From firefighters to retailers: IoT things outside the home

As I mentioned earlier when covering the Tiny Connected Home, Intel is betting big on the Internet of Things (IoT). With technology that tracks vitals becoming so cheap, one of the biggest barriers to mass adoption now is our own creativity. You'll quite frequently hear IoT-style devices discussed in vague terms with specifics pretty light on the ground: so much data can be quite intimidating.

But at Intel's IoT day in San Francisco, there were a number of simple real-world case studies on hand to demonstrate the potential. Here are some of the most memorable.

Keeping firefighters safe and accounted for

After a false career start producing flash games, Alan Martin has been writing about phones, wearables and internet culture for over a decade with bylines all over the web and print.

Previously Deputy Editor of Alphr, he turned freelance in 2018 and his words can now be found all over the web, on the likes of Tom's Guide, The i, TechRadar, NME, Gizmodo, Coach, T3, The New Statesman and ShortList, as well as in the odd magazine and newspaper.

He's rarely seen not wearing at least one smartwatch, can talk your ear off about political biographies, and is a long-suffering fan of Derby County FC (which, on balance, he'd rather not talk about). He lives in London, right at the bottom of the Northern Line, long after you think it ends.

You can find Alan tweeting at @alan_p_martin, or email him at mralanpmartin@gmail.com.