Biometric security measures are not something new from a technological perspective and until recently they were employed mostly in the governmental sector. Recent technological advancements in both biometrics and smartphone technologies are allowing a convergence between the two that is naturally evolving, allowing multiple verticals to benefit from it. Biometry in CE has moved way beyond the “hype” incubation part and is at this moment on the verge of becoming a mainstream practice. In the smartphone market, companies like Samsung and Apple are transforming the field with new biometric innovations in their flagship devices. Start-ups are getting their foot in the door with niche offerings, while first and middle tier companies are reformulating their strategies and plan to incorporate biometric modalities in their products and services in an effort to compete with the larger vendors and satisfy customer demand. Biometric technologies are expected to feed off of the existing smartphone and related technological infrastructure and provide revitalizing revenue opportunities for companies already utilizing NFC, BLE, and software products/apps that act as a platform for mobile payments.

Security was a more imposing topic this year at MWC. It has always been part of the show, but I believe this year, security really came into its own, with increasing interest in root of trust and embedded security. From mobile to carrier networks, from hardware to managed services, there were a lot of interesting solutions from vendors in the mobile space as well as from more traditional security players.

Well, that didn’t take long. About two weeks after I had remarked that Amazon doesn’t seem to have a lot going on for its IoT strategy, the laggard in question confirms to TechCrunch that it has acquired 2lemetry, for an undisclosed sum. So I stand corrected. That’s a savvy acquisition. For what it’s worth, when I in the same blog’s neighbouring sentence suggested that Salesforce.com could prove this year’s real wildcard what I actually had in mind was that it might well take its already close relationship with 2lemetry soon to the next level and buy it out. Oh drama.

Apple have sent out invites for an event on Monday with the words “Spring Forward”, no doubt timed because the clocks are about to change (to summer time) this weekend and perhaps on Monday too in Cupertino. 

ARM’s new IoT Starter Kit, which I got to preview in London last week, is a newsworthy announcement for two reasons. First, the developer kit serves as a checkpoint for ARM’s upcoming mbed OS, which is a critical piece in the company’s IoT strategy. Second, it involves a close partnership with IBM, whose own IoT vision is also starting to take shape after a series of loosely linked moves over the past couple of years. I thought this might be a good time to take a look at what the launched product tells about both firms on a more strategic level.

Sigfox announced its Series D today, and with $115 million it was a big one. The sheer amount of money aside, what’s remarkable about the announcement is the number of strategic investors that are named as the company’s newest shareholders. In a world of zero interest rates, quantitative easing, and too much money chasing too few ideas I personally prefer to take the buzz of most VC announcements, per se, with a healthy grain of salt, but if there’s a strong line-up of strategic investors involved in a round then I’m all ears. For the technology that’s being invested in, they represent a certain vote of confidence that tends to warrant further analysis. Let’s take a look at the industry names behind Sigfox, and speculate a little on what they may be after:

Congratulations to Maxlinear and Entropic on their strategic tie-up.  This will provide value to the Pay TV sector, including both satellite and cable operators.  Ultimately, the level of integration can increase while leveraging operational (SG&A) benefits.

Toward the end of last year Google acquired cloud-hosted database company Firebase. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Google will continue to offer Firebase’s services as part of its Google Cloud Platform line. While the new acquisition and the technology it brings can support a range of online services, the functionality could also be leveraged to be part of Google’s growing armory within the smart home.

On February 2^nd Bloomberg reported Google’s Drummond has informed Uber's board of the possibility the search giant would launch its own ridesharing service.  At the same time Uber announced a strategic partnership with Carnegie Mellon University as well as the creation of the Uber Advanced Technologies Center near the CMU campus in Pittsburg.

Neils Bohr was right, forecasting is hard. But through the analytical process, one learns a lot about how the market could grow and what are the primers for growth. The secret to a reliable forecast is to build the most coherent model possible based on the insights you have, and then review your assumptions frequently.   Many insightful analysts will dodge forecasting because it is so hard.  ABI Research makes it a practice to apply the forecasting due diligence that gives you confidence for building your future.