communication

With the increase connected cars and supporting services, the need for these cars to store, analyse and exchange data is set to increase exponentially; the industry is expecting by 2020 connected and autonomous car data traffic to reach over 280 petabytes per vehicle each year.  This potential market is attracting manufacturers with diverse solutions. Western Digital, which many know as a storage solution provider for computers, has released an embedded storage device specifically for connected automotive applications and the infotainment sector.

Mercedes-Benz has join a long list of car manufacturers that are offering car owners the connected car experience.  They have announced that their new 2016 and 2017 models* will come with Google Home and Amazon Alexa. The integration of Google Assistant on Google Home, will allow you to speak to your car, said Mercedes-Benz.  The new services, said the manufacturer, is part of their long-term goal in using cutting edge technology to create an intelligent ecosystem around their cars.

The year 2020 will mean different things to different businesses, however, I have noticed that many businesses, governments and world organisations have set themselves goals which they would like to achieve by 2020.  In terms of numbers it is five years from now and five years short of a quarter century.  For the connected home sector there are many predictions around its worth by the year 2020 and how many homes will have the technology.  The sector is not short of evangelists and analysts, predicting many changes and milestones for the sector.

If you are a manufacturer planning on entering the connected home market and be part of this Internet of Things you will want to get your product to market as quick as possible.  You might not have or want to invest too much into developing applications and interfaces for smartphones, tablets or PCs.  For existing manufacturers who have IOT products and not the software platform, there is Thingsquare.  Thingsquare can provide the platform to make all these interfacing possible.

The connected life style should have a market potential of US $731 billion by 2020, this is according to Frost and Sullivan.  This figure includes revenue from all sectors that touches the connected home.  Cloud computing, mobility, low cost sensors, big data are driving the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected industries.

No Country’s government can hide or turn a blind eye to the development of smart technologies; especially if it relates to smart cities.  A smart infrastructure has the potential to save a country billions of dollars and enhance the lives of its citizens.  Before, these can be realised there a few key areas that if not supported will hinder smart city development and rob a country and its citizens of the benefits.

The Panasonic KX-PRL262B Dock Style DECT telephone system is also an entertainment system in one. You can connect your iPod touch, iPad and iPhone via Bluetooth or its lightning connector to make or receive hands free calls.  It also offers on-base phone charging and with it’s built-in stereo speakers you can listen to your favourite music from your iPhone or iPod. The KX-PRL262B Dock Style cordless telephone system uses Panasonic’s popular Link2Cell technology to connect your iPhone via Bluetooth, allowing you to make and receive phone calls anywhere in your home using the handset.

The value of the world’s digital home entertainment systems market* has increased by over $3 US billion from 2012 to 2013, this is according to a report from Electronics.ca Publications. Entitled "Digital Entertainment in the Home: Technologies and Global Markets", they estimated that by 2018 the market is expected to grow to US $176.3 billion, and register a five-year compound annual growth rate of 3.2% from 2012 to 2018.

Dutch tech firm, Philips electronics has been scaling back and refocusing some of its home solutions, over recent years. The latest is its TV operations, which they own in partnership with TPV Technologies.  Philips announced this week that they have sold their 30 per cent share in TP Vision to majority owner TPV Technologies, to focus on their smart lighting and connected health market.

2013 has been another exciting year for the connected home we have seen many changes and developments. I would say this year was the year for new comers (mainly start-ups), introducing solutions to the market.  Service providers have done a lot to expand their services to the home thus creating new revenue streams. Overall, I think the idea of the connected home has received a lot of mixed press from the general media.