Posts Tagged ‘software’

Alphabet Nest and Android

Alphabet is breaking up Nest, its standalone smart-home gadgets company, and moving Nest’s software group back into Google.

enerally speaking, Google has very limited interest in making hardware in the first place. The cost of building things is high, the margins are low, and Google’s real specialty is in web services like Gmail and search anyway.

Google started signaling that Android, the most popular operating system in the world, and Chrome OS, its more niche operating system for laptops, were going to get smashed together. The result, ideally, will be a version of Android that can extend its smartphone dominance to tablets and laptops…which is why Android 7.0, the most recent release, makes split-screen multitasking such a tentpole feature.

the real business opportunity for Google is to compel a broad range of companies to create gadgets and home appliances using its software. The hardware is secondary. In fact, building its own hardware can even work against Google: The more successful Google is at selling its own hardware, the less likely other hardware makers want to use its software, since they view Google as a competitor.

Putting all its efforts behind expanding and extending Android has made Google a top player in the smartphone market, even after its late start against Apple and the iPhone.

IFTTT

https://ifttt.com/

IFTTT gives you creative control over the products and apps you love.

it is as important as a concept, as it is a real, pragmatic approach to information and hardware.
It shows clearly, how programming becomes prevalent (even for no programmers) and why coding needs to be taught at school from a very early age

What is it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFTTT

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424077,00.asp
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2044579/how-to-use-ifttt-to-automate-your-online-life.html

it provides a glimpse of what the Internet of Things will look like: Unique hardware with software triggers/actions is great for controlling your home: UP by Jawbone, Withings, SmartThings, the WeMo devices, and Harmony remotes from Belkin, Netatmo Weather Station, Philips Hue lightbulbs, and Google Glass have all been around a while. New hardware includes Amazon Echo, Automatic car connectors, Whistle Activity Monitors, Fitbit, GE Appliances, and the Nest Leaning Thermostat and Nest Protect $99.00 at Nest smoke detectors. (PC Magazine)

How to use IFTTT:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/tech/web/what-ifttt-and-how-can-it-improve-your-digital-life

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/130082-ifttt-explained-how-does-it-work-and-what-are-the-new-do-apps