Retail News CRM

Tag: iot

  • ZTE launches industry’s first 5G NB-IoT-based joint home appliances standard

    ZTE launches industry’s first 5G NB-IoT-based joint home appliances standard

    ZTE, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, together with China Telecom and Haier AC, has today released the industry’s first 5G NB-IoT-based shared air-conditioner centralized control standard.

    This standard specifies the technical requirements of centralized control of shared air-conditioner, setting a benchmark for the centralized control operation of the shared economy in the home appliance industry. It is another breakthrough in the wake of the joint release of the industry’s first shared air-conditioning technology standard based on NB-IoT in September 2018 by ZTE, China Telecom Shanghai Research Institute, Haier AC and other partners.ZTE, China Telecom and Haier AC carried out a comprehensive evaluation and pre-commercial verification of the shared air-conditioner centralized control model at University of Shanghai For Science and Technology. China Telecom and ZTE provided indoor and outdoor wireless network coverage to ensure stable and reliable signal quality, data transmission, and service applications in the centralized control area. The centralized control based on NB-IoT wireless network can effectively address the problems of traditional centralized control, such as difficult engineering, complex cabling, and overwhelming maintenance.

    With the release of the shared home appliance industry standard, the NB-IoT network can realize the centralized control of temperature, mode and switch of the shared air conditioners, hence the wide application in campus, apartment and hotel scenarios.

    ZTE has always been exploring continuous innovations in the field of IoT. Based on its self-developed IoT platform and its leading edge in the 5G field, ZTE has created a series of end-to-end 5G+ integrated industry solutions in various fields, including 5G+ Smart Campus, 5G+ Industrial Park, 5G+ Smart Water Control, 5G+XR Cloud Coordination, 5G+ Cloud Education, 5G+ Smart Stadium, Smart Home, and Internet of Vehicles. By integrating the cutting-edge technologies, such as big data and AI, with the IoT, ZTE is committed to promoting the incubation and deployment of innovative IoT solutions.

    “We have been exploring the opportunities in each industry with our industry partners to create values by virtue of our experience and capabilities in the ICT field,” said Mr. Yin Gang, vice president of ZTE Corporation. “We’re happy to join hands and connect closely to build a bright future together.”

    ZTE is a provider of advanced telecommunications systems, mobile devices, and enterprise technology solutions to consumers, carriers, companies and public sector customers. As part of ZTE’s strategy, the company is committed to providing customers with integrated end-to-end innovations to deliver excellence and value as the telecommunications and information technology sectors converge. Listed in the stock exchanges of Hong Kong and Shenzhen (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), ZTE sells its products and services in more than 160 countries.

    To date, ZTE has obtained 25 commercial 5G contracts in major 5G markets such as Europe, Asia Pacific, MEA (Middle East and Africa), etc. ZTE commits 10 per cent of its annual revenue to research and d

    Lees ook:

  • DHL Supply Chain partners with Tetra Pak to implement its first digital twin warehouse in Asia-Pacific

    DHL Supply Chain partners with Tetra Pak to implement its first digital twin warehouse in Asia-Pacific

    DHL Supply Chain has successfully implemented an integrated supply chain solution for Tetra Pak’s warehouse in Singapore. This is the first smart warehouse for DHL in Asia-Pacific to deploy the digital twin technology, which involves using digital models to better understand and manage physical assets.

    “Tetra Pak is the world’s leading food processing and packaging solutions company serving the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries, and we are proud to play a part in their vision to make food safe and available everywhere,” said Jerome Gillet, CEO of DHL Supply Chain Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines. “By jointly implementing a digital solution to support Tetra Pak’s warehousing and transport operations, this collaboration is a great example for smart warehouses of the future to deliver agile, cost-effective and scalable supply chain operations.”

    Combining the Internet of Things (IoT) technology with data analytics, DHL Supply Chain created a smart warehouse solution for Tetra Pak by bridging its physical warehouse with a unique virtual representation that monitors and simulates both the physical state and behavior of the warehouse assets in real-time. With this digital twin solution, Tetra Pak can maintain 24/7 coordination of its operations to resolve issues as they occur, particularly those that involve safety and productivity.

    Warehouse supervisors can use real-time operational data to make informed decisions to reduce congestion, improve resource planning and allocate workload. Using IoT and proximity sensors on materials handling equipment (MHE), spatial awareness is enhanced, thus reducing potential collision risks. Controlled areas with restricted access are also monitored with management alerts.

