News out is that Intel will be concentrating the efforts of its Digital Home Group team to a smaller set of digital home solutions. They have decided to shift the Atom SoC platform focus from Digital TV processors to IP set-top media processor and gateway/cable businesses. The Digital Home Group (DHG) has had their mandate changed to include smartphone and tablet solutions as well.
Launching and driving mass adoption of Home Security and Monitoring, Energy Management and Home Control will be high up the agenda at the exclusive industry leaders summit, Connected Home Americas 2011, taking place October 18-19th at the Marriott Marquis Atlanta hotel. Also planned are in-depth discussions into the future of entertainment in the home, with topics such as multiscreen video, interactive and social TV, and TV Everywhere expected to be under the microscope.
Britain has kicked off its 4G trial for mobile broadband. The county of Cornwall was selected by BT and Everything Everywhere two of the country’s leading telecom providers. The technology which promises to offer better wireless broadband speed for those in rural areas where wired is not feasible. The telegraph said Around 200 households in St. Newlyn East and South Newquay are selected to participate in the trial.
Gitex, One of the leading Technology conferences in the Middle East, kicks off this week in Dubai. This year’s show is expecting over 3,500 ICT vendors from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and South Asian markets demonstrating their technology. A number of vendors such as Cisco, Buffalo, Netgear and Panasonic are expected to be spreading the concept of the connected home and showing visitors what is possible within the home using the latest in wireless technology.
Tollgrade Communications, Inc. today announced that it has partnered with Echelon Corporation, an industry leading open-standard energy control networking company, to provide a solution that offers real-time visibility into the power distribution network and grid analytics to monitor usage and demand. Tollgrade developed an application, LightHouse, for Echelon's Control Operating System (COS) that delivers end-to-end smart grid analytics to prevent outages, reduce operating expense through asset and vegetation management, and protect revenue for utilities.
Like the Cloud Engines PogoPlug Mobile; LaCie has launched a new device that lets you share your USB storage device. The LaPlug allows you to access your storage device on your home network (wired or via Wi-Fi) or remotely through an Internet connection. LaPlug connects to your home network via its Ethernet port and is then accessible, wirelessly; it supports Wi-Fi b/g/n access points. LaPlug can stream multimedia content and back up multiple computers to one central location. Or connect a USB printer to the LaPlug and make it wirelessly available to all computers on the network.
Airspan Networks announced that it has been chosen by Salzburg AG Austria, with integrator partner Zehetner Elektronik, for a Smart Grid 4G deployment in Salzburg, Austria.
Digi International today announced that Siemens AG is using Digi X-Grid Solutions to enhance its smart metering product with a web-based energy consumption and management platform for consumers. The Digi X-Grid is an "Extended Grid" that enables real-time, IP-based monitoring and control of home energy devices beyond the electric meter.
Twelve major players in the smart grid industry are announcing a new global partnership at the Metering Europe Conference in Amsterdam (October 4 - 6, 2011) to support the deployment of the new power line communications protocol called G3-PLC. The partners in the association are led by major players in the smart grid sector, including Enexis, ERDF, Maxim Integrated Products, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Cisco, Itron, Landis & Gyr, Nexans, Sagemcom and Trialog.
Zenverge is to leverage Entropic’s MoCA 2.0 platform to offer service providers and Open Screen solution. Both companies have announced that they will be collaborating on a MoCA (Multimedia over Coax)-based transcoding appliance reference design that allows service providers give customers the freedom to view personal or Pay-TV content on any consumer electronics (CE) device. In addition, Entropic has made a strategic investment in Zenverge totaling 10 million dollars (USD).