Macario Namie writes:

As the connected car phenomenon gains pace, 2014 will see global automotive firms embracing LTE. Machina Research predicts 90% of cars sold in 2020 will have some form of embedded connectivity – that connectivity roll-out continues strong in 2014 and LTE is pivotal to its long-term success.

The Internet of Things (IoT) - internet-connected devices with embedded technology but excluding smartphones, tablets and personal computers - will grow to 26 billion units worldwide in 2020, according to a new report from technology research company Gartner.

That’s almost a 30-fold increase from 900 million devices in 2009.

Jürgen Hase writes:

Machine-to-machine communication (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT) run through all areas of life and work. Cars, cargo containers, parking spaces or even wristwatches and coffee cups – everything around us is on the verge of being connected.

Juniper Research has published its predictions for technology industries next year.

At the top of the list is a prediction that cities will ‘get smarter’ during the next 12 months, anticipating that the high-profile smart technology testbeds of Singapore, Barcelona and Nice will be joined by many other cities next year.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has announced a number of updates that form part of the new Bluetooth version 4.1.

This new version will offer a reduced risk of interference with 4G LTE transmissions, more control over automatic reconnections, bulk data transfer, more flexibility when defining devices as ‘hub’ or ‘peripheral’ and more potential for use with the ‘Internet of Things’.