I didn't blog much yesterday because I was researching the state of play in Always On. (The illustration is from Georgia Tech.)
I had a book proposal before Wiley rejected out of hand. But when I then suggested to step back and do a book on RFID for the home, I got real interest. Just make it a hands-on book, I was told.
Thus, the research.
As regular readers here know well there are many Always On application spaces, that is, functions fit for wireless networking applications.
Absent this understanding that a unified platform already exists so that all these applications can be created together, what is the state of play specifically regarding Radio Frequency Identification? (Or, if you prefer, spychips, although since I'm talking about home applications you're spying on yourself.)
Unfortunately it is home automation, a relatively low value application space, where we see the most complete implementation of the Always On idea.
There's actually an Always On company, Homeseer, promoting a platform that can implement security, energy, and entertainment applications. (Here, buy the starter kit.) Dig a little deeper and you find they haven't really gotten far. The promise is there, but right now they're just talking about linking lights and things to your PC -- big deal.
To me the true killer apps have always been medical, and Harvard CIO David Ewalt agrees, to the point where he's actually had an RFID chip implanted in his biceps to record his medical history. The trouble is that when such chips are turned into systems, as at MedicTouch, they're built around costly, low-bandwidth cellular networks. One reason for that is, as in Intel's CareNet trial, most seniors (the prime market) don't have DSL.
So here's the bottom line, for now. You can mess around with this stuff. The promise, the parts, the applications are all there. You can write a book about RFID in the Home, for the hobbyist, and even implement a few things.
But until someone comes across with the full vision, and commercializes a platform that can work in any application space, Always On will remain a game for futurists.