    A DHL control tower monitors the flow of inbound and outbound goods to maintain time efficiency, ensuring goods are correctly shelved within 30 minutes of receipt, and delivery-bound goods are ready for shipment within 95 minutes.

    To reduce operational risks and improve safety, DHL Supply Chain has implemented a container storage management solution that minimizes the need for employees to handle heavy containers. All employees are also trained to work within newly introduced safety measures.

    “Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do at Tetra Pak,” said Devraj Kumar, director of Integrated Logistics, South Asia, East Asia & Oceania, Tetra Pak. “To keep the cogs of our operations turning seamlessly, it is vital that we have complementary warehousing and supply chain solutions that can meet the high demands of our customers. We are pleased with the successful implementation of this smart warehouse, and look forward to partnering with DHL Supply Chain to further enhance our productivity and maintain our high safety standards in our supply chain operations.”

    Lees ook:

  • Tata Communications launches IoT marketplace

    Tata Communications launches IoT marketplace

    India’s Tata Communications has announced the launch of an IoT marketplace aimed at strengthening and accelerating India’s growing IoT ecosystem.

    The new marketplace is designed to link enterprise customers with IoT service providers to enable customers to easily develop tailored IoT solutions.

    Partners including device manufacturers, software developers to start-ups and system integrators will use the platform to market, deploy and manage IoT solutions for customers ranging from government to enterprises to startups.

    Customers will be able to select from the available offerings and deploy them on a plug and play basis.

    India’s enterprise IoT market is on track to grow at a CAGR of 35% through 2023, Frost & Sullivan predicts. But a lack of standardization, interoperability and connectivity in the IoT market is inhibiting further adoption.

    “We believe that this first-of-its kind initiative provides a missing link that will make a difference to how disparate IoT components are brought together to create a unified experience in designing a solution or ultimately purchasing one; thereby enabling customers to deploy these solutions with ease and achieve their strategic goals using IoT,” Tata Communications head of IoT Alok Bardiya said.

    In support of India’s IoT ecosystem, Tata Communications is also deploying an LPWAN network that has so far been rolled out in 45 cities India-wide.

    Lees ook:

  • China driving global cellular IoT adoption

    China driving global cellular IoT adoption

    An “exceptional adoption” in China has lifted the global number of cellular IoT subscribers by 70% to reach 1.2 billion in 2018, says a report released by Berg Insight.

    The research firm predicts that there will be 9 billion IoT devices connected to cellular networks worldwide by 2023.

    China, which accounted for 63% of the global installed base in 2018, is expected to continue to be the key driver for IoT adoption, as the Chinese government is actively driving adoption as a tool for achieving domestic and economic policy goals.

    “China is deploying cellular IoT technology at a monumental scale”, said Tobias Ryberg, principal analyst and author of the report.

    According to data from the Chinese mobile operators, the installed base in the country increased by 124% year-on-year to reach 767 million at the end of 2018.

    China has overtaken Europe and North America in penetration rate with 54.7 IoT connections per 100 inhabitants, Ryberg said.

    He said the role of the government is the main explanation for why China is ahead of the rest of the world in the adoption of IoT.

    “The most distinctive characteristic of the Chinese IoT market is however the way that the government is systematically using new technology to implement its vision for urban life in the 21st century,” Ryberg said.

    “At the same time the private sector also implements IoT technology to improve efficiency and drive innovation.”

    China has witnessed widespread adoption of connected cars, fleet management, smart metering, asset monitoring and as well as new consumer services like bike sharing.

    The report also analyses the IoT business KPIs released by mobile operators in different parts of the world and found significant regional differences.

    While China has the world’s highest IoT penetration rate, Europe seems is doing better job in terms of monetizing the IoT business.

    According to the report, the monthly ARPU for cellular IoT connectivity services in China was only €0.22 ($0.25), compared to € 0.70 in Europe.

    Global revenues from cellular IoT connectivity services increased by 19% in 2018 to reach €6.7 billion. The ten largest players had a combined revenue share of around 80%.

  • Turning data into information in the age of IoT

    Turning data into information in the age of IoT

    If you think about what your home was like even just a few years ago, life was very different.

    Think about what grocery shopping was like. You’d open your fridge door to check out what’s missing, scribble down on a notebook a shopping list of what you need, turn off the aircon and switch on the alarm before you left the house and leave.

