Everyday objects with their own IP addresses may soon be the norm. This communication of objects with the Web is the latest version of a still-idyllic new vision of technology that claims it will improve our lives. Yet we’re at such an early stage of development of the Internet of Things that finding the best blogs to follow is a moving target.
Many of the 10 offerings below have only come into being in recent months. Not making our list is a ReadWriteWeb favorite – Pachube – which has been remiss in updating their blog. So stay tuned for updates in future posts. For now, here are what we believe to be the 10 most active blog feeds available on the Internet of Things.
Internet of Things Council
The Internet of Things Council is a European think tank of the best minds in the burgeoning Internet of Things sector. From forecasting to developing prototypes, the council members’ commonality is the “range of emotions and conceptual breakdown that comes with grasping the territory, the full logistical, business, social and philosophical implications of the Internet of Things.” You can access their blog feed here.
Smarter Planet
IBM has put its long-term innovation emphasis on the global development of the Internet of Things. Its Smarter Planet brand is backed by a social network of 8 million IT professionals, as well as 400,000 employees. The Smarter Planet blog is a place for readers to talk about what they see, read and hear. The blog is “not going to deliver final answers to the issues raised, but we hope it acts as a starting point for conversations about how we can make our planet smarter.” You can access the feed here.
I-O-T : INTERNET Of THINGS
This group blog is sometimes in French but mostly in English. The project originated as a LinkedIn discussion group, which readers are still invited to join. Interested developers are also encouraged to request “writer status” for the blog. “The concept of the Internet Of Things is federating more and more people every day. This Blog is a sharing space for those interested in participating in this major breakthrough.” You can access its feed here.
Dash7
Dash7 focuses on the development of low-power, long-range wireless sensor networking. In early April of this year we explained how DASH7 may soon be on your mobile phone. This technology “plays at the intersection of location-based services, Internet of Things, social networking, and other mobile services.” You can access the blog feed here.
Zach Shelby On The Internet of Things
Zach Shelby is co-founder and head of research at Sensinode in Finland. His vision is that the physcial Internet – the Internet of Things – is the next big frontier in telecommunications. Shelby’s focus is on “driving 6LoWPAN related standardization, research and commercialization.” He’s also written a book called 6LoWPAN: The Wireless Embedded Internet, which “is aimed at experts in the field, engineering students and lecturers.” The book is accompanied by a website of course material, including Contiki coding exercises. You can access his blog feed here.
David Orban and WideTag
David Orban’s personal blog is balanced with the WideTag blog, which is a company he is a co-founder of. A video and PowerPoint presentation by Orban was featured on ReadWriteWeb in early April. Orban’s dream is that thousands of years of human subservience to machines will end because we will teach our machines how to not only take care of themselves, but how to take care of us as well. You can access his feeds here and here.
David Wood
David Wood worked with PDA manufacturer Psion for a decade, and then spent the last 10 years with smartphone operating system specialist Symbian. We recently posted David Orban’s interview of David Wood. “Eclectic thoughts on technologies, markets, innovation, openness, collaboration, disruption, risks, and solutions” is how Wood describes his blog. You can access his feed here.
Mobile Internet of Things Blog
This blog is by Dr. Florian Michahelles, a project manager and associate director of the Auto-ID Labs at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He works on RFID standardization as it relates to new business applications. He’s also interested in anti-counterfeiting technologies, as well as Internet of Things infrastructure for consumers. You can access his blog feed here.
Touch
Touch is an interdisciplinary team that studies Near Field Communication between mobile devices and things. With an emphasis on RFID, the blog focuses on “social and cultural inquiry, interaction/industrial design, rapid prototyping, software, testing and exhibitions.” Touch has extensive reference material; it’s a good repository of NFC-oriented information. You can access the blog feed here.
Arduino
ReadWriteWeb featured Arduino as one of five companies building the Internet of Things. Arduino is akin to the transistor radio kit your grandparents used to buy when they were kids. These more-modern versions are open-source electronic protoyping platforms, and they are the preferred gadgets of Internet of Things tinkerers. Last summer we told you about how devices like Arduino and Pachube can be combined with the Web to control the lighting in your home.
You can access the blog feed here.
There are a half-dozen other prominent Internet of Things blogs that didn’t make this list. If you know of one that has been left out please make sure to post a link to their feed in the comments below.
Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com .
