IoT news of the week for April 30, 2021

Microsoft discovers 25 security vulnerabilities in OT devices: Security researchers at Microsoft have shared research showing that a large class of industrial and embedded IoT devices are vulnerable to a class of memory allocation function vulnerabilities called BadAlloc. These vulnerabilities affect the real-time operating systems (RTOS) used in embedded devices and allow a hacker to execute malicious code on the device. For details on the affected RTOSes and devices click on through. Microsoft recommends you patch affected devices or separate them from the rest of the network. (Bleeping Computer) — Stacey Higginbotham

Another IoT connectivity startup raises money: Connecting devices is still a pain for many makers of IoT devices. There are a lot of options, a lot of tradeoffs, and figuring out the best radio technology requires a good understanding of what you want the device to do and the environment where it will live. Knowing your business model helps, too. That’s why there are so many startups and established companies trying to provide connectivity for the IoT. And Teal Communications, a Seattle-based eSIM provider, is yet another one. Teal just raised $9.1 million to provide IoT device makers with access to a global network of cellular carriers with a virtual or physical SIM card. Teal also added former AT&T IoT executive Glenn Lurie to its board. (Geekwire) — Stacey Higginbotham

CNN gets excited about the smarter smart home: This story provides a good overview of where we’re heading with the smart home (or where we think we’re heading) and focused on devices that can take in sensor data and react in ways that don’t require human intervention. It cites Alexa’s Hunches, Nest’s learning thermostats, and some proposed products from electronics and appliance companies that either predict human actions in a home and react to them or that recognize a person and adapt accordingly. It’s a fun overview, but it’s also so common; it even references the movie “Smart House” and “The Jetsons.” Maybe I’m cynical, but after more than a decade of feeling like this level of tech was just around the corner, I’m tempted to give up on a unified smart home and focus instead on smart devices that make life easier but don’t need to work with anything else. (CNN) — Stacey Higginbotham

Satellite drama between Swarm and Orbcomm: In 2005, I covered satellite communications for a private equity publication. Back then, the tech was straightforward, the capital costs were high, and the biggest variable was whether or not you could get the regulators to change the rules. Today the satellites and launches are cheap, which dramatically lowers the capex, and the technology has become more complicated, with new spectrum bands, lower orbits, and more satellites in the air. But regulations can still make or break a business plan. This is why it’s worth noting that Swarm and Orbcomm are fighting over sharing access to the VHF spectrum that Orbcomm has been using and that Swarm (listen to a podcast interview with its CEO) has now started to use. Swarm launched its satellites before getting formal approval with the FCC for the band, but the FCC granted its use of the spectrum anyhow. Orbcomm wants the FCC to review its position, but that’s unlikely. And if the FCC doesn’t come out in favor of the spectrum sharing, that could slow or even halt entirely Swarm’s expansion to South America and parts of Europe. (SpaceNews) — Stacey Higginbotham

Shhh…I’m getting better sleep with my headphones in: We haven’t seen many exciting new hearables of late, so this week I’ll point out NightBuds. These earbuds are meant to be worn while sleeping, with the expected result of a better night’s rest. They’re specifically designed to be comfortable for your pillowed head, so they’re quite thin. But there’s enough room inside for a photoplethysmogram (PPG), an optical sensor used to monitor volumetric changes in blood flow. PPG data provides the required mobile app with your heart rate and heart rate variability to deliver more accurate sleep data and sleep suggestions. Intelligent noise-masking and passive noise-blocking features are used to block out sounds to help you snooze better while listening to your favorite sleepytime playlist. Currently an Indiegogo project, NightBuds have raised more than $1.7 million so far. Shipping is expected in June, at a retail price of $279, but early birds can pre-order for $169. (Indiegogo) — Kevin C. Tofel

Wearables and smart home devices are small but significant for Apple: The week was a big earnings week, and Apple’s $89.6 billion quarter (it was the second quarter of Apple’s fiscal year) was astonishing. IoT lovers should be taking note of two things: The first is that Apple’s Home, Wearables, and Accessories segment, which is a teeny, tiny segment of the company’s overall earnings today but stands to grow significantly as Apple launches devices like AirTags and commits to the smart home, generated sales of $7.8 billion. The second is that Apple netted $16.9 billion — or about 19% of its second-quarter revenue — from services. Apple’s services are intimately tied to its devices (with the exception of Apple TV+ and Apple Music), so I expect its services revenue to expand even as its average selling prices go down thanks to home and wearables, which are cheaper than phones or computers. (Apple) — Stacey Higginbotham

Oura raising more money: Wearables are hot, especially wearables that might help the wearer determine if they have COVID-19. So it’s no surprise that smart ring maker Oura is raising more money at an $800 million valuation. (Bloomberg) — Stacey Higginbotham

CES is going in-person for 2022: Nothing much to say here except the big tech companies are all in on the January 2022 event in Las Vegas happening in person, but will you attend? If the answer is no, then don’t worry, there will be a virtual event. (Endgadget) — Stacey Higginbotham