Bald faced IoT liar: more ire at Google Nest
“But that Google can suddenly decide to sunset a cloud API that hundreds of IoT devices have been talking to for less than five years is a bit disturbing. It means that the idea of mixing and matching products for home automation — the very premise of what IoT and the smart home was supposed to be — is a farce. It is a bald-faced lie, and Google’s pants are on fire…I’m not expecting Amazon to throw all their customers under the bus like Google just did.” Rants ZDNet’s Jason Perlow.
dis-rup-shun: Jason puts it well. The smart home industry has declared, for over 15 years now, that the key to successful mass adoption of smart home technologies is to adhere to at least a few standards since a single vendor smart home is just not going to happen. Google took its eye off the ball while Amazon ran away with the smart speaker market, and now the company is using Nest’s past successes to try to force consumers the way of Google Nest Assistant and the result is… Amazon wins. Google has lost the trust of its consumers and that will hobble its smart home efforts for the foreseeable future.
Asus provides a 14 day smart watch
Asus has released a new smart watch, complete with ECG and PPG sensors (two alternative methods of measuring heart rate). The VivoWatch SP beats its rivals in endurance, but does so with lower display resolution. For those seeking a health tracker that is water resistant, is serious about measuring heart rates, and can function between charges longer than any of its rivals, it is one to consider. TechCrunch
dis-rup-shun: As the wearables market gets more mature, users have to determine what features are most important. For a watch that does everything, Apple again leads. For a device that is optimized for heart health, or running, or swimming, specialty devices exist for each. How do you compete with Apple in an emerging category? Develop a specialist product and not a do-everything product.
Acer Thronos is a $14,000 gaming chair
The Thronos is Acer’s second gaming chair. This steel cage surrounding a chair supports 3 monitors, a gaming PC, cup holder and includes a massage function. TechCrunch
dis-rup-shun: E-sports are taking gaming to new levels, and Acer has recognized that there is a population segment that takes gaming as seriously as the golfer who spends thousands on custom clubs, the avid outdoors man with collector guns, and the musician that collects rare guitars.
Light 2 is the un-smartphone smartphone
The $350 Light Phone 2 is a smartphone designed to be unattached to mobile apps. The device can surf the Internet, can place phone calls, but is designed to not run apps — giving users only the most basic connections. Gizmodo
dis-rup-shun: There are people who want to be attached to the Internet and cellular networks, but want to be mostly anonymous and unattached to apps, mostly social networks. While this niche market may seem too small to address, think about health food stores thirty years ago, or yoga forty years ago. Segments of the population have always longed for simplicity and an absence of commercialism, and now they have a phone.