Creating Internet of Things (IoT) devices with cellular connectivity built-in is still tricky.
We saw one solution – the Spark Electron – last month. Now Chicago-based Konekt , another maker of IoT toolkits has revealed its own take – the Konekt Dash .
As has become par for the course in the hardware space, the company has launched a Kickstarter campaign to promote and fund the device. It’s set a very manageable target of $10,000 to produce the consumer Konekt Dash and more secure enterprise-level Konekt Dash Pro models. The campaign ends in 36 days.
Konekt’s original toolkit includes a SIM card and the services required to build cellular IoT projects, but the Dash goes further by providing a circuit board with integrated battery management. That means developers just need to add sensors and code to create products that work anywhere with mobile service.
The company suggests the consumer version could be used to build products such as smartphone-controlled home security systems and bicycle trackers.
The Dash Pro, which features end-to-end 256-bit PSK encryption and automatic over-the-air key exchange, is designed to be used for more sensitive projects such as ATM security, industrial monitoring and healthcare applications.
Both models hook up with Konekt’s cloud platform which allows devices built with them to communicate with the internet or each other.
Interestingly, the Kickstarter rewards include peripherals that developers will need to implement their projects. At the $5 level you’ll get the global SIM card, which includes a free six month data plan (1MB per month or up to 6MB in total). A pledge of $79 will get you the Dash bundled with the Raspberry Pi B2 , a Huawei E303 USB Modem and the SIM.
Contributors can also add one or more Shields at any reward level. They include a Solar Shield to power devices, a Relay Shield for switching external devices on and off, and an awkwardly-named Shield Shield for integrating Arduino into your project. As well as the tier with a Raspberry Pi included, the company’s offering bundles with Arduino and Beagleboard hardware.
Konekt says it will start shipping its global SIM cards at the end of the Kickstarter campaign in May – providing it meets its funding goal – with SIMs packaged with third-party hardware going out the same month. The Dash and Dash Pro will ship later in the summer.
Konekt CEO Benjamin Forgan told TNW what inspired the product:
While the company is launching the Dash and Dash Pro on Kickstarter, it also recently raised $1.3 million from a range of US investors.
Forgan points to the recent questions around SIM security , following revelations by Edward Snowden, when talking about the Dash Pro’s security features:
With the growing interest in developing connected devices, more options for individual makers and bigger companies can only be a good thing. Konekt’s approach of connecting with as many other hardware platforms as possible is definitely a compelling one.
➤ Konekt Dash [Kickstarter]
Microsoft announces standalone Xbox One Kinect sensor coming October 7 for $149.99
Microsoft today announced plans to sell the Xbox One Kinect sensor separately. The standalone option comes with Dance Central Spotlight (available as a digital download with 10 tracks) and is set to go on sale on October 7 for $149.99.
The standalone Kinect sensor is going on sale some four months after the company began offering the the Xbox One without Kinect for $399.99 . Given that the Xbox One was originally offered for $499, some may be disappointed that the sensor isn’t available for $100. Nevertheless, the price tag is still lower than Kinect for Windows v2 sensor , which goes for $199.
Microsoft said that it saw Xbox One sales double in June after the new Kinect-less Xbox One option became available, but it didn’t offer specific sales numbers. Today the company claimed it has “also seen increased demand for Xbox One with Kinect” and reiterated that it still believes “Xbox One is better with Kinect, making games, TV and entertainment come alive with premium experiences.”
Sony has sold over 5.3 million PlayStation 4 game consoles to date
Sony has sold more than 5.3 million units of its PlayStation 4 game console around the world as of February 8, the company announced today, a figure that will no doubt pile pressure on its rival Microsoft.
At the end of last year , Sony sold 4.2 million PS 4 consoles, up from the 2.1 million units milestone it first hit on December 3 – just two weeks after it launched the next-gen gaming system.
The PS4 became the best-selling game console in the US in January, according to NPD — dethroning Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which was NPD’s highest-selling console for years. The company claimed its latest console outsold the Xbox One by two-to-one. However, Microsoft took credit for selling the most games (albeit overall, across Xbox 360 and Xbox One).
Impressive though the figures are, Sony can expect a further sales boost on February 22, when the PS4 finally launches in its native Japan.
➤ PlayStation 4 Sales Surpass 5.3 Million Units Worldwide [Press Release]
Read also – Why PlayStation 4 was the best-selling next-gen console in the US last month
Image via Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images