    Now, your smart fridge automatically knows when you’re running low on milk and will order the specific brand and size that you prefer and have it delivered to your front door. Left home and forgot to switch the aircon or alarm on or off? Simply view the app on your smartphone and tap your appliances on or off.

    Known as the Internet of Things (IoT), people are consuming information from more connected devices and as a result, marketing practices are rapidly changing. Retailers need to learn how to speak to customers through more channels than before.

    As IRI’s product solution director Adam Fisher explains, while more devices are creating more communication, marketers are getting blocked where they weren’t before. What happens when your fridge starts ordering groceries for you? Where a marketer could previously capture customers at the shelf in a grocery store, they now need to work out how to get your attention when the fridge automatically orders milk to your doorstep.

    “From a marketer’s standpoint, there are so many devices vying for people’s attention —How do you get the right person’s attention at the right time?” Fisher says.

    According to Fisher, one of the biggest challenges for retailers is knowing how to turn all the data into actionable information.

    “It’s knowing how do I bring [the information] in, how do I make sense of it, but on top of that, how do I know when I need to do something when it’s signalling something?” he points out.

    Marketing automation can give brands more insights and data into how people are responding to these different channels and how they should be approached, suggests Fisher. It’s one of the biggest trends in retail today

    and can help businesses engage with their customers by programmatically finding the optimal marketing and promotional activities for defined customer segments.

    A major benefit of IoT is the fact that based on all this new information from devices, brands and retailers are able to bring products to market faster, allowing them to keep up with the ever-changing retail landscape.

    However, it is vital that businesses have the right infrastructure in place in order to deliver real business growth.

    Fisher says: “It is important that they have the technology and right partner in place. In order to do this, brands and retailers will have to combine mobile and cloud technology infrastructure and go entirely digital to build a new business model by connecting people, things, processes, and data to keep up with technological innovation. That is the essence of what we do at IRI, is connecting the dots to help make faster and stronger business decisions.”

  • Vodafone to sell New Zealand subsidiary for $2.23b

    Vodafone to sell New Zealand subsidiary for $2.23b

    Vodafone Group has arranged to sell a 100% stake in Vodafone New Zealand to a consortium of investors for NZ$3.4 billion ($2.23 billion).

    The consortium comprising New Zealand infrastructure investment company Infratil and Canadian investment company Brookfield Asset Management have executed a conditional agreement to buy out Vodafone’s New Zealand subsidiary.

    Under the agreement, Infratil and Brookfield will each contribute NZ$1.03 billion towards the purchase price, with the remainder to be funded through debt reduction and equity conversion.

    Vodafone New Zealand is the market’s largest mobile operator and second largest retail fixed broadband provider, with over 1,500 mobile sites and over 10,000km of cabling nationwide. The operator generated revenue of NZ$2 billion for the financial year ending in March.

    Pending approvals from New Zealand’s Overseas Investment Office and Commerce Commission, the merger is expected to close by the end of August.

    Upon completion of the merger, Vodafone Group and the new owners of Vodafone NZ plan to enter a multi-year partnership that will cover arrangements such as preferential roaming deals.

    The partner agreement is also expected to give Vodafone NZ access to Vodafone Group’s global IoT platform and centralized procurement agreements.

    Vodafone NZ CEO Jason Paris described the agreement as to the “best of both worlds” for its customers.

    “We’ve got the backing of two new world-class and long-term investors plus we can continue to tap into Vodafone’s global expertise, including all the services our customers value such as global roaming, global procurement, and the world’s largest IoT platform,” he said.

    “The key things will stay the same – our strategy, our people, our management team, our brand, and our ability to tap into Vodafone’s global products and services. What changes is our owners, who back our ambitious plans for New Zealand and who share our views on the importance of creating sustainable, long-term profitability in order to reinvest in the future.”

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • IoT-related data breaches on the rise, study shows

    IoT-related data breaches on the rise, study shows

    There has been a dramatic increase in IoT-related data breaches specifically due to an unsecured IoT device or application since 2017, says a study released by The Santa Fe Group.

    The study found these breaches accounted for 26%, up from 15%, and the figures might actually be greater because most organizations are not aware of every insecure IoT device or application in their environment or from third party vendors.

    More alarmingly, organizations surveyed have no centralized accountability to address or manage IoT risks.

    Less than half of company board members approve programs intended to reduce third-party risk and only 21% of board members are highly engaged in security practices and understand third party and cybersecurity risks in general.

    More than 80% of respondents believe their data will be breached in the next 24 months.

