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'It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.'
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'Electric Imp' - the Turnkey to the Internet of Things?

Bottom Line: With the advent of a startup project branded 'Electric Imp', The Internet of Things - the much vaunted concept that digitally interconnects all physical objects - is no longer a 'pie in the sky' hypothesis.


Founded by former veterans of Apple's iPhone and Google's Gmail teams, the Electric Imp module resembles an SD card but integrates Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n support plus a Cortex-M3-based processor and software-controllable I/O pins. But, hey, ignore the technobabble - the marketing implications are awesome, enabling developers to use web-based software tools to wirelessly connect to the card and ...

[Estimated timeframe: Q2 2012 onward]

write or debug code whilst realtime logging information is returned from the connected hardware.

Translated from cyber-crap, this means that manufacturers of products such as coffee-makers, dishwashers, and other appliances — who traditionally lack strong coding skills — will more easily be able to connect their appliances to the internet, where users will be able to do Nest-like things remotely: for example, start the coffee brewing before they get home via a few taps on their smartphone.

With all objects in the world equipped with minuscule identifying devices, daily life would undergo a transformation. Companies would not run out of stock or waste products, as involved parties would know which products are required and consumed.

Mislaid and stolen items would be easily tracked and located, as would the people who use them. And ability to interact with objects could be altered remotely based on your current status and existing user agreements.

Electric Imp says its cards will sell at around $25 apiece, but is offering discounts on bulk orders.

Developer previews are shipping late next month with Imp-enabled consumer products coming later in the year from "a variety of vendors." 

Read the original unabridged article here.

Factual data only is sourced from the original attributed article. The data is then enhanced by additional research and comment.

Email this article Source: TheVerge.com
MT article URL: http://www.marketingtomorrow.com/article.aspx?id=5840



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