Qualcomm and AT&T Developing Internet of Things Platform

The future is wireless. Eventually Wi-Fi will be everywhere we go and will connect many of the things we use on a daily basis to the internet. This approaching phenomenon is called the Internet of Things. Sensors on everything from the fridge at home to the pen on your desk will record data, hopefully to improve our lives.

Other than broad Wi-Fi or fast cellular coverage, we’ll also need a platform for developing products to make the Internet of Things a reality. Qualcomm and AT&T are developing just such a platform, which they are calling the Internet of Everything. This particular platform will be designed specifically to use AT&T’s bandwidth, and supports Oracle’s Java ME Embedded 3.2.

“This IoE development platform with Java support is a tool to extend the power of our integrated chipsets to application developers,” said Kanwalinder Singh, SVP of business development at Qualcomm Technologies. “We are excited that AT&T shares our vision of a cellular-connected IoE, and by the opportunities that will be created by the AT&T developer community.”

From the press release:

This IoE development platform provides an ideal starting point for creating a range of cellular-connected products and applications for IoE verticals such as tracking, industrial controls and health care. With this platform being capable of supporting Oracle’s Java ME Embedded 3.2 software release, developers with little mobile development experience can quickly go from concept to writing and executing Java applications directly on the QSC6270-Turbo chipset. In North America, this IoE development platform will be supported by AT&T, allowing developers to test their solutions and demonstrate functionality on a live network in the design and development phases, which can reduce complexity, cost and time for developers as they drive to get their solutions to market. With access to the various hardware interfaces and capabilities of the 3G modem via the application environment hosted on the QSC6270-Turbo chipset, developers can also customize and optimize end-product PCBs without the need for additional discreet processors or microcontrollers thus cost-effectively integrating cellular capabilities into a wider range of devices and solutions.

Assuming the platform works out, it probably won’t be long before IoE apps appear for mobile devices. With the ever increasing popularity of tablets, monitoring data gathered from an IoE app will be easy and convenient, regardless of location. With inexpensive sensors already available for the Internet of Things — the IoE development platform includes several onboard sensors and indicators, including an accelerometer, light sensor and temperature sensor — the office will become more technologically integrated than ever.

Below you’ll find a video about the Internet of Things.

Source: AT&T, Qualcomm, Oracle