Internet Of Too Many Things

Internet Of Too Many Things
Number	2790
Broadcast Date	JUNE 20, 2016
Episode Length	39:00
Hosts	Tom Merritt
Guests	Veronica Belmont, Richard Gunther

What the heck is Apple’s HomeKit and how could it make your house better? Richard Gunther breaks it down for Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt.

Guest

• Veronica Belmont
  • Botwiki
  • Sword and Laser's Patreon
• Richard Gunther
  • The Digital Media Zone

Top Stories

• More Powerful PS4 Neo Will Launch This Year - Report

Eurogamer’s reporting sources say a 4K PlayStation Neo will launch before the end of the year. Now here are the rest of the top stories.

• Microsoft kicks off campaign touting battery savings of Windows 10's Edge browser

Microsoft began publicizing its own lab tests of the effects of browser use on battery life in Windows 10. Not surprisingly Microsoft’s Edge browser gets 36%-53% more battery life when compared to Chrome, Opera and Firefox. It did 17%- 70% better than Chrome and Firefox in streaming video tests. Microsoft promised even more battery improvements coming in the Windows 10 Anniversary update due next month.

Submitted by lokirobert

• The FCC will start to make 5G a reality this week

Thursday, US FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler released a proposal to kick off proceedings to identify high-band spectrum capable of delivering faster wireless data to be classified as 5G. Wheeler said if the proposal is approved, the US would “be the first country in the world to open up high-band spectrum for 5G networks and applications.” The FCC won’t define what 5G means, just open up the spectrum to be used by carriers and unlicensed spectrum to be used by anyone. Think WiFi. The first 5G deployments are expected in 2020.

• Chattanooga Mayor Says City's Gigabit Network (Which Comcast Tried To Kill) To Thank For City's Revival

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke that the city’s Gigabit Internet is a major factor in the city’s economic success, attracting startups, lowering unemployment and improving the city’s reputation. A recent Consumer Reports survey showed Chattanooga’s ISP and Google fiber were the only two of 30 ISPs with a positive consumer satisfaction rating. A state law prohibits Chattanooga from expanding its service and the FCC is challenging that law. Tennessee as a whole is one of the least connected states int he US.

Submitted by tm204

• Twitter has bought a machine learning startup that can sharpen real-time video

Twitter announced it has purchased London-based Magic Pony Technology, and its 11 PhD-holding employees, to become the “European homebase of for Twitter’s machine learning efforts.” The Verge notes that earlier this year Magic Pony showed how its algorithms can improve the resolution of low-res images using ordinary graphics cards. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey posted that Magic Pony will help make “ Twitter the first and best place to see what's happening in the world.”

• Waze Wants to Help You Avoid 'Difficult Intersections'

Waze just launched a new feature starting in LA that automatically bypasses complicated junctions that have no traffic light, a constant flow of cars, or limited visibility. By default, the app will calculate the best itinerary for an efficient ETA with as few difficult intersections as possible. Waze worked with the city of LA to identify troublesome spots like that one out of Beverly Hills at Olympic. I mean come on Waze that’s 66 lanes to turn left on?!? Users can also suggest problematic areas in the app. Waze intends to expand the feature to New Orleans soon.

• Can Netflix Survive in the New World It Created?

The New York Times has an in-depth piece by Joe Nocera about Netflix. It goes through much of the history of how Netflix works, its corporate culture and focuses on how Netflix can survive in a world of competitors like Amazon, Hulu and even the slowly-adapting broadcast and cable networks. Nocera points out that Netflix has a negative cashflow of $1 billion and its annual revenue of $6.8 billion still pales next to the $28 billion of Time Warner and 21st CenturyFox. Hastings is confident though saying, “all TV will move to the internet, and linear TV will cease to be relevant over the next 20 years, like fixed-line telephones.”

• Tesla Model S can be used as a boat in a pinch, Elon Musk confirms

Reacting to a video of a Tesla Model S floating through a flooded tunnel in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the Tesla Model S floats well enough to turn into a boat "for short periods of time," with "thrust via wheel rotation." Still, Tesla "definitely doesn't recommend" using your Model S as a boat.

Discussion

• What is HomeKit?
• What does it work with? (protocols and devices)
• What do you need to make it work? (iOS device, AppleTV)
  
  
• HomeKit received lots of attention at WWDC
• Stepping back: what is HomeKit?

A framework for managing connected devices in the home with your Apple devices—phone, tablet, watch, TV

Devices with Works with Apple HomeKit badge can all be used together (Ecobee, Hue, Schlage, Lutron, August)

Deeply integrated into OS, including support for Siri control

Robust rules engine for automation

Open to all software developers—any app can control any HomeKit device

Highly secure, requiring an Apple-authorized chip in manufacturer’s devices to handle communication encryption

• Why is it important/significant that Apple discussed HomeKit at WWDC?

Barely a word about it last year

Press, analysts, and industry folk starting to wonder if Apple had bitten off too much

Probably the largest push of smarthome tech from any one company—possibly way ahead of Google, Amazon, Microsoft

• So what’s new?

More device types: cameras, doorbells, HVAC components (heaters, air conditioners, purifiers, humidifiers)

It already had support for lights, thermostats, shades, locks, and more

Many new partners, including Ring, Canary, Leviton, Yale

• Partnering with homebuilders. Why?

Homebuilders could make a HomeKit-ready home by installing the right infrastructure

Relevant partner product manufacturers: Carrier, Pella, Hunter, LiftMaster/Chamberlain, Yale/Kwikset/Schlage, not to mention thermostats, lighting, and shades

• A Home app

Will be pre-installed as part of iOS

Partially a “reference” app

Will let you manage, control, and automate all of your HomeKit devices

Customizable (hide, backgrounds)

Built into Control Center!

Easy, common way to add new devices across all HomeKit apps

Developers will be able to build HomeKit apps for Apple TV gen 4

• How/when?

iOS 10 will enable these new capabilities

Apple TV gen 3+ has been a gateway for remote access

Now Apple TV can also be the “brains” for the automation if you’re phone(s) not at home

Don’t want an Apple TV? An always-home iPad can perform the same function

Coming this Fall with iOS 10 and tvOS 10 updates

• Recent HomeKit deep dive in appearance on HomeTech.FM

Pick of the Day

• Boxee Founder Avner Ronen Launches Public, an App to Broadcast Text Chats (EXCLUSIVE)

Our pick of the day is the app Public. Variety wrote up Public, an app that broadcasts text chats about various topics. Public lets a few people chat about a topic while others can follow and make comments in a separate channel. Daily Tech News Show has a channel and used it for commentary on the WWDC keynote. Veronica is an advisor and product consultant for the company and participates in several chats including Game of Thrones and Korean Beauty.

Submitted by the DTNS team

Messages

Hi Tom and Veronica,

It appears I am late to party but I just discovered that amazon cloud drive offers unlimited storage. However the push pull nature of the native desktop app feels clumsy or inefficient at best. So I want to put a call out the DTNS audience for a desktop app that will make Amazon cloud drive feel like a dropbox or google drive.

I have played with Arq, Goodsync and odrive but they are over complicated or dont accomplish what I want.

Onedrive was the best with a nice added feature of being able to right click any folder and say sync with odrive. However with a yearly subscription of $100 the cost is way too much for what i feel like should be a one time cost.

Thanks any responses.

Sent by Daniel in newly transplanted St Louis

Links

• This episode on dailytechnewsshow.com
• Support DTNS on Patreon
• DTNS subreddit

Preceded by: "It’s About Chain Gangs"

Internet Of Too Many Things

Followed by: "Better Safe Harbor Than Sorry"