Intel, Samsung create a new Internet of Things consortium

Himanshu Arora

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A handful of tech giants including Intel, Samsung, Broadcom, and more yesterday unveiled a new Internet of Things consortium with an aim to create standards for the next generation of connected electronic devices. Dubbed the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC), the group is planning on coming out with the first set of specifications later this year.

The consortium will initially focus on establishing standards around connectivity, discovery and authentication of devices, as well as data-gathering instruments in smart homes, consumer electronics and enterprises. Later on, the group will target other areas like automotive and healthcare. The OIC will also certify devices compliant with its standards.

All the code contributed by the OIC companies will be open source, allowing developers to write common software stacks for communications and notifications across devices. Other members of the group include Dell, Atmel Corporation, and Wind River.

OIC isn't the only group trying to provide a common language for everyday devices. Last December, a similar consortium called Allseen Alliance was created under the Linux Foundation. The work is based on the AllJoyn open source project, which was originally developed by and is being contributed to the Alliance by Qualcomm. Just last week, Microsoft also joined the consortium, which now has a total of 51 members including Cisco Systems, D-Link, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Sharp, and more.

If you are unaware, the term Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a concept wherein everyday electronic devices such as refrigerators, light bulbs, thermostats, and more are connected to each other as well as to the Internet using technologies like Bluetooth and WiFi. According to the market research firm IDC, around 212 billion devices will be connected by 2020.

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Who wants to get they're refrigerator hacked?!?!? I do, I do! Do we honestly need to have our major appliances connected to some kind of "Internet of Things". It's bad enough with smart TV's, I can push porn to any smart TV in my house at the click of a button, if my home network were to be hacked the hacker would have that ability. I don't have children so it's not a huge concern but something to think about no? Or someone running your dryer remotely when your not home to jack up your power bill, just saying, this isn't a great idea.
 
I would love to have my appliances network connected if it had good use. that being said, it would be on its own, closed, hardwired network, not on wireless. and then you dont have to worry as much about local access....remote access would still have to be secured well though.
 
Why you'd set up remote access to anything in your house is beyond me. Unless you're running a business from home and need to be able to manage your network, it's unnecessary. Just don't be a *******; lock your doors when you leave, adjust your HVAC systems according to season and situation, and have an alarm system that calls the police if your house is broken into. There's very little reason to have a remote management interface for things like thermostats, CCTV systems, lights, and [inset name of appliance here]. If anyone disagrees, please enlighten me. I just don't see the necessity.
 
Maybe it's just my train of thought but as far as smart homes are concerned, they are nothing but a complete waste of time and money as far as I'm concerned. I do not need a fridge or lights that connect to the internet, I've lived all my life without something like that and I'm sure not having it now or in the future will kill me. I'm not too lazy to get off my arse to switch lights on and off or take stock of my fridge contents myself.
 
This is the future I don't want. There is too much technology involved in todays peoples lives and now they want me to remotely put down my touchscreen toilet seat via bluetooth and GPS navigation.
 
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