Embedded Insiders

Send us Fan MailWith shrinking margins in the board and module market, companies are merging to acquire proficiency in areas like software and networking. That’s precisely the driver behind the Kontron and S&T Deutschland Holding AG merger announced last month. This week, the Embedded Insiders chat with Kevin Rhoads, General Manager at Kontron Americas to find out more about what S&T and Kontron stand to gain from each other. They learn S&T’s software and middleware solutions complement Kontron’s hardware offerings, especially as it relates to connecting edge-based hardware to the cloud, and speculate that having Hannes Neiderhauser, current CEO of S&T and former CEO of Kontron, on board will mean a smooth integration process for the two companies.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailOne half of the Embedded Insiders made a trip to Southern California this week, where he encountered to opposite sides of the Industrial IoT spectrum. On one end, engineers from ADL Embedded Solutions discussed how its legacy of standard board products and MIL-SPEC designs are filling a need at the mist computing level. At the other, Qualcomm representatives demonstrated how private LTE networks are now in a position to disrupt the IIoT marketplace. But what is mist, exactly? And, what makes a private LTE network any different from a LAN? Tune in as the Insiders review.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailThe NAND flash memory market has evolved (or devolved depending on who you ask) into a battle of the BoMs, where the lowest price usually wins. But is that really the only consideration anymore when selecting a flash memory device, particularly for harsh environment applications? These are questions the Embedded Insiders ask this week, and have answered by Steve Larrivee of industrial-grade NAND flash solution provider Cactus Technologies. During the discussion, the Insiders learn why the flash memory market is one where older technology is more expensive and more reliable – and not for the reasons you'd think.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailIn the summertime when the weather is hot, the Embedded Insiders are indoors with development kits on their minds. Rich Nass and Brandon Lewis have been doing some hardware hacking of their own lately on a Raspberry Pi-based Z-Wave reference platform from Sigma Designs; a Bluetooth garage door monitoring application based on Nordic Semiconductor's Thingy board; and an IoT streaming application using Microchip Technology Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) modules and MikroElektronika gyroscope clicks. Hear how they faired in this week's edition.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailEmbedded Computing Design's second Industrial IoT University conference occurred this week, with industry experts from Cisco, zigbee alliance, Digi International, LoRa Alliance, Trusted Computing Group, Renesas, Mentor Graphics, Wind River, Software Design Solutions, and Blue Ridge Advanced Design and Automation addressing networking and security challenges for an audience of more than 100 IoT engineers. Sessions on emerging machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity technologies in particular piqued the interest of attendees, as Brent Nelson of Digi International outlined the LTE migration path for connected industrial devices while Vivek Mohan of Semtech explored possibilities enabled by the LoRaWAN protocol. In this week's Embedded Insider's podcast, Brandon Lewis, Embedded Computing Design Technology Editor, reviews some of the highlights from Industrial IoT University, as well as the neighboring Sensors Expo tradeshow.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailEarlier this year the Embedded Insiders posed the question, “Where have all the RTOS vendors gone?” During that discussion the Insiders offered that silicon companies have gobbled up independent real-time operating system vendors in an effort to provide their customers with fully integrated, “total” solutions. The (at least perceived) downside of this for developers is, of course, that support for hardware targets diminishes as an RTOS becomes more entrenched within a single silicon vendor’s organization. In this week’s Embedded Insiders we welcome one of the last men standing in the independent RTOS space, Bill Lamie, who is Founder and CEO of Express Logic. Lamie explains why it’s so difficult for RTOS companies to succeed within the auspices of a silicon manufacturer on one hand while facing Adam Smith’s “Invisible Hand.” In light of this, semiconductor companies are now forced to take on more of the integration work that these RTOS companies may no longer be able to support. - Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) - Middleware and Development Tools - Mergers & AcquisitionsFor more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailAs IT and OT players stake out their claims in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) landscape, Amazon and partner Ayla Networks are deploying a technology called AWS Greengrass that brings a subset of cloud security, management, and provisioning technology to the gateway level. The goal, of course, is to provide more intelligence closer to the edge of IIoT networks, but the announcement raises two significant questions: 1) Why would Amazon, a company with revenues derived mostly from cloud-based transactions, want to potentially cut off a portion of their business? 2) Do operational technologists have something to fear as IT behemoths push further down the IoT technology stack? In this week's Embedded Insider's podcast, Rich Nass, EVP of Embedded Computing Design and Brandon Lewis, Technology Editor for Embedded Computing Design, pose these questions to Bill Podrasky, VP of Business Development at Ayla Networks.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailWrapping up embedded world 2017 from their hotel bar, the Embedded Insiders, Rich Nass and Brandon Lewis of Embedded Computing Design, discuss some of the highlights they saw on Day 3 of the show. While safety and security remained a big theme, Nass also had the opportunity to discuss advances in GE’s Predix platform with representatives from the company, which continues to position itself as a powerful tool for developers of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems and applications.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailEmbedded Computing Design editors Rich Nass and Brandon Lewis review some of the highlights from days one and two of embedded world 2017, including how software and solutions continue to eat the world, and the embedded and Internet of Things (IoT) industry's continued delivery of development kits.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

Send us Fan MailOnce again, power takes center stage, at least in this week’s Embedded Insiders podcast. ECD Power Editor Alix Paultre is at the PCIM show in Germany, Europe’s premier event for the power-semiconductor industry. In our discussion, Alix details what was hot at the show, and why. Interestingly, we discussed how and why some technologies seem to be more in vogue in the U.S. verses Europe and vice-versa.For more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com