2019 - Altair Semiconductor

Dec 14, 2016

Predicting the Growth of Cellular IoT

The IoT continues to grow at an ever-increasing rate. Although we are yet to reach the connected world predicted in the smart homes of Back to the Future II or the geo-marketing and autonomous cars...

Dec 01, 2016

It’s Time to Talk About IoT Security

Hollywood has no shortage of over-the-top movies focused on hacking. Movies such as Live Free or Die Hard, in which criminal elements gain complete control of the United States via sophisticated hacking. However, as the...

Nov 07, 2016

The Future Looks Bright for IoT Healthcare

If recent forecasts are any indication, the Internet of Things is poised to become just what the doctor ordered over the next few years. Doctors and nurses, hospital administrators and medical researchers will be increasingly...

Oct 25, 2016

Harnessing the Future of Cellular IoT to Spur the Growth of Renewable Energy Infrastructure

Despite all the technological advances being made in the realm of renewable energy infrastructure, the move to push renewable alternatives into the mainstream has been surprisingly slow. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, total...

Sep 27, 2016

Wearables: Where Do They Go from Here?

Over the past few years, wearable devices have emerged from the fringes of the consumer technology market to become one of the hottest trends today. In the last two years alone, sales of wearable devices...

Aug 22, 2016

As IoT Goes Mainstream, Focus Turns to Device Security

According to a recent report from Statista, the number of connected devices in use around the world is expected to reach 50.1 billion by the year 2020. In other words, enough to provide every person...

Aug 08, 2016

What is the Value of IoT Smart City Standardization?

As people increasingly move into urban areas, they bring with them new challenges. City officials face pressure to address issues, including traffic congestion, increased air and water pollution, and energy shortages, all within the constraints...

Jul 18, 2016

Mobile Gamers Don’t Play Around with their Connectivity

Your hero enters the dungeon, sword drawn. Down the corridor, you spot a dragon with smoke billowing out its nostrils pacing back and forth, preparing to strike. You inch closer, ready to duel — and...

Jul 11, 2016

How Businesses Can Gain a Competitive Edge with the LTE and the IoT

Today’s businesses are experiencing greater competition than ever before. With the rise of e-commerce and the ease and convenience of travel, the world is a now much smaller place, inviting more businesses to vie for...

Jun 05, 2016

The IoT is Helping Homeland Security in Crime Prevention

We’ve seen it in the movies hundreds of times: The authorities are hot on the trail of a dangerous suspect, chasing him through city streets until the perpetrator shakes the tail by disappearing into a...

May 23, 2016

The IoT is Poised to Become a Tour de Force at the Tour de France

For over 100 years the Tour de France has been the apex of accomplishment for the world’s greatest cyclists. But at the 103rd annual race this July, a new contestant is poised to fundamentally revolutionize...

May 