Latest Consumer IoT & Wearables News

Vodafone launches ‘Economy of Things’ platform

Vodafone has launched a global “Economy of Things” platform that enables connected devices to trade with each other.

The new platform, launched today, is called Digital Asset Broker (DAB) and enables businesses across industry sectors to transform physical goods into tradable digital assets.

Connected devices are often limited in their automation due to awaiting manual payment for the service(s) they provide. In the future, connected devices will be able to make...

28 February 2022 | Applications

Vodafone Connected Consumer 2030: How smart tech will transform our world

Vodafone held an event to celebrate the launch of a new report exploring how “smart technology will fundamentally transform our experience of the world in the next decade.”

The report, Connected Consumer 2030, was conducted by The FutureLaboratory on behalf of Vodafone.

An opening video at the start of the event highlighted the challenges we face—geopolitical tensions, climate change, strained healthcare systems, depleting resources, and more. It’s a pretty bleak...

26 January 2022 | Applications

Berg Insight: The number of remotely-monitored patients hit 45.6M in 2020

Research from Berg Insight suggests the number of remotely-monitored patients hit 45.6 million in 2020.

The IoT market research giant analysed the growing number of patients enrolled in mHealth care programs where connected devices were used as part of the regimen.

Adoption is currently being driven by sleep therapy, diabetes monitoring, and implantable cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices.

ResMed and Philips are the two brands dominating the sleep therapy...

20 December 2021 | Applications

Editorial: 10 predictions for the IoT in 2022

As we begin wrapping up the year, it’s time to predict what the IoT industry will look like in 2022.

Seamlessly connected homes

“The US market has seen substantial year-over-year growth in the number of connected homes, and this is expected to continue in the years to come,” analysts from McKinsey said in a recent report.

“However, we're still far from the vision of seamlessly connected homes.”

The emergence of Thread as a widely-backed...

16 December 2021 | Applications

Google looks set to finally debut its Apple Watch competitor in 2022

According to reports, the long-rumoured in-house smartwatch from Google will finally launch in 2022.

Insider reports that a smartwatch from Google codenamed Rohan will launch next year. When it hits the market, it will probably launch commercially as the Pixel Watch.

Rohan is said to have a round design without a physical bezel. Google employees have reportedly been allowed to use the prototype for feedback purposes but claim that it currently needs to be charged...

3 December 2021 | Consumer IoT & Wearables

UK introduces PSTI bill to protect IoT devices

The UK has introduced the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) bill which promises to protect IoT devices.

Many “smart” devices fail to live up to their name when it comes to security. As manufacturers seek to keep pace with the demand for IoT devices, security is too often an afterthought.

Julia Lopez, Minister for Media, Data, and Digital Infrastructure, said:

“Every day hackers attempt to break into people’s smart devices....

25 November 2021 | Consumer IoT & Wearables

Forrester: Chip shortage will limit IoT growth by 10-15% in 2022

Forrester Research predicts the ongoing global chip shortage will limit IoT growth by 10-15 percent in 2022.

The chip shortage that’s plaguing all technology manufacturers is the result of several factors including trade conflicts and even a drought in Taiwan, the leading country for semiconductor manufacturing. However, the biggest factor was COVID-19.

COVID-19 forced the closure of many semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Meanwhile, the demand for technology...

18 November 2021 | Consumer IoT & Wearables

Samsung SmartThings adds support for the Matter protocol

Samsung’s smart home platform SmartThings has added support for the industry-changing Matter protocol.

Matter is a new IoT standard that’s backed by more than 180 companies (even Apple!) and is guided by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (formerly Zigbee Alliance) whose members span various industries.

Michelle Mindala-Freeman, Head of Marketing for the Connectivity Standards Alliance, said:

“We truly believe that Matter is the foundation and future of...

28 October 2021 | Consumer IoT & Wearables

Oculus Quest Pro leaks as Facebook’s metaverse plans begin taking shape

A leak showing the alleged Oculus Quest Pro has emerged as Facebook begins its transition into a metaverse company.

The metaverse is essentially a next-generation version of the web in which users share a persistent 3D world using technologies like VR and 5G. Naturally, it poses a long-term threat to social networks as they exist today.

In June, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told his employees that the social giant’s current divisions – focusing on communities,...

25 October 2021 | Consumer IoT & Wearables

Royal Caribbean bringing IoT wearables to its cruises

Cruise company Royal Caribbean is launching a purpose-built connected wearable to provide a range of functions for its passengers.

Being developed by Vancouver-based IoT platform company TraceSafe, the bracelet will provide Covid-19 contact tracing, serve as a room key, a wireless payment method, a locations analytics tool, and a communications device.

The bracelet will be deployed across Royal Caribbean’s 24-ship fleet, which includes four of the world’s largest...