Episode 426: Our take on Apple’s Vision Pro and fixes for bad air

Episode 426: Our take on Apple’s Vision Pro and fixes for bad air

Author: Stacey Higginbotham, tech journalist June 8, 2023 Duration: 1:04:18

It may not surprise anyone, but Kevin and I have thoughts on Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset that we’re sharing with y’all. We also lay out some details about changes to Apple’s various operating systems and services that relate to Siri and the smart home. Google also added Matter support for its Home app on Apple devices, which is another means for chipping away at the challenges of deploying Matter across a variety of ecosystems. As we head into wildfire season, and with Kevin’s home wreathed in smoke, we talk about measuring air quality and addressing poor air quality in your home using connected and unconnected devices. Then we celebrate some recent settlements and fines from the Federal Trade Commission that involve Amazon storing children’s data and Ring compromising users’ privacy when it comes to their face data.  Then we speculate on whether Fitbit might release a new sleep-tracking device based on a patent it has filed. Finally, we close by answering a listener question about a smart lock for a HomeKit user with a mobile home.

Apple’s Vision Pro headset has 12 cameras, several sensors, and a special chip to process all that incoming data.  Image courtesy of Apple.

Our guest this week is Micha Anthenor Benoliel, the CEO and co-founder of Nodle, a decentralized wireless network created using Bluetooth. He’s on the show to talk about the newly launched app that will let folks turn any old Android phone into a Nodle hotspot. If you’re wondering about the value of a dedicated device for a short-range Bluetooth hotspot, Benoliel explains why companies or consumers might want to run this network, even if their device isn’t traveling out in the world. We also talk about enterprise customers on the Nodle network and why those customers ditched LPWANs or cellular for BLE. He also talks about the role of cryptocurrency in decentralized wireless and discusses how the crypto winter affected Nodle. It’s a good show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: Micha Anthenor Benoliel, CEO and co-founder of Nodle
Sponsors: Particle and Kudelski IoT

  • The Apple Vision Pro isn’t for all-day or even mobile computing
  • Apple also updated Siri and some home control widgets
  • How to prepare for wildfire and smoke season
  • Why the world needs a decentralized Bluetooth network
  • Will the crypto winter stop Nodle’s blockchain-based decentralized network?

The post Episode 426: Our take on Apple’s Vision Pro and fixes for bad air appeared first on IoT Podcast - Internet of Things.


For anyone trying to make sense of a world where everything from your thermostat to a factory floor is getting smarter, The Internet of Things Podcast-Stacey On IoT offers essential context. Veteran tech journalist Stacey Higginbotham, who brings her experience from Fortune, and co-host Kevin Tofel break down the weekly flood of news, separating genuine innovation from mere hype. Their analysis spans the entire connected ecosystem, diving into the gadgets in our homes, the sensors transforming industrial workspaces, and the complex enterprise systems tying it all together. This isn't just theoretical; it's a practical guide to the business and technology decisions shaping our networked future. You'll hear from a range of voices that have built and critiqued this landscape, including pioneers like Vint Cerf, insightful commentators like Om Malik, and practitioners from companies such as Amazon, AT&T, and IBM Watson. Listening to this podcast provides a crucial framework for understanding the real-world implications of connectivity, whether you're an industry professional, a curious developer, or simply someone wondering how all these "smart" things actually work-and what they mean for privacy, security, and daily life. It's the clear-eyed conversation you need to navigate the ever-expanding Internet of Things.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Internet of Things Podcast - Stacey On IoT
Podcast Episodes
Episode 346: Three IoT acquisitions and the infrastructure bill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:09
This week’s show focuses on three big deals happening in the IoT sector and a meaty enterprise IoT report. First up, we discuss ADT buying SunPro Solar for $825 million, which represents yet another deal bringing energy…
Episode 345: Ecobee’s big deal and climate-friendly chips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:55
The big news in IoT this week was the announced acquisition of Ecobee by Generac, so Kevin and I share our thoughts on the deal and what it means for the smart home. After that, we were excited to see Amazon launching a…
Episode 344: Energy harvesting sensors are finally real [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:45
This week’s show kicks off with news from many of the big smart home players offering their plans for the Matter smart home protocol. First, we discuss Google’s plans, before focusing on Samsung’s latest announcements an…
Episode 343: Return of the connected bunny! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:55
We kick off this week’s podcast with a focus on chips and hardware starting with an explainer on Arm’s new Total Solutions for IoT and why it will help developers and device makers speed up time-to-market for connected p…
Episode 342: Explaining the IoT’s latest $11B deal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:41
The industrial automation world got a jolt of news with Emerson combining some of its industrial IoT software businesses with AspenTech in an $11 billion transaction. We explain why the deal matters and what it means, be…
Episode 341: Smart cities and smart fridges galore [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:03
Welcome to the weekly podcast! We’re moving Black Friday to October thanks to chip shortages and shipping delays. Meanwhile, Amazon is working on a smart fridge, Google is trying to use a $10 monthly subscription and Nes…
Episode 340: Amazon wants you to trust its devices [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:28
This week’s podcast is all about Amazon (with a few other stories for variety). We start the show with a rundown of the devices and services Amazon launched at its device drop on Tuesday. We then explain what it means fo…
Episode 339: Much ado about privacy and support [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:11
This week’s show kicks off with the news of the Raspberry Pi Trading company closing a new funding round of $45 million. We talk about what the Pi Trading company is, how it relates to the Foundation, and how companies a…
Episode 338: Wyze comes back from the edge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:28
I need to warn y’all in advance that we don’t discuss Apple news at all this week because nothing really jumped out at us for the IoT. But we did have a lot of other big news starting with Wyze raising $100 million and s…

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