    “This study proves it’s no longer a matter of if but when and board members of organizations need to pay close attention to the issue of risk when it comes to securing a new generation of IoT devices that have found their way into your network, workplace, and supply chain,” said Cathy Allen, founder and CEO of The Santa Fe Group, Santa Fe, NM.

    “The study shows that there’s a gap between proactive and reactive risk management. The time to address this issue is now and not later.”

    The study also identifies the following areas in which organizations need to improve:

    • While respondents believe a positive tone at the top is important to minimizing business and third-party risks, few companies represented in this study are making board-level governance an essential part of their risk management program.
    • The IoT threat landscape is expanding rapidly, yet many companies are not assigning accountability or ownership to the management of IoT risks.
    • Staffing and budgets are not adequate to manage third-party IoT risks.
    • Third-party risk management (TPRM) programs should include IoT risks in order to evolve and mature their practices.
    • IoT risk assessment and due diligence must move from trust assurance to verify control validation techniques.
    • Companies should be prepared for IoT regulatory oversight to rise.
    • Most companies do not conduct employee training programs on the risks created by IoT devices. Such training must begin now.
    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • SenRa, myDevices launch IoT in a Box in India

    SenRa, myDevices launch IoT in a Box in India

    Pan-India LoRaWAN network service provider SenRa is teaming with IoT firm myDevices to launch an IoT solution for industrial use in India.

    The solution, called IoT in a Box, will initially be rolled out to provide end-to-end commercial refrigeration monitoring solutions for the Indian market.

    “We are excited to bring myDevices’ IoT in a Box solution offerings to the Indian market,” said Ali Hosseini, CEO of SenRa. “This collaboration will allow us to increase adoption of LoRaWAN in India and in its mainstream market. IoT in a Box is an off-the-shelf solution which will rapidly enable digitalization PAN India.”

    According to SenRa, there are over 90 million commercial refrigeration units in operation around the world and the global demand for commercial refrigeration equipment is expected to increase 4.5% each year through 2020.

    The company believes the partnership with myDevices will help drive India’s digital movement into industries yet to be penetrated in the Indian market.

    With India’s IoT market poised to touch $15 billion by 2020, new and cost-effective solutions are an integral part of driving the market growth and IoT adoption in India.

    The IoT in a Box’s commercial refrigeration temperature monitoring offering will now drive IoT adoption into industries such as retail, supply-chain management, logistics, healthcare, and even hospitality.

    The company believes the myDevices’ IoT in a Box solution and SenRa’s LoRaWAN network services will allow businesses like pharmaceutical labs, supermarkets, corporate cafeterias, restaurants, hospitals, and food manufacturing units to better monitor and manage their refrigerators and deep-freezing units remotely and in real-time.

    Lees ook:

  • Microsoft, BMW team up to drive industrial IoT adoption

    Microsoft, BMW team up to drive industrial IoT adoption

    Microsoft and BMW have teamed up on a new initiative that they say will speed up the adoption of industrial IoT solutions.

    The two announced  at Hannover Messe earlier this month that they plan to develop an Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP) aimed at enabling faster and more cost-effective innovation in the manufacturing sector.

    In manufacturing today, production and profitability can be hindered by complex, proprietary systems that create data silos and slow productivity.

    The OMP is designed to break down these barriers with the creation of an open technology framework and cross-industry community, the companies said in a joint statement.

    It is expected that the initiative will support the development of smart factory solutions that will be shared by OMP participants across the automotive and broader manufacturing sectors.

    The goal is to significantly accelerate future industrial IoT developments, shorten time to value and drive production efficiencies while addressing common industrial challenges, the companies said.

    The OMP will be built on the Microsoft Azure industrial IoT cloud platform. BMW already manages more than 3,000 machines, robots and autonomous transport systems on Azure cloud, IoT and AI. The company said it will provide use cases to other manufacturers who sign up to the platform.

    Microsoft and BMW said they aim to bring in more manufacturers and suppliers and the goal is to have between four and six partners with them, working on 15 use cases by the end of the year.

    According to the companies, members will have access to reference architecture with open source components to integrate their own systems and a repository of data models to apply machine learning solutions.

    The platform meets the interoperability standards established by OPC.

    “The use of open international industry standards such as OPC UA in the OMP community enables manufacturers, machine builders and suppliers to integrate their existing equipment and systems efficiently and securely,” said Stefan Hoppe, president and CEO of the OPC Foundation. For a long time, companies have promoted proprietary, closed ecosystems — the OMP commitment to open development will shape tomorrow’s manufacturing.”

