10 IoT Products We Loved At Mobile World Congress 2016
Internet of Things Explosion
Internet of Things-related products took center stage at Mobile World Congress 2016. Vendors went beyond mobile products to show off gateways, sensors and connected devices that make up IoT -- as well as IoT development kits for consumers and vertical applications that are currently on the market.
Companies including Intel, SAP and Dell were among those demonstrating their newest connected devices.
Following are the 10 coolest IoT products we saw at Mobile World Congress this year.
Ambi Labs' Intelligent Air Conditioning
Ambi Labs displayed its Ambi Climate product at Mobile World Congress, an "add-on" that makes air conditioning smart, learns personal comfort preferences, and reduces unnecessary cooling to help save money.
Ambi Climate works with a companion app that lets users manage their air conditioners from their smartphone, as well as track their air conditioning on graphs to gain a deeper understanding of their AC usage over time. The app is compatible with iOS and Android operating systems.
Finally, when users aren't at home Ambi Climate will automatically turn off air conditioning to save money. This product is available for pre-order for $179 on Ambi Lab's website.
Libelium's Sensory Platform
Libelium displayed its sensor solutions at Mobile World Congress, which power solutions for smart cities and have applications such as parking and traffic congestion management, environmental monitoring, as well as air and water quality control.
Libelium's smart cities platform integrates hardware and software design improvements for smart city projects so cities can establish a platform to build future applications and services.
Oral-B Genius Smart Toothbrush
Oral-B debuted its first series of connected toothbrushes at last year's Mobile World Congress, and at this year's show it unveiled the next generation of its product, called Genius.
Genius uses motion sensors, pressure sensors and users' smartphone cameras to track how they brush their teeth, keeping tabs on pressure, different brushes in different areas of the mouth, and timing. The companion app then offers tips on how to improve oral hygiene.
While there is no indication of pricing for the Oral-B Genius yet, the smart toothbrush will be available in select areas in July, according to Oral-B.
Acer Cloud Professor IoT Development Kit
Acer showcased its Cloud Professor IoT development kit at Mobile World Congress. With the kit, users of all ages can utilize Acer's Arduino-based cloud technology in a "plug, play, code and make" starter kit to get a feel for how to develop IoT. The kit contains an Adruino Uno board, a Grove-LED, a light and dust sensor, and a Grove-Button.
Using mobile devices, users can conduct an IoT remote control for powering robots by following tutorial kits from programming languages, including JavaScript, LiveCode and A/C++. Acer's IoT kit is available now.
SAP's Internet Of Things Digital Farming Platform
SAP showcased its IoT agricultural application at Mobile World Congress. The company is working with Luciad, which builds software components to allow businesses to deliver geospatial situational awareness applications for digital farming.
Using IoT, the company works with farms to provide an analysis over a long period of time to enable forecasting and optimization strategies for the future.
SAP's solutions generate data-driven intelligence from connected devices so farmers can connect their businesses to business networks, leveraging cloud, mobile and analytics technologies to boost productivity. The application tracks when tasks are started and finished, how much fertilizer was used on various locations of the field, and the fuel consumption for every meter of plowing.
Dell Edge Gateway 5000 Series
Dell showed off its Edge Gateway 5000 series at Mobile World Congress. Dell's gateways, first unveiled in October, deliver purpose-built powerful analytics capabilities, input/output options and rugged features so that they can operate in extreme environments.
These gateways sit on the edge of the network and are designed for the factory automation sector and feature Dell Statistica advanced analytics, hardware, digital services, security and other IoT-focused services.
With these gateways, companies can extend the benefits of cloud computing to their network edge and for faster and more secure business insights while saving money. The Dell Edge Gateway is available in select countries starting at $1,199.
Intel's Recon Jet Headset
Intel showcased Recon Jet, a headset that tracks exercise, at Mobile World Congress. The Recon Jet headset looks similar to Google Glass and contains GPS, gyro sensors and Bluetooth technology to track users and show information during the workout.
The headset, powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, displays the pace, distance and duration of the workout. These notifications are shown on an embedded display attached to the headset. These Android-based glasses are available now for $500.
Also at the show, Recon Instruments, which is a division of Intel, said it has joined forces with APX Labs to develop smart safety glasses for field service, maintenance and manufacturing-based enterprise clients.
Qualcomm Products For Smart Cities
Qualcomm stole the show at Mobile World Congress, powering most phones that were launched and showcasing its mobility solutions, but the chip maker also displayed its efforts in the IoT space.
Qualcomm says its IoT products, including embedded Qualcomm Snapdragon products, Qualcomm VIVE networking technology, Qualcomm Powerline connectivity solutions and Qualcomm Small Cells for extending network capacity can make cities connected for pollution reduction, improved health, resource management and operational savings.
Qualcomm's blueprint for smart cities contains three key pieces, a spokesperson said: interoperability, processing data at the edge, and scalability, meaning entire cities can be seamlessly connected.
Qualcomm is now harnessing these skills to contribute to LinkNYC, a communications networks bringing free public Wi-Fi to New York City.
SK Telecom's Open IoT ThingPlug Platform
SK Telecom displayed its open IoT platform at Mobile World Congress, called ThingPlug.
This platform, jointly developed by SK Telecom and IoT platform service company Daliworks, functions as a do-it-yourself development environment for IoT services. Developers can download this SDK from ThingPlug's website, and it includes features like checking real-time service status and data through PCs and smartphones.
ThingPlug, first launched over the summer, allows developers to save costs associated with building and maintaining a server by providing a cloud-based server.
Jacob Jensen's Halo Smart Bracelet
Jacob Jensen debuted its Halo smart bracelet at Mobile World Congress, a wearable that combines style with safety.
Users wearing the Jacob Jensen bracelet can tap it three times or shake their wrist three times and Halo will sent an automatic distress message to a friend or family member. The device will also automatically start recording audio on users' smartphones when the distress signal has been activated.
These safety features come along with the bracelets' extremely simple and minimalistic design -- Halo features a thin band and a circular top, making it seem more like a bracelet than a connected wearable. The device comes in two models and is set for release in the summer. Pricing has not been disclosed.