too big already and continue to be growing. In fact, the more smart devices are on the market, the more server computing power is needed for various things, including Big Data analysis.

“If we look 10 years out, Intel is definitely going to be a broader company across the much broader spectrum of computing,” said Mr. Krzanich. “Servers and PCs… I mean you have a business of PCs that is over $30 billion a year, servers are roughly at about $10 to $12 billion now and growing at double-digits. They are going to still be major portions of our business.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Traditionally Intel has tried not to enter low-margin markets of micro-controllers and other low-cost chips. It looks like the company is changing its mind about inexpensive processors now. It will be interesting to see whether Intel manages to sustain its 60+ per cent margins going forward, or will have to get over with lower margins.

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Intel, Dell, Samsung, others to develop new wireless tech https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/intel-dell-samsung-others-to-develop-new-wireless-interconnection/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/intel-dell-samsung-others-to-develop-new-wireless-interconnection/#respond Tue, 08 Jul 2014 22:57:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=202141 Six major high-tech industry companies on Tuesday said they would jointly develop a new wireless communication technology for various devices. The new interconnection will utilise existing and emerging wireless standards and will be designed to be compatible with a variety of operating systems Atmel Corp., Broadcom Corp., Dell, Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics and Wind River …

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Six major high-tech industry companies on Tuesday said they would jointly develop a new wireless communication technology for various devices. The new interconnection will utilise existing and emerging wireless standards and will be designed to be compatible with a variety of operating systems

Atmel Corp., Broadcom Corp., Dell, Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics and Wind River on Tuesday announced formation of the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC). The OIC will create a wireless interconnection specification for PCs, smartphones, tablets, home and industrial appliances as well as new wearable form factors. The technology will be a key specification in the world of Internet of Things (IoT).

Member companies will contribute software and engineering resources to the development of a protocol specification, open source implementation, and a certification program, all with a view of accelerating the development of the IoT.

wireless_displays

At present nothing is known about the specification developed by the OIC. The only thing that is clear today is that the technology will rely on intellectual properties owned by the aforementioned companies and will be open source. It will allow to enable interoperability between very different devices, so expect it to be secure, low-power and fast enough. It is unknown when do the companies involved plan to introduce the first version of the new standard.

“Open source is about collaboration and about choice. The Open Interconnect Consortium is yet another proof point how open source helps to fuel innovation,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation. “We look forward to the OIC's contribution in fostering an open environment to support the billions of connected devices coming online.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There is a clear need for a sophisticated interconnection technology for modern devices. However, the world already has a plenty of wireless interconnections (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiGig, 4G/LTE, etc.). Maybe the tech companies could use them instead of creating yet another one?

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Nokia’s new CEO bets on Internet-of-Things, new devices to revive the company https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/nokias-new-ceo-bets-on-internet-of-things-new-devices-to-revive-the-company/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/nokias-new-ceo-bets-on-internet-of-things-new-devices-to-revive-the-company/#respond Mon, 05 May 2014 22:00:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=191267 Now that Nokia Corp. got rid of its devices and services division which sold smartphones and mobile phones, it has three business units with which it needs to return to profitability and grow. While all three business units can potentially grow exponentially under certain conditions, the company clearly needs a breakthrough to become a powerhouse …

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Now that Nokia Corp. got rid of its devices and services division which sold smartphones and mobile phones, it has three business units with which it needs to return to profitability and grow. While all three business units can potentially grow exponentially under certain conditions, the company clearly needs a breakthrough to become a powerhouse again. Certainly, the new chief exec has some ideas.

At present Nokia consists of three business units: Here mapping service, network equipment division and Advanced Technologies department that will develop innovative technologies for Nokia and potential licensees. The network equipment group currently brings the bulk of Nokia revenue, but the business is stalling since the majority of carriers have already completed their upgrades to faster 4G/LTE network equipment. The other two groups have vast potential since they can bring Nokia to completely new areas.

