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Internet of Things explained by Tim O’Reilly

April 19th, 2010 luca 1 comment

We’re just starting to see the next wave: the Internet of Things.

Nike-iPod Sport Kit

Withings WiFi Body Scale

WideNoise - WideTag Inc

Every runner can monitor and share his performance just using the Nike+iPod Sport Kit.

We can share our weight on social network just using a connected body scale like Withings.

We can monitor and tweet sound pollution usign a simple iPhone + WideNoise App (still free on App Store) (full disclosure: I’m involved with WideTag Inc.).

On a recent post related to Dash7 I’ve talked about how smartphone enabled by Dash7 will give us a wide business opportunity, just thinking about the emergent LBS services.

Here we can listen Tim O’Reilly talking about the Internet of Things last week at MySQL Conference.

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Smart ads will reach us through our next Dash7 enabled smartphone

April 15th, 2010 luca No comments

So, on near future we’ll never lost the last news, last event on the city. We’ve setup our dash7 enabled smartphone to looking around for every bites of news related to Jazz Concert or Gas Station Coupon.

I’m driving down a street and I pass a smart poster pasted onto a building wall. This elicits a beep from my phone, because my phone has passively scanned the poster and discovered something that I want to be notified about (I’ve opted into receiving notifications only about certain things). Because it’s against the law where I live to check my mobile phone while driving, I wait till I’m parked and then I check what the beep was for. Turns out that one of my favorite bands is playing in the city tomorrow night! The smart poster I’d driven past was an advertisement for that band. So I then proceed to book a ticket, using my phone of course.

(source: What’s Next For Mobile Apps? )

I’m just thinking about a Dash7 App for self-broadcasting FuoriSalone events here on Milan.

This scenario will be driven by Dash7 app based on WideSpime infrastructure (disclaimer: I’m involved with WideTag Inc.)

WideSpime enables the rapid and scalable development of dependable solutions based on Social Hardware and services.

WideSpime 2.0

WideSPIME is a fault-tolerant, distributed and high-concurrency environment for building applications that can take advantage of existing cloud architectures. Its horizontal scaling and entrypoint independence allows the design of applications fully taking advantage of modern hardware architectures.

Dash7 is a wireless sensor networking standard that may play an important part in next-generation mobile services – including location-based services, the Internet of Things and social networking.

DASH7 has a range of hundreds of meters and can be used while on the move.

Communication between two DASH7-compatible devices occurs when they are brought within approximately 300 feet of one another and a wireless “hand shake” is initiated by one or both devices. The underlying layers of DASH7 technology follow the globally implemented ISO 18000-7 standard. DASH7 can be used with a variety of devices, from stand-alone DASH7 “tags” that monitor goods flowing through an electronic company’s worldwide supply chain from China to Texas, to mobile phones that allow consumers to monitor the energy usage in their own home. The possibilities are endless, and DASH7 is sure to take the complexities out of today’s increasingly sophisticated “machine-to-machine” wireless landscape and make them simpler to use.

(source: Dash7 Technology)

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Social Energy Meter on Neapolis – TG3

April 7th, 2010 luca No comments

The WideTag Social Energy Meter allows the realtime monitoring, and collaborative management, of energy usage in households, and businesses, through an innovative suite of hardware and software platforms.

(disclaimer: I’m involved with WideTag Inc )

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Are you searching for behaviour changing rules?

March 13th, 2010 admin No comments

BJFogg, founder of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University, with his Behavior Model explain what stops users from performing behaviors that designers seek.

Behavior Model BJ Fogg

Behavior Model BJ Fogg

if users are not performing a target behavior, such as rating hotels on a travel web site, the FBM helps designers see what psychological element is lacking. …

… The FBM highlights three principal elements, each of which has subcomponents. Specifically, the FBM outlines three Core Motivators (Motivation), six Simplicity Factors (Ability), and three type of Triggers. The subcomponents define the larger elements.
(source: behaviormodel.org – BJ Fogg)

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Looking for A Hardware for the iPhone

January 17th, 2010 luca No comments

Excited by the next rumored iPhone 4G’s feature, a RFID tag reader embedded, I’ve googled for “iphone hardware”.

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The touchscreen interface seems better suited to sweeping gestures than tapping ones, although programs like Bebot have implemented clever workarounds.

