IOT – Paul's Tech Talk

How Internet of Things are changing our lives

PaulJune 8, 2021

IOT Security

When we say the Internet Of Things(IOT) it really brings about a bad thought into our minds, or at least in mine. I never really understood why someone would come up with this term because it bring a bad connotation and that can bring about a lot of hesitancy to buy the devices. It can be quite hard to understand or even harder to conceptualize the use the devices in question. IOT is in its simplest form is just that a device that needs to be connected to the internet and be able to connect to a server in some other location such as an camera that is outside to watch the property, or even a wireless connection that is used to monitor the door being locked or unlocked. This however can be bad because like any other way we have seen bad people figure out ways around this technology and use it for their own devices or against the owners. The privacy and security of the devices have been almost overlooked in the past due to the newness of the technology and how companies didn’t think about how to implement it in the right way.

IOT Benefits

Security and privacy aside right now, the benefits of using an IOT device is become easier to use. Even now the technologies associated with the IOT devices are becoming more mature and more reliable. According to IOT-Analytics There are 40+ emerging technologies from the IOT devices such as Hardware, IOT Marketplace, and even 6G technologies being developed. The IOT device helps secure out homes and our properties and also help make our lives just a little bit better each day by allowing us to let them to the small jobs in our life or makes it so we feel a little bit more secure in our own little home. The benefits allows us to automate cleaning the floor or even to communicate with machine to machine which helps speeds up processing of a certain task in the house or allows us to monitor what is going around in the house. I am not sure the interconnectivity of devices is a huge benefit but it is a benefit to some and I can’t imagine our lives not getting better in the long run. I think IOT devices and benefits have a long way to go before they will make a bigger difference in our lives.

How the digital divide can be solved

PaulJune 6, 2021

The Digital Divide

Let’s begin with the simple facts at hand, that the digital divide is just that a divide again the populations around the world that have very little change to have internet. One such organization, One laptop per Child a non profit did try to do that to help bring the digital devices and educational needs to the areas with the greatest need. It however went terribly wrong. We can only identify areas that need the digital signals and try to provide for them. This is where Elon Musk’s idea of StarLink is being conceived to do just that. This will greatly help people with low income or places that has no access to wired internet to be able to get digital signals to them. In all truthfulness, I really don’t have a lot of ideas on how to address this divide but I am sure it’s only a matter time before someone else comes up with the ideas that will make it work even better than I could imagine it.

Addressing it

Some way I guess we could address this issue is simply by making it inexpensive to countries that can’t afford to pay 100$ for the internet and or pay for the One Laptop Per Child. I would think if we can get governments around the world to embrace stuff like this and help pay for the technology or even just the internet than more people around the world would be able to access the digital devices like everyone else. I can think of maybe a few ways to help decrease the amount of the device or even just the internet to people who have little or no internet. Make it free for everyone around the world but then who’d pay for it? Who’d keep our privacy safe? Who’d make sure they didn’t misuse our information? That’s the real big question when it comes to how to make a free internet, because we will always have to worry about someone using our information for bad or even making money off of us in one way or another. Still this is just one way we can at least attempt to fix the problems with the digital divide. It isn’t going to solve every problem but at least it would make it so much easier for people to get onto the internet and we wouldn’t have as big of a divide like we do today.

The Rise of Wearable Technology: Smartwatches

PaulMarch 16, 2020

We live in a world that is constantly being reshaped by the slew of technological innovations made available to us. Technology has come such a long way that the latest smartphones dwarf the technology used to send humanity to the moon. Not only have we made technological advancements that push the limitations of what’s possible, but we’ve also done it in a way that makes these new technologies more mobile than ever before.

One great example of this is the multitude of smartwatches available today. Companies such as Apple and Samsung have produced wearable technology that provides drastic quality of life changes by integrating the watch’s various functions into our daily lives. Indeed, these watches do way more than just tell the time.

Compact Technology

Wearable technology has been on the rise in recent years. This is due to the onset of the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT is a network of objects such as watches, televisions, and phones that are connected to the internet and to each other in hopes of making life more convenient for its users.

Now, one of the things that have paved the way for the IoT are the innovations in printed circuit board (PCB) design, which have improved features like flexibility and mobility. This is most evident in the popularity of rigid-flex PCBs, which link multiple boards together in one unit to make them more adaptable to odd packaging. This is because the rigid-flex design allows for the board to be folded which in turn allows for unorthodox board shapes that are perfect for wearable devices such as watches.

Do More Than Just Tell Time

Person wearing white silicon watch — Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

While it can still tell the time like normal watches, smartwatches can do much more. In fact, traditional watches are dropping in popularity as most people now use their smartphone to check the time. So what can these smartwatches do?

Well, one of the most common functions of a smartwatch is the fitness tracker. Most of these watches come with a pedometer that records the number of steps you’ve taken in a day along with the number of calories burnt. Some smartwatches even come with a heart rate and sleep tracker so you can have a better idea of the status of your health without a full medical check-up. You can also sync the smartwatch to your smartphone, which will then allow you to reply to messages and receive calls without having to pull out your phone.

Full Integration

Speaking of syncing it to your phone, smartwatches can also be fully integrated with your other devices and apps. Due to their growing popularity, most, if not all services that you get on a normal smartphone are also available on a smartwatch.

Various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp send notifications straight to your smartwatch so that you’ll never miss anything. This becomes especially useful during activities where you may not have your phone on you, such as when you’re in the gym or even when you’re swimming, as many smartwatches offer a waterproof variation for those of us who cannot afford to miss any messages. Indeed, the smartwatch has gone a long way to making us more connected than ever before.
Post written by Myrtis Royal