Internet of Things: Android

Internet of Things, consumerization with Android and ARM offer flexibility in solutions. Android OS is based on Linux and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Initially developed by Android, Inc., which Google backed financially and later bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007 along with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance: a consortium of hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. According to Wired, As more and more devices get connected to the internet of things, Android will become the operating system that powers everything.

Google / Wired

Modern M2M (Machine-To-Machine) communication offers many possibilities. M2M is related to Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0 and Cyber Physical Systems (CPS). According to VDC Research, their will be more than one million embedded developers working with Android in M2M applications by the end of 2015. "Android is a massively disruptive technology for the embedded technology vendor community. While there have always been many OS's to support the wide diversity of embedded and M2M applications, never has a new OS gained so much traction so quickly,” stated VDC vice president Chris Rommel.

Android OS recent technology advancements have paved opportunities in areas such as mobile, big data and the cloud. According to IDC, “The Internet of things will change everything and be "a new construct in the information and communications technology world." "It is important to remember that while the market for the Internet of Things is still in its infancy, there is a long legacy of autonomous wired connected things," stated Carrie MacGillivray, IDC Program Vice President, Mobile Services, M2M & Network Infrastructure. "The enabler for growth over the forecast period is the pervasiveness of wireless connectivity and ubiquitous access to Internet regardless of location."

Qualcomm company is ahead of its competition for its smartphones and high-speed wireless technology, long term evolution (LTE). Qualcomm processors currently power three of the iPhone's top competitors: HTC 8x, Nokia Lumina, and CDMA version of the Samsung Galaxy S III. The company is poised for strong growth in emerging markets China and Latin America. Qualcomm owns 48 percent of the smartphone processor market by revenue, and collect 3-5 percent of the sale price of CDMA-enabled devices because of their patents. Qualcomm is one of the companies with the biggest vested interest in the iPhone, which one of Apple's largest suppliers.

Qualcomm's market cap is now $110.34 billion. Billionaire Ken Fisher's Fisher Asset Management owned 9.2 million shares at the end of September 2012. Another major holder of Qualcomm was Lone Pine Capital, which is managed by billionaire Stephen Mandel. With a massive conservative effect, the company is cautious given the current market conditions. Qualcomm's strategic outlook towards growth will have to move forward from its existing smartphones dominance to stay ahead in the future.

This aspect is promising for the company as the demand for high-end smartphones and tablets is on the rise. Tablet market share is currently at around 4 percent with growth expectations. ARM is up 56 percent over the past twelve months and 639 percent over the past five years. Qualcomm is up 5 percent over the past twelve months and 51% over the past five years. Expectations on earnings for the next year's growth expect accelerating earnings.

IoT or Internet of Things is powered by Google and Android. The future of our technologies relates strongly to how we connect to the Internet. In today’s economic society our technologies are driven by some of the largest organizations in the world with investments. The Internet of things spending was at $4.8 trillion in 2012. It is expected to reach $8.9 trillion in 2020. Google’s massive install base and Android technology advancements are key enablers.

According to Gartner, The Internet is expanding beyond PCs and mobile devices into enterprise assets such as field equipment, and consumer items such as cars and televisions. The problem is that most enterprises and technology vendors have yet to explore the possibilities of an expanded internet and are not operationally or organizationally ready. Imagine digitizing the most important products, services and assets. The combination of data streams and services created by digitizing everything creates four basic usage models – Manage; Monetize; Operate; Extend. These four basic models can be applied to any of the four "internets” (people, things, information and places).  Enterprises should not limit themselves to thinking that only the Internet of Things (i.e., assets and machines) has the potential to leverage these four models. Enterprises from all industries can leverage these four models.