But with Apple opening up the iPhone’s dock connector to third parties, I wonder: Couldn’t a manufacturer develop a hardware music keyboard with an intelligent docking station? You’d slot in your iPhone and get a high-res screen, tactile controls, and all kinds of sound-making capabilities.

(source: A hardware Music Keyboard for the iPhone – O’Reilly – David Battino )

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Will the iPhone be the Swiss knife of the Smartphone market?

January 17th, 2010 luca No comments

As reported by ReadWriteWeb, there’s rumor about the RFID reader feature of the next iPhone, the 4G’s.

So, it’s seems that the iPhone will be a platform for an huge different field: as a mobile self-payment system, or as chemical detector and as a RFID tag reader.

According to a number of believable blog reports, RFID is set to be a part of the as yet unannounced iPhone 4G. Apple holds a patent for a touch screen RFID tag reader and is said to be testing an RFID-enabled iPhone currently. So RFID could be a feature of the iPhone 4G as soon as Spring 2010.

(source: ReadWriteWeb – iPhone as RFID Tag & Reader: Coming Soon)

iPhone RFID: object-based media from timo on Vimeo.

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Smart Meter a way to help CO2 reduction?

December 24th, 2009 luca No comments

Smart Meter may help CO2 reduction while puts you in control of your energy cost.
By 2015 something like 250 million smart meters will be installed worlwide.

According to a new report from Pike Research, more than 250 million smart meters will be installed worldwide by 2015, representing a penetration rate of 18% of all electrical meters by that time, up from 46 million in 2008.

(source: PikeResearch – Smart Meter Installation to Reach 250 Million Worldwide by 2015)

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U.S. App store: growth and trends of Applications

December 17th, 2009 luca No comments

An interesting view of the growth and the trends of iPhone Apps on U.S. App Store, by Ben Lorica – O’Reilly Radar.

One crude measure for the relative complexity of developing apps across categories is to compare the number of apps per seller. The Top 5 categories in Nov/2009, were Books (17 apps per seller), Travel (6 apps per seller), Education (4 per seller), Reference and Sports (3 per seller). There were also 3 apps per seller in the Games and Entertainment categories in Nov/2009:

(source: Apps Per Seller Across the US iTunes Categories O’Reilly Radar)

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WideNoise one of the Top 10 Internet of Things Products of 2009

December 9th, 2009 luca No comments

As business developer of WideTag Inc. I’m proud of the WideNoise inclusion on the Top 10 Internet of Things Products of 2009.

The iPhone is a fertile ground for Internet of Things, as a product called WideNoise shows. WideNoise is an iPhone application that samples decibel noise levels, displaying them on an interactive map.With the app you can take a sound reading, and if you so wish share that with the WideNoise community. You can check the average sound level of the area around you, which might be handy if you’re house-hunting or simply looking for a quiet spot to relax in.
(source: Top 10 Internet of Things Products of 2009)

WideNoise

WideNoise

WideNoise

WideNoise is the iPhone and iPod Touch application that samples decibel noise levels, and displays them on a worldwide interactive map.

Noise is pollution as well

We live every day surrounded by all kinds of sound around us. We are accustomed to this background noise, but in the end we feel relieved when, maybe in a park, that stressful noise disappears. WideNoise helps you better understand the soundscape around you.
(source: WideNoise)

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A dream or a pain?

December 2nd, 2009 luca No comments

SquareUp presents a new gorgeous mobile self-payment system. Something like a mobile wallet, with you everywhere!

Swap you payment on SquareUp

Swap you payment on SquareUp

  • 0 to $60 in under 10 seconds.

    Start accepting payment cards immediately with Square. No contracts, monthly fees, or hidden costs. Effortlessly manage all the money you take with an easy and intuitive interface.

    Create a Square payer account to speed up and secure every payment. With photo verification, Square users can visually confirm you are the card holder.

  • Swipe it.

    Read payment cards from any device with an audio input jack, including your mobile phone. Accepting payments has never been faster or more convenient.

  • Pay quickly, securely.

    Create a Square payer account to speed up and secure every payment. With photo verification, Square users can visually confirm you are the card holder.

SquareUp (via Garry’s Posterous )

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