A new dimension of the Internet and more - a review of the year 2012

In which direction is the market heading? What technologies are most likely to succeed? We present five, most important technological trends that have been discussed in our Newsletters and, according to us, will be growing in the next years.

1. Internet of Things - the nervous system of our planet

Internet of Things (IoT) is a vision in which everyday objects communicate with each other and the users via the Internet, infrared, and radio waves. Appropriately programmed devices and appliances will become "intelligent", eliminating many of the chores consuming our time - the fridge will organize shopping of food products, the air conditioning system will adjust to environmental conditions based on local weather data etc. The number of possible applications is infinite - the technology implemented "in the background" can penetrate all aspects of our material world. The IoT scope will be limited only by the imagination of the manufacturers.

According to Cisco, IoT was born in 2009, when the number of devices connected to the Internet became higher than the population of people living on Earth. However, the year 2012 initiated a new way of thinking about this potential, both in the case of industry and consumers.

2. Cloud computing

Cloud computing is a model of providing IT solutions and services via the Internet, where client computers have continuous access to resources and computing power of servers around the world. This functionality is defined as a service accessible via web software and the necessary infrastructure, giving the users "added value". This means no need for the users to purchase and manage the extensive versions of the software that should be normally installed on their workstations. The main advantages are cost savings associated with moving the computing power from client computers to the servers, the ease of access to services ("everywhere and on everything"), and improved safety.

3. Touch, gesture and voice control

Touch screen market is growing at a very fast pace, much faster than the market of standard screens. A large part of it make smartphones and tablets, the increasing popularity of touch control interface has been even noticed by Microsoft in its new operating system - Windows 8. The system fully supports modern laptops and tablets equipped with such screens.

Voice control also becomes a standard functionality of many electronic devices. The voice recognition software is constantly developed to improve "understanding". An example is the Siri software from Apple. Such programs are used not only in smartphones. At this year's CES, speech recognition functions were demonstrated in TVs, laptops and additional remote controls.

4. High-speed streaming

LTE/4G networks offer a revolutionary speed of mobile Internet (download rates up to 150 Mbps). This technology allows users ultra-fast access to websites with multimedia and games on the Internet. LTE and popular streaming applications enable them to watch video in a good quality on the go. There are available first smartphones equipped with LTE modems.

5. TV market is moving to the Internet

Streaming of television channels via the Internet instead of using dedicated broadcasting networks ensures openness and versatility - the programming can be received on all devices that allow access the Internet (computers, smartphones, televisions equipped with network cards). The year 2012 was quite revolutionary in this respect - almost every new television had network interface and offered access to video on demand and social networking sites. The introduction of the Internet to TVs is also popularizing such services like HbbTV (Hybrid TV) and "Second Screen" supplementing broadcast content with multimedia applications available on other devices (tablets, smartphones, laptops etc).

Will we observe rapid development of the trends in 2013? Or new ones will emerge, with equally great potential, which may affect the shape of the technology and media industries and even change our daily lives? In today's world we may be sure of that.

$1,000,000 for "the Internet of things"!

At the October conference Demo Fall 2012, the People's Choice Award winner and owner of $1,000,000 for promotion in IDG Media became Ube, an American startup company, for developing a new concept of a smart home.

The award-winning company presented a universal application capable of remote control of home appliances, including "ordinary" devices that are powered from AC line voltage. In the first phase of the project they plan to integrate 200 products from various manufacturers, by providing remote control via TCP/IP protocols. The users of smartphones will be able to control not only TVs, STBs and other modern electronic devices, but also thermostats, shutters, garage doors and lighting - all the components of the connected homes that will be really "smart".

In addition to software, Ube has also developed three IP devices. Their task is to control all the electrically powered devices or installations that do not have network interface and which should be included in home automation systems, such as lighting. Their biggest advantage is the simplicity of implementation due to direct connection to the existing wiring in the home or office. Other solutions offered so far for building automation have usually been expensive and not very intuitive.

Ube at Demo Fall showed that the rise in popularity of smartphones and the potential of Android and iOS provide new possibilities for applications in this area, making them much cheaper, versatile and most importantly - extremely easy and intuitive for users, by a significant reduction of human involvement in common processes which can be based on the "Internet of Things" - interconnected machines with specific functions. Just imagine, when you are approaching your home, your smartphone will turn on the coffee maker to brew a fresh cup of coffee, switch on the TV on the channel with your favorite series, adjust the temperature in the room depending on the atmospheric conditions...

From the left to the right:

• Smart Plug can be plugged into any wall outlet to control a wide range of appliances from a smartphone and measure the consumed energy
• Smart Dimmer based on a 32-bit ARM processor and Android OS changes light intensity and the energy consumption according to the needs of the user
• Smart Outlet used to replace an existing outlet - identical functions as the Smart Plug - for higher loads

In the past, home automation devices were expensive, unintuitive and difficult to use. The advent of Apple and Google platforms on mobile devices allows for the dissemination of this kind of technology due to wide accessibility and ease of use.

DEMO is a series of conferences organized around the world by IDG Enterprise and VentureBeat. For 22 years, the DEMO stage has witnessed presentations of over 1500 companies and 20 000 technological solutions. Regular meetings held in the United States, China, Brazil and Singapore concentrate on the promotion and financing of the development of the latest technologies and innovative products, which according to the organizers have the best chance of success and global adaptation. Among the projects and companies that benefited from the participation in the conferences there can be found such well-known brands like Sun's Java, Adobe Acrobat, Netscape Navigator, VM Vare. So, Ube won not only a million dollars ...