IoT news of the week for Sept. 04, 2020

Amazon can’t stop, won’t stop: For the last two or three years, Amazon has invited press to its Seattle headquarters in mid-September for a barrage of announcements related to Alexa and connected devices. This year, the in-person onslaught can’t happen, so it appears Amazon is planning to release new news every few days. Already in the last week we’ve seen the launch of Amazon Halo, a wearable activity tracker; the launch of two new smart home cameras; and Thursday’s announcement of a service designed to bring Alexa to apartment buildings and other shared living facilities. Alexa for Residential is designed for property owners so they can enable smart apartments but not require the residents themselves to set everything up. Residents can link their Amazon accounts to the system if they want, but even if they don’t they can still control the devices installed in their apartments with their voice and also ask questions such as, “When is trash day?” Amazon is launching the service with two companies I have covered often — the newly acquired Stratis IoT and Iotas. Sentient Property Services will also provide Alexa for Residential. And of course, for those who go from an apartment to their own home, they’ll already be primed to call for Alexa, which could give Amazon’s digital assistant a leg up over Apple’s Siri or Google. (Amazon blog)

ARM’s new chip is designed for a world of distributed data: ARM has a new chip design — the CortexR82, designed for storage systems — available to license. It’s the latest example of an underlying shift taking place in how we think about computing, networking, and storage in a world where data is generated everywhere and computers must generate insights immediately. Generally, when I talk about ARM I’m talking about its microcontrollers (relatively dumb, low-power chips for sensors) or its application processors, which are in every smartphone on the planet. But it also makes the R family of chips for real-time applications, such as one might find in telecommunications gear or high-end storage. The R82 is designed for the storage world, and it’s built to help companies build solid-stage storage for data that can actually handle some of the computation on the data while it’s in storage. The IoT is driving more data creation, but much of that data is only relevant for a short amount of time or only needed for a quick decision. With that in mind, storage companies are building boxes that can solve basic calculations on data at the edge so they can then dump unnecessary data or relegate it to a slower form for eventual upload into storage. This is a big shift in computing architecture that I’ll dive into in a few weeks. (AnandTech)

The energy-harvesting chips are preparing for their debut! If we want to install a network of connected sensors everywhere, we need better energy-harvesting technology. No one wants to constantly change batteries. Atmosic, which is trying to create chips that allow customers to build connected, battery-less devices, has signed a deal with SMK Electronics Corp., which makes a variety of products that then get rebranded and sold under popular consumer brands. Atmosic is showing off a battery-less remote control that uses Bluetooth to connect to a TV and even allows for a push-to-talk function on the remote. However, Atmosic can’t say what SMK plans to actually build with the technology, only that it expects it to be out before the end of this year. So keep your eyes peeled, because energy-harvesting smart electronics are the future. (Atmosic)

Lutron will work with Ring products: Next month, your Lutron connected lights will integrate with the Ring doorbell and security systems. Users can set up specific Lutron lights to turn on when a Ring camera or doorbell detects motion or if someone presses the bell. This is a nice way to ensure the porch light turns on when you get home or that a dark porch doesn’t foil your doorbell’s ability to get a good image of your visitor. (CE Pro)

Philips is launching new Bluetooth bulbs and an integration with Yale locks: In other lighting and security news, Philips Hue showed off new form factors for its Bluetooth light bulbs (candelabra), a new lamp, and a $200 light strip designed to wrap around the back of your TV. The light strip works with the Philips Hue Sync box, which lets your colored bulbs match the content on your TV screen. Kevin loves his, but most people will find the set-up pricey. Philips also said it will integrate its lights with the Yale locks, meaning your lights can turn on when someone unlocks the door or note when you leave and turn on lights as needed to make it look like you’re home. (The Verge)

Color-changing lights are so 2019; 2020 needs germ-killing lights: I want one of these for my bathroom stat! LIFX will release a connected bulb later this year that includes germ-killing high-energy violet (HEV) light. The $70 light bulb will only use the HEV light when it is initially turned on, then will revert to a traditional, visible LED light. The use of HEV is supposed to kill bacteria and some germs if it’s used for long enough. LIFX thinks people could schedule the bulb to clean their bathrooms or desks at night. I suppose now I will need one of these for my office, too. (CNET)

Aveva to buy OSIsoft in a big deal for the industrial IoT: UK industrial software company Aveva has agreed to pay $5 billion to buy OSIsoft. OSIsoft provides data historian software for industrial clients and was partially owned by SoftBank’s Vision fund after Softbank’s chairman made several big bets on the IoT. A few disastrous investments (namely WeWork) and the pandemic have pushed Softbank to try to liquidate some of its investments, which led to the sale of OSIsoft. Aveva provides engineering and process management software, and the combination of the two companies will help Aveva offer a more comprehensive portfolio of software to clients that want to move from monitoring their industrial equipment to automating it. (Machine Design)