on ELON conference, later some more details
tons of information, lengthy handout, good depth
only one cute woman there, a serious disapptmt
she was young, lithe, healthy, but some complexion problems
conference was poorly attended IMO, mostly vendor types
maybe about 22-25 people there, with good questions though
main points (some technical errors must be forgiven):
- ELON has this home appliance internet business locked
- MSFT (UPNP standard) and Sun Micro (Jini std) only competition
- witnessed demo of their Palo Alto (aka Shallow Alto) demo office with electric light, clock, window shade all controllable via their LONWorks window... they turned on the light (at different levels), closed the shade, and it all was visible upon screen refresh... way wicked cool
- appropriate appliance list is vast: thermostat, security alarm, lights, locks, a/c, washer, dryer, fire sprinkler, lawn sprinkler, video camera (tilt, pan, zoom), variable air volume (VAV)... and I only scratched the surface
- you can doubleclick on an electrical device such as a thermostat (saw it) and up comes the status categories... e.g. max temp, min temp, temp increments for reporting changes... a click elsewhere produces product specs like mfr
- key feature is REMOTE CONTROL via computer
- UW asked and received a demo by a guy with a Samsung wireless phone, who turned the light off in the PAlto demo room using certain features on his handheld phone (I watched part of it, but was distracted by the bad complexion and long leggy woman nearby... she smelled real good)
- preventative active mgmt enabled... e.g. warning of exceeding 2000 watts for heating appliance, warning of imminent spent specialty bulbs, warning of particulate levels exceeded for air flow system
- list of participating vendors is also vast... Merloni (Italiani), and a couple other Euros... 7&11 is main client with 7200 stores and realized 10% energy savings
- ELON has 4000 vendors in development !!!
- MSFT and SUNW each lack end-to-end solutions... they manage the computerized end well, but lack connectivity to the devices
- battlegrounds now are with services and products
- revenues come from transceivers principally, and also their Windows product LONWorks, but also a royalty stream from neural chips ($2.50) licensed mfr'ed by Toshiba and Cypress... heard Motorola no longer makes them
- only 170 employees in company... very sharp main speaker
final remarks and impressions:
UW asked a question about embedded software for their transceiver... answer was Wind River Systems, which is the main microcode for the majority of appliances and their controllers
I asked a question about any "missing links" technically from engg standpoint... speaker said NONE, all solved, with current challenges all organizing the consortium of standard bodies... MSFT's UPNP is led by ELON's advisors... this is clearly ELON's show
I asked a question about current and projected growth of their business... speaker hemmed & hawed with a cheshire cat's grin... I knew he couldnt be specific, so I helped him, asking "if you were to offer an honest answer to the question, do you feel the growth rate stated would be so high as to destroy your credibility?"... he appeared grateful and simply said confidently while smiling "YES", making a vague comment about not being able to be detailed, but that the growth is astounding, citing the Cisco recent approval
I walked away thinking the unsung winner in this whole arena is what UW kept mentioning: WIND... ELON has probably won the software battle, and certainly has a winner with its internet enabled transceiver, but the "Microsoft of the Home Appliance" is likely WIND
what do I know?
I am just a poor tech sharecropper, and a verifiable jackass to boot
now leave me the hell alone, CrackerJackassMan
the want ads have plenty of jobs out there suitable for you
maybe a golf club repairman or Mercedes tire polisher
your intrepid reporter (had to pay $300 entry fee, ugh)
/ Jim Willie |