“We don’t look at ourselves as a networks-only business,” said Rajeev Suri, the new chief executive officer of Nokia, in an interview with Bloomberg news-agency. “There’s the potential for us to get into new products and new innovations and time will tell how we exploit that.”

nokia_rajeev_suri_ceo

Mr. Suri currently hopes that as the market of Internet-of-things devices takes off, more companies will need Nokia’s communication and advanced technologies. Apparently, not only the chief exec of Nokia believes in IoT, Nokia’s chairman also thinks that the new devices will represent a lot of opportunities for the company.

“The Internet of things and what we call the programmable world will be a revolution,” said Risto Siilasmaa, the chairman of Nokia. “The sale of the mobile phone unit frees Nokia to think of new technologies more broadly, without it having to focus on innovating just for its own devices. Now we can dream much bigger.”

Reinventing itself for new market opportunities is something that Nokia can do well. Over its 140 years history the company made various products and expanded on completely new markets.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: We can wish the new Nokia good luck with its IoT plans. Only time will tell whether Nokia will really be able to rebuild itself and become a powerhouse again…

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ImgTec MIPS-based platform for wearable electronics announced https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/imgtec-mips-based-platform-for-wearable-electronics-announced/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/imgtec-mips-based-platform-for-wearable-electronics-announced/#comments Thu, 03 Apr 2014 22:56:03 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=185840 With the introduction of Google Android Wear operating system, hardware makers developing ultra-low-power chipsets started to unveil their platforms for wearable devices, such as smart-watches or smart-eyewear. Imagination Technologies, a leading designer of general purpose processing cores as well as multimedia and graphics processing engines, said this week that it would reveal a number of …

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With the introduction of Google Android Wear operating system, hardware makers developing ultra-low-power chipsets started to unveil their platforms for wearable devices, such as smart-watches or smart-eyewear. Imagination Technologies, a leading designer of general purpose processing cores as well as multimedia and graphics processing engines, said this week that it would reveal a number of initiatives aimed at the wearable computing devices.

While ImgTec is only preparing to introduce its MIPS, PowerVR and Ensigma cores optimized for ultra-low power consumption, there are companies who already offer platforms for wearable electronics based on technologies from Imagination. One of the several MIPS-based application processors designed for wearables is the Ingenic Newton, which was developed by Ingenic Semiconductor, a company from China.

The company designs its own MIPS-based, ultra-low power high-performance micro-processing core called XBurst which has already been shipped in more than 40 million devices (tablets, e-book readers, multimedia players, etc.).

Ingenic Newton is a highly integrated chip that includes 1GHz MIPS-based Ingenic JZ4775 CPU with 256KB L2 cache; memory and storage controller that supports mobile DDR3/DDR2/LPDDR RAM as well as eMMC storage; 2D graphics engine, video processing engine (supports MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC-1, H.264, VP8, RV9 codecs) with 720p@30fps playback, 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer magnetometer, pressure, humidity and temperature sensors; Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n at 2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR (including Bluetooth LE support), NFC and FM connectivity. The SoC fully supports UART, I2C, USB and GPIO.

Ingenic-Newton-MIPS-based-JZ4775-apps-processor

Ingenic Newton is very small (21.6mm*38.4mm) chip and it achieves very impressive power consumption figures under typical workloads: standby power is 4mW, generic computing tasks (e.g., MP3 playback) take up to 100mW on average while peak power consumption is around 260mW. This means that Ingenic-powered smartwatches can last for 30+ hours on a single charge, according to ImgTec.

Ingenic-Newton-MIPS-based-Ingenic-JZ4775-CPU

Linux 3.0.8, Android 4.4 KitKat and several real-time operating systems have already been ported to the Newton platform and developers can access the open source drivers. Additionally, Ingenic can provide specialized software packages for customers that are looking at voice or gesture control for user interfaces.

Ingenic already offers its Newton platform for purchase.

KitGuru Says: These days it is very interesting to see various hardware platforms for wearable electronics. For example, Google uses a rather high-performance smartphone-class SoC inside Google Glass. Meanwhile, Toshiba thinks that a chip featuring ARM Cortex-M4F processor (with 48MHz clock-rate) with a DSP and a floating point processing unit, should be enough for wearable gadgets. Ingenic believes that a 1GHz MIPS core should be fine for smart-watches and other gear. It looks like at present hardware vendors simply have no idea what kind of apps will be run on wearable electronics…

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