Dogtown’s Rob Pope Talks Botnets and Security at IoT World
Last week, the Santa Clara Convention Center was bustling with innovators, execs, and app developers for the Internet of Things World expo. It’s the world’s largest IoT conference, with over 11,000 professionals in the industry in attendance this year. It should be no surprise that the expo was packed out given that internet of things […]
Amazon’s Echo Show Brings Video Phones to the Smart Home
According to a new Technalysis Research survey, a quarter of all homes in the U.S. have at least one smart home device. Of those households, 56% own a smart speaker, with 60% of those purchased in the last six months. So Amazon picked the exact right time to announce its Echo Show, a new version […]
Facebook’s New Drones Will Bring WiFi When Disaster Strikes
Mother Nature has a cruel tendency to knock out cell towers and other infrastructure after major natural disasters, when they are needed most. When communications are down, it’s extremely difficult for disaster relief efforts to coordinate and for panicked families to reach out to endangered loved ones in the impacted area. Fortunately, Facebook and Everfly, […]
Siri Comes Home in the Form of a New Voice-Activated Speaker
It’s a testament to Apple’s supremacy in the marketplace and culture that rumors about new products tend to drum up more excitement than most other companies’ big launches. Internet of things app developers and Apple devotees were thrilled this week to hear that the company’s answer to Amazon Echo and Google Home may be right […]
Drone Sales Soar Dramatically Since Last Year
Just a few short years ago, drones only seemed to come up in conversations about the ethics of modern warfare. That era must seem far away to internet of things app developers witnessing the current drone boom. At this point, drones are popping up everywhere and doing a little bit of everything. Amazon’s much-hyped PrimeAir […]
Dogtown’s Rob Pope Will Speak at Internet of Things World
The market for internet of things devices is booming right now. In 2015, there were 15.4 billion IoT devices installed around the world; that number is expected to more than triple by 2021. People love the idea of a life made more efficient by a network of interconnected devices, but there are mounting concerns over […]
Latest Amazon App Update Brings Alexa to the iPhone
Look out, Siri — there’s a new voice on the iPhone, and its name is Alexa. The Amazon app development team included Alexa as part of the latest update of the online shopping behemoth’s app for iOS, marking the first time the company has directly offered the voice-first service on an iPhone. Before this week’s […]
Brands Are Creating Their Own Branded Voice Assistants
Move over, Siri — there’s a new cheery-voiced assistant vying for user attention. Starbucks is the latest national brand to launch into the voice app space, and they’re doing it in a novel way with the creation of a Starbucks-specific voice assistant. Similar to ordering from a business via Google or Siri, the Starbucks voice […]
App Development and Ethics at the Crossroads Post-Election
In the past five years, the effects of the app economy on the social and financial structure of America has grown far beyond what anyone expected. The Ubers and AirBnBs of the app store have revolutionized how we rent, buy, and even think about property. Social networks like Facebook have connected us in ways we […]
IoT Device Playing Central Roll in Criminal Investigation
All the evidence currently public points towards a guilty verdict for James Andrew Bates of Bentonville, Arkansas, but an unexpected witness could overturn the case — or confirm it. Police in the area have issued a warrant to Amazon, demanding data from the Amazon Echo installed in the suspect’s home. The case raises serious questions […]