    Lees ook:

  • Turning data into Useful Insights in the age of IoT

    Turning data into Useful Insights in the age of IoT

    If you think about what your home was like even just a few years ago, life was very different. Think about what grocery shopping was like. You’d open your fridge door to check out what’s missing, scribble down on a notebook a shopping list of what you need, turn off the aircon and switch on the alarm before you left the house and leave.

    Now, your smart fridge automatically knows when you’re running low on milk and will order the specific brand and size that you prefer and have it delivered to your front door. Left home and forgot to switch the aircon or alarm on or off? Simply view the app on your smartphone and tap your appliances on or off.

    Known as the Internet of Things (IoT), people are consuming information from more connected devices and as a result, marketing practices are rapidly changing. Retailers need to learn how to speak to customers through more channels than before.

    As IRI’s product solution director Adam Fisher explains, while more devices are creating more communication, marketers are getting blocked where they weren’t before. What happens when your fridge starts ordering groceries for you? Where a marketer could previously capture customers at the shelf in a grocery store, they now need to work out how to get your attention when the fridge automatically orders milk to your doorstep.

    “From a marketer’s standpoint, there are so many devices vying for people’s attention — How do you get the right person’s attention at the right time?” Fisher asks.

    According to Fisher, one of the biggest challenges for retailers is knowing how to turn all the data into actionable information.

    “It’s knowing how do I bring [the information] in, how do I make sense of it, but on top of that, how do I know when I need to do something when it’s signalling something?” he asks.

    Creating cut-through

    Marketing automation can give brands more insights and data into how people are responding to these different channels and how they should be approached, suggests Fisher. It’s one of the biggest trends in retail today and can help businesses engage with their customers by programmatically finding the optimal marketing and promotional activities for defined customer segments.

    A major benefit of IoT is the fact that based on all this new information from devices, brands and retailers are able to bring products to market faster, allowing them to keep up with the ever-changing retail landscape.

    However, it is vital that businesses have the right infrastructure in place in order to deliver real business growth.

    Fisher says: “It is important that they have the technology and the right partner in place. In order to do this, brands and retailers will have to combine mobile and cloud technology infrastructure and go entirely digital to build a new business model by connecting people, things, processes, and data to keep up with technological innovation. That is the essence of what we do at IRI, is connecting the dots to help make faster and stronger business decisions.”

  • Docomo, Itochu Logistics test IoT for delivery-fleet management in US

    Docomo, Itochu Logistics test IoT for delivery-fleet management in US

    Japan’s NTT Docomo and Itochu Logistics are planning to trial an IoT solution for delivery fleet management in the US.

    The solution uses devices compatible with low-power, wide-area LTE-M technology to track the status of outsourced trucks in their fleets.

    The trial will begin in the United States on May 1, 2019.

    According to the companies, the solution involves placing hand-held, battery- or solar-powered devices in trucks to collect data, such as truck locations and frequency of sudden braking, which will be sent through an LTE network to a dedicated website.

    The solution can also provide temperature, humidity, brightness, etc. data depending on delivery needs, as well as notify customers via email when the trucks approach their destinations.Itochu Logistics USA expects to save time using the solution compared to the conventional method of manually phoning drivers to confirm their locations and estimated delivery times.

    The solution will be tested for its effectiveness in supporting the management and safety of truck fleets at Itochu Logistics USA’s delivery-trick network and logistics system.

    “While most delivery trucks are equipped with GPS devices, the location data typically is available to the owner but not to logistics/transport companies that retain the trucks on an outsourced basis,” the companies said.

    “The solution’s easily deployed LTE-M devices, however, will give logistics/transport companies dedicated access to location and other useful information about trucks operating temporarily in their fleets.”

    The trial is part of the Globiot global-IoT initiative that Docomo launched on July 2, 2018.

    The Japanese mobile giant said it expects the solution will be marketed widely throughout US, Japan, and Asia.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • IoT to drive BLE market to 1.6b devices by 2023: ABI

    IoT to drive BLE market to 1.6b devices by 2023: ABI

    ABI Research forecasts that Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices will exceed 1.6 billion annual shipments by 2023. Growth in segments like smart home, beacons and asset tracking, emerging IoT applications, alongside growth in existing key markets and the emergence of audio over BLE will enable the technology to achieve a CAGR of 27% between 2018 and 2023, tripling in size.

    Andrew Zignani, senior analyst at ABI Research, says the growth in BLE stems from continued technical enhancements that take advantage of opportunities arising from growing number of applications in various vertical markets.

    “BLE’s ubiquitous support in mobile devices, combined with its ability to support mesh networking, beacon functionality, and most recently, centimeter level location accuracy with the introduction of Bluetooth 5.1 and radio direction finding (RDF), is enabling BLE to be increasingly leveraged within smart consumer devices, larger scale home and commercial building automation environments, and RTLS deployments with more stringent accuracy requirements,” says Zignani.

    By 2020 Bluetooth is anticipated to enable high-quality audio streaming over BLE, providing a boost for the existing headset market and the emerging True Wireless audio device market.

    Zignani cites announcements at CES2019 such as Dialog Semiconductor demonstrating an audio over BLE proof of concept utilizing their SmartBond SoCs. “From 2020, we expect the Bluetooth audio market to take advantage of upcoming enhancements to better support truly cable-free earbud experiences while enhancing the battery life and user experience, though it may take some time for the standardization process to translate to wider mobile and ecosystem support,” explains Zignani.

    BLE chipset providers continue to innovate to provide further improvements in power consumption, further extending battery life and enabling support for battery-free devices via energy harvesting.

    Lees ook:

  • Vietnam, Ericsson open IoT Innovation Hub

    Vietnam, Ericsson open IoT Innovation Hub

    The Vietnamese government has launched the first IoT Innovation Hub in the nation, in collaboration with Ericsson.

    The new center aims to provide a platform for IoT research and development, as well as commercial startups and IoT-related education.

    It will allow mobile operators, businesses, students, researchers and startups to develop and test IoT applications, and support the commercialization of IoT-based products.

    At an opening ceremony for the new Innovation hub, Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology signed collaboration agreements with state-owned operators Viettel and VNPT, as well as a number of local universities, to support the operation and development of the center.

    Also at the event, Ericsson president of Vietnam, Myanmar Cambodia and Laos Denis Brunetti said the establishment of the center will help promote collaboration with Vietnam and Sweden in building initial platforms for innovation activities in Vietnam.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Integration will define the 2019 smart home

    Integration will define the 2019 smart home

    IDC says the global market for smart home devices will grow 26.9% year over year in 2019 to 832.7 million units shipped. The analyst predicts consumers to adopt multiple devices within their homes, which will result in 1.6 billion devices shipped by 2023.

    “2018 was all about getting products into consumers’ homes and both Amazon and Google excelled at this through low-cost smart speakers and multiple bundles across device categories,” said Jitesh Ubrani research manager for IDC Mobile Device Trackers. “However, 2019 will be more about tying the various devices together to form a more cohesive experience and more importantly, layering in additional services.”

    The smart home will be dominated by the likes of Amazon and Google, with Apple following suite. The popularity of iOS and macOS devices combined with the availability of Apple apps/services on non-Apple products will help the company slowly entice more consumers into their ecosystem while also attracting third parties to build compatible devices.

    “One important trend to watch is how smart assistants become integrated throughout the home,” said Ramon T. Llamas, research director for IDC’s Consumer IoT Program. “Smart assistants will act as the point of contact with multiple smart home devices and essentially become the cornerstone of the smart home experience. Already we’ve been seeing that with smart speakers and this will eventually move on to appliances, thermostats, and all sorts of video entertainment.”

  • Twitter for iOS just gained a black “Lights Out” mode

    Twitter for iOS just gained a black “Lights Out” mode

    Twitter has offered a native Dark Mode option for quite some time now, but today the popular feature is getting one highly-requested upgrade which could help improve your smartphone’s battery life.

    After previously teasing the feature, today Twitter announced that it’s rolling out a new “Lights Out” mode which ditches the blue color used by the standard Dark Mode and replaces it with a pure black background.

    To many, this means that the app’s built-in Dark Mode will now be much more aesthetically pleasing. It also means that OLED displays will directly turn off pixels, thus providing true-black tones and saving a bit of battery in the process which is always a good thing.

    In order to access it, users simply need to head to the ‘Display and sound’ menu within Settings, activate Dark Mode, and then select “Lights Out.” The original Blue theme, now called “Dim,” is still available for those who prefer it.

    The new Lights Out option is rolling out today to iPhone and iPad users. A timeline for Android is yet to be announced.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: