This week’s SmartDevice roundup features moves done by network carrier to support the Internet of Things and an app that repurposes old Android phones.

AT&T and IBM offer IoT systems

 .

AT&T partnered up with IBM so companies, organizations, and even municipalities can use the Internet of Things to efficiently manage infrastructures.

AT&T points out that as more devices connect to the Internet, more data will be generated and companies will need a way to make sense of the data gathered to optimize productions and predict failures.  IBM and AT&T aim to help organizations build systems around the Internet of Things to collect data wirelessly which can then be analyzed, monitored, and accessible in mobile devices for people on the field.

The two companies plan to help organizations build out systems that can collect data, wirelessly, from many remote end-nodes, in an approach increasingly being called “The Internet of things” in the industry. The data can be analyzed and monitored, as well as fed to mobile devices for personnel in the field.

AT&T will provide the network connectivity while IBM will provide the software and integration.  Big Blue’s software division will work with AT&T’s Advanced Solution unit for this project.

“There is a huge amount of growth of the things that are connected” to networks, said Michael Curry, IBM vice president of product management. “When you have that many things connected in, you have a  big data problem. Companies want to be able to take that data and use it to optimize operations and predict failures.”

T-Mobile delivers uncarrier plan to IoT

 .

T-Mobile believes that the Internet of Things knows no boundaries and to help people stay connected no matter where they are, it has introduced eSIMs.  An eSIM is a ready-to-use SIM card for connected devices such as a connected car, wearable devices, and navigation devices, without the roaming costs for people who frequently travel from the US to Canada.

It operates on T-Mobile’s GSM network and partner networks in Canada to provide local data rates for machine-to-machine communication.  This will allow people to stay connected even when they travel to Canada, without having to worry about huge data costs.

“Between mapping services, video monitoring, email, fleet tracking software and vehicle diagnostics, a single truck might easily use 100MB of data per month while traveling in Canada,” T-Mobile said in a statement. “The roaming cost for that single truck alone could be as much as $200 per month or nearly $2,400 per year.”

Dormi

.

If you have old Android devices that are just lying around the house, you can use your old handset as a listening device for your home with the Dormi app.

image source: Dormi

The Dormi app can turn your old Android device into a baby monitor.  All you need to do is download the Dormi app for your current phone and the phone you want to use as a baby monitor.  It connects either through WiFi or cellular data, so you are constantly connected to the monitor to be alerted the moment your baby starts crying. With the parent phone, you can monitor the battery life of the baby phone, see if it’s connected to a WiFi network or using cellular data, and other important details.

Aside from being a baby monitor, it can also be used a listening device for your home or as an intercom.

The service is available in two options: a free version and a paid version. The free version only allows for only four hours of monitoring every month, and the paid version offers unlimited monitoring for $0.99 a month, or $4.99 per year, or $6.99 for lifetime unlimited usage.  You only need to purchase a plan for one of the devices you are using.

photo credit: tinkernoonoo via photopin cc