Episode 430: The theme of this show is wearables

Episode 430: The theme of this show is wearables

Author: Stacey Higginbotham, tech journalist July 6, 2023 Duration: 59:30

This week’s podcast focuses on wearables, from hearing aids to mixed reality headsets. We start the show talking about the potential future of Apple AirPods as a hearing aid or an additional health-focused wearable. And while on the topic of Apple, we mention that the badges on your smart home devices will say the device works with Apple Home as opposed to Apple HomeKit. And then it’s back to wearables with our skepticism over the Humane AI pin. In smart home news, Shelly has new Z-Wave devices coming, and a fledgling smart home company called TUO has released a new Matter smart button. Yes, I purchased the company’s smart button. Then we discuss Swarm stopping the sale of its original VHF satellite connectivity for IoT devices to focus on its direct to cell satellite services. We then give an update on the purchase of Jamie Siminoff’s Honest Day’s Work startup by Latch. Finally, we answer a listener’s question about how to create a routine on Amazon’s Alexa system that controls multiple devices.

The Swarm Tile hardware won’t be sold anymore, but is still supported … for now. Image courtesy of Swarm.

Our guest this week is JJ Lechleiter, SVP and general manager of PTC’s Vuforia business, discussing another kind of wearable — headsets. Lechleiter has been building augmented and mixed reality software for years, and shared whether he thinks the introduction of Apple’s Vision Pro headset will change the adoption of mixed reality, augmented reality, and virtual reality in manufacturing operations. He also shares different use cases where AR and VR are already in use and explains the various reasons one might use one over the other. Lechleiter discusses different headsets already on the market and shares some thoughts about how AI, IoT, and AR will get used in day-to-day manufacturing. It’s a good show.

Hosts: Stacey Higginbotham and Kevin Tofel
Guest: JJ Lechleiter,  of PTC’s Vuforia business
Sponsors: Blynk and Particle

  • Why wouldn’t Apple make a hearing aid?
  • Is Humane the future tech that moves us beyond the smartphone?
  • Swarm stops selling its VHF satellite hardware
  • Can Apple move the needle on mixed reality in manufacturing?
  • When to use AR and when VR makes more sense

The post Episode 430: The theme of this show is wearables 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 426: Our take on Apple’s Vision Pro and fixes for bad air [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 ser…
Episode 425: Smarter grocery stores are coming [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:17
Krogers and Walmart are both expanding various IoT devices to more of their stores as part of a larger shift in how connectivity and intelligence will change how we shop. Walmart is deploying electronic shelf labels in 5…
Episode 424: Trust, AI, and the economy drive IoT conversations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:28
This week’s show is live from Dallas as I attend the Parks Associates Connections smart home event, so I start out discussing some of the themes I’ve seen so far, including the growing importance of data privacy, local p…
Episode 423: Why Wemo is a no go for us [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:37
We start this week’s show with a conversation about Latch, the company that is acquiring Jamie Siminoff’s stealth startup. Siminoff, who also founded Ring, left Amazon (which had acquired Ring in 2018) this week ahead of…
Episode 422: The Pixel tablet is a smart home let down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:46
Google launched a new tablet and dock at the Google I/O event Wednesday, and Kevin and I share our thoughts on how it might fit in with a smart home. Will it replace your Nest Smart Displays? We also share some of the up…
Episode 421: Amazon adds Thread and beefs up Alexa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:07
Amazon has turned on the Thread-capabilities inside its Echo devices so they can support the Matter smart home interoperability standard in its totality, so Kevin and I talk about what that will and won’t do for smart ho…
Episode 420: First impressions of the new Aqara mmWave sensor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:45
This week we start the show with my first impressions of the Aqara FP2 mmWave sensor. This $83 sensor can detect multiple people in a room, light settings, and falls. It’s also one of the first presence sensors that uses…
Episode 419: Little sensors save big amounts of water [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:02
This week’s show has lots of updates and small updates. We start off with a story about a golf course near San Diego that has saved millions of gallons of water using connected soil sensors. And then we review what chang…
Episode 418: Why is the smart home still so terrible? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:10
This week’s show is full of both good news and bad news, starting with Google apparently dropping software update support for third-party smart displays. We question Google’s commitment to the smart home, even though the…
Episode 417: We need a standard for aging in place [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:54
This week’s podcast is focused on IoT infrastructure, with our first conversation explaining the upcoming 6G cellular connectivity standard. After that, we discuss sales of IoT connectivity chips and modules, and the lea…