Field Mobility and M2M News Weekly – Week of April 15, 2012

The Field Mobility and M2M News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news and articles related to field mobility that I run across each week.  I am specifically targeting information that reflects market data and trends.

Also read Enterprise Mobility Asia News Weekly
Also read Mobile Commerce News Weekly
Also read Mobile Marketing News Weekly
Also read Mobile Health News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly

Google Maps currently covers 187 countries, providing 26 million miles of driving directions and covering 75 percent of the world’s population. Read Original Content

An enterprising team in Los Angeles has created Road Stoves, allowing customers to locate their favorite mobile food vendor. Mobile food vendors install GPS units in their trucks and customers can download an iPhone or Android app to locate the participating vendors. Read Original Content

Tablets and smartphones could become the control point for the connected, automated home of the future, allowing homeowners to dim the lights, open the curtains, engage the alarm or check in on our kids via video feed. Read Original Content

Since 1995, Syclo has enabled hundreds of companies in 37 countries and industries supercharge their businesses with mobility.  This newsletter is sponsored in part by Syclo. http://www.syclo.com/.

A new system utilizing bar codes and smart printers has allowed Koegel Meats of Flint, Michigan to streamline their antiquated labeling and product tracking operations. Read Original Content

Consulting firm Burns and McDonnell has found that using rugged tablets and specialized mobile data collection applications has markedly increased the efficiency and accuracy of data collected by its field staff. Read Original Content


Siemens and Streetline have partnered to create an M2M solution for urban parking limitations.  Wireless sensors detect the presence of vehicles in individual parking spaces.  A free smartphone app provides real-time data to motorists, guiding them to available parking spaces, allowing them to keep track of the time left on the meter, and pay for parking. Read Original Content

ROAM data has developed NFC Swipe for smartphones and tablets, transforming them into mobile POS devices. Read Original Content

GIS tools can assist farmers conducting crop forecasting, letting them take a closer look at their operations using satellite imagery, and providing methods to run their operations more productively and efficiently. Read Original Content

Innovative mobility solutions are driving positive changes in the way utility companies and their field workforce communicates and manages large amounts of real-time data. Read Original Content

Several companies are using location data and augmented reality to turn mobile devices into tools for the new world of real estate. Read Original Content

Numerex Corp has announced its new Location-Based Services platform, providing enterprises with solutions for monitoring, tracking and recovering mobile assets. Read Original Content

In an effort to improve the location accuracy of indoor maps, Google has launched Google Maps Floor Plan Marker.  After users download a floor plan of their building, the mobile app directs them around the building and collects data on Wi-Fi hotspots. Read Original Content

A new Robotic Systems Joint Project Office Robotic University recently opened at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.   The facility is responsible for training, maintaining and sustaining robotic systems for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. Read Original Content

The last decade has seen rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicles – robotic planes flown by some combination of remote “pilot” operators, software, and GPS navigation.  The military is preparing to bring home over 7,500 of these drones currently deployed overseas—and their builders are looking to create a domestic market for the technology. Read Original Content

Trimble Floodlight is providing St. Charles Parish Waterworks a way to save time for its field crews by enabling up-to-date and accurate inventory and location data for water lines, valves, and other critical assets mapped in its GIS. Read Original Content

Nissan has partnered with Intel to create a new version of vehicle connectivity technology NissanConnect that will debut on Altima sedans in July. Read Original Content

M2M revenue from non-connectivity sources in Europe amounted to 3 percent of the total in 2010, and 4.2 percent in 2011, and is expected to rise to 20 percent by 2017, according to Frost & Sullivan.  It is also predicted that the number of wireless connections will reach 97.5 for every 100 people globally by 2016. Read Original Content

Mobile apps OpenLabel and Stickybits utilize bar codes and allow users to create, enhance and personalize content. The purpose of the app is to make it easier for regular people to judge the corporations behind the products they buy. Read Original Content

The global number of mobile network connections used for wireless M2M communication reached 108.0 million in 2011, an increase of 37 percent.
The strongest regional market was Asia-Pacific with 34.5 million connections at the end of 2011, a year-on-year growth rate of 64 percent. Read Original Content

M2M company Sequoia Technology and Telit Wireless Solutions have developed a way for rural medical clinics in Africa to wirelessly receive the HIV test results of expectant mothers within days of testing, saving thousands of infants from mother-to-child HIV infection. Read Original Content

Recent Articles by Kevin Benedict
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Recorded Webinars of Note
Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles


You can follow me on Twitter @krbenedict and read my blog, Enterprise Mobility Strategies.

I have added a feature to my blog site that supports email subscriptions.  You can now receive all blog articles directly via email.  If you are interested, click here.

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile Industry Analyst, Consultant and SAP Mentor Alumnus
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

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