M2M in the Home and at Work

Twice in the past two days a machine has sent me a M2M message in my home.  The first time it told me that its inventory was low, and then asked if I wanted to replenish its inventory from a specific vendor.  The second M2M message alerted me to a mechanical problem.  In both cases it was my HP wireless printer.

Ericsson predicts that by 2020 there will be 50 billion M2M enabled devices.  Those are large numbers, but I can see the value in my own home.  I can just image the value in a large manufacturing operation.  All the machines monitoring themselves and reporting mechanical problems, maintenance or replenishment needs.

I can also see the need for any company that has geographically dispersed high value assets like trucks, tractors, trailors, tools, etc., to want to track them and to know when they need repaired or serviced.

I have recorded a number of video comments on M2M which you can find on the SAP Mentor channel on YouTube.  Click here for the list of YouTube videos:   http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/kevins-video-comments.html , or read my M2M newsletter, M2M News Weekly here, http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/p/m2m.html.

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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analsyt, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles. ***************************************************

M2M - Tomatoes, Fisherman and Drug Addicts

A good friend sent me an article over the holiday weekend about a tomato watering system that was set up to tweet whenever it needed more water.  I like it!  It contains a moisture sensor connected to a embedded wireless device.  It is a silly little proof of concept, but it helps us to understand how many unique applications there are for M2M systems.

In the July 5th edition of the New York Times there is an article, Circuitry With a Feel for Humanity by Amy Harmon.  The article states that doctors at the University of Massachusetts are testing a wearable sensor designed to be worn by drug addicts.  The wearable sensor discerns drug cravings in addicts and sends, using an M2M system, text messages with just the right blend of tough love.

I read another article a few weeks ago about students at a school in Africa who developed an M2M system to help local fisherman know when there were fish available to catch.  Sensors, connected to simple M2M systems sent text messages to all subscribed fisherman.

All of these articles demonstrate innovative thinking in the M2M arena.  The uses for M2M systems are nearly unlimited.  It will be fascinating to watch how this market develops.

• Read Kevin's M2M News Weekly for a summary of events and market numbers in the M2M market. 
• Read Kevin's Mobility News Weekly for a summary of events and market numbers in the enterprise mobility market.

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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
CEO/Principal Consultant, Netcentric Strategies LLC
http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://twitter.com/krbenedict
***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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