Episode 46-- Weekly IoT News Update

IoT news for this week:
Annual Smart Speaker IQ Test
We recently tested four smart speakers by asking Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana 800 questions each. Google Assistant was able to answer 88% of them correctly vs. Siri at 75%, Alexa at 73%, and Cortana at 63%.
Amazon moves into healthcare: A 2018 timeline
With the partnership with Omron, a blood pressure maker, the media is talking again about Amazon’s plans for home health…
The 5 Trends That Dominated Computer Vision in 2018
Research in computer vision has been booming over the past few years, thanks to advances in deep learning, increases in computing storage, and the explosion of big visual datasets…
Reinventing an industry
unit shipments of connected appliances to reach 89 million in 2018 - According to analyst firm IHS Markit one out of every six major home appliances shipped globally will have a connection to the internet…
Ring “Beams” Spotlight & Floodlight To Debut, Updated Landscape Lighting Too
Prior to Amazon acquiring Ring, Ring acquired Mr. Beams outdoor lighting… and the promised 2018 lighting solutions never materialized. Enter 2019 and, based on regulatory filings, Ring is back with a Beams vengeance…
How Berkeley Lab is Advancing Microelectronics
As a former chip reporter, I’ve spent years thinking about the end of Moore’s Law. We simply can’t shove more transistors on today’s chips without crazy and expensive technologies that tend to lower yields…
The Coming Commodification of Life at Home
As internet-connected devices and appliances accumulate, one academic foresees “the monetization of every move you make.”
The New Chip From NVIDIA Is All Set To Become The Brain Of Robots
NVIDIA has launched Jetson AGX Xavier, a new AI chip with the potential to power next-generation robots and autonomous machines.
Samsara banks $100M at a $3.6B valuation for its internet-connected sensors
Samsara, which started out as a broad IoT platform and quickly narrowed its focus to fleet management, has raised $100 million in funding at a reported $3.6 billion valuation.
August “View” Video Doorbell & Chime On The Way
Ahead of CES, the FCC database is rife with products that we expect to see launched or displayed at the consumer electronics show held each year in Las Vegas. In the home security category, electronics site Zatz Not Funny uncovered photos of a new doorbell from August.