IoT news of the week for August 23, 2019

Bose plays both sides with new portable smart speaker: There aren’t too many smart speakers that support both of the top two digital assistants, but Bose is adding another one to the mix. The company this week announced its Bose Portable Smarthome Speaker with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant built in. Oh and there’s Apple AirPlay 2 inside, too. Adding to the versatility is 12 hours of runtime on a single charge. Look for the $349 battery-powered smart speaker on September 19. (Bose)

Goodbye, Google Home Mini; hello, Nest Mini? Speaking of smart speakers, rumors are making the rounds that Google is replacing the Home Mini line with a Nest Mini product. I’d expect that to happen in October, as that’s when Google typically holds its annual hardware event. And it makes sense from a branding perspective. Word on the street is that the Nest Mini will have proximity sensors, improved sound quality, a wall-mount option, and auxiliary input jack. (9to5 Google)

Google Home Nest Hub Max will support gestures: We might as well round out the smart speaker news with this CNET article, which notes the previously announced Google Home Nest Hub Max will support gesture controls. Might that suggest Google held something back when announcing the product back in May? Perhaps this large smart speaker has a Project Soli chip for gesture support just like the Pixel 4 will, although Google could certainly use the integrated camera and smart software. Personally, I think it makes more sense to have Soli on a smart display anyway, but that’s just me. (CNET)

Global Cyber Alliance teases IoT hackers with honey: OK, so it’s not actual honey, but the GCA does provide digital honeypots that simulate real IoT devices around the world. The idea is that IoT attacks can be detected by these digital fakes so that the GCA’s security platform can analyze device threats. Once that’s done, protection solutions can be enabled on real devices to eliminate the attack vectors, possibly before they negatively impact a large number of IoT products in the wild. (GCA)

It’s time to migrate from Nest to Google. Should you? Starting this week, you can opt in to migrate your Nest account to a Google one. I ran through the process, which isn’t very time-consuming, but it bothered me that the two entities couldn’t do more integration on their side considering how much data Nest and Google have about us and our homes. Additionally, I’m not thrilled that any member of your home basically now has some administrative rights to the home. Kids could theoretically invite their friends as Google Home members, for example. Also, if you have IFTTT or Yonomi integrations with your Nest products, they’ll effectively break after account migration. I’d hold off if you’re in that situation. (Stacey On IoT)

Johnson Controls sues Wyze: Well, this isn’t good news for Wyze, although so far the details are limited. Johnson Controls, with more than $30 billion in revenue, dwarfs the far smaller Wyze, which makes those inexpensive cameras and sensors we often recommend. In the suit, Johnson Controls says Wyze has infringed on seven patents related to cloud-based video surveillance; it seeks compensation as well as to block additional usage of the patented tech. With limited cash — Wyze recently raised $20 million in funding — any ruling against Wyze could either tank the company or, at the very least, cause Wyze product prices to rise due to royalty fees. Let’s hope neither situation comes to pass because the company’s low product prices combined with good smart home utility make them very appealing. (Seeking Alpha)

VMware drops $2.1B on a cybersecurity company: VMware opened up its wallet this week, acquiring Carbon Black, which focuses squarely on cybersecurity. Carbon Black’s products include enterprise antivirus and malware detection but also help protect industrial control systems. The buy adds endpoint protection (EPP) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems for the IIoT to VMware. The company isn’t really known for IoT, but this acquisition is a good way to start changing perceptions given that VMware’s products lie squarely in the enterprise market. (CNBC)

IoT for the elderly could be big business: Now that I’ve surpassed my 50th year on this planet, I’m starting to take an interest in how technology can solve challenges unique to the aging population. This article is a good read to help look beyond the traditional roles of IoT and the smart home as applied to those who are in the later stages of life. Robots for companionship and mobility assistance as well as health monitoring tools and help for everyday important tasks (think medicine time) are just a few good examples noted here. (Digital Trends)

Shadow IoT devices are invading the enterprise: I remember using my own PDA and laptop to connect to enterprise networks long before the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and IoT movements. These days, managed computing devices are generally the ones allowed on a corporate network as opposed to “shadow IT” devices. But now that connectivity is pervading so many other products, “shadow IoT” devices are a problem. How much of a problem? According to one study mentioned in this article, a third of companies have more than 1,000 shadow IoT devices on enterprise networks each day. That could be a bigger problem than my old Dell Axim PDA from way back when. (Network World)

This husband-and-wife IoT startup helps conserve water in India: On our podcast this week, we noted that Phyn now offers a much less expensive version (just $299) of its smart water monitoring and leak detection system. In India, where water supply is limited, a married couple decided to make their own similar product to help conserve water. It costs $166 and they’ve already sold 1,000 units of their homegrown Water Savior product to apartments and homes. A little tech know-how, some sensors, and connectivity can do amazing things! (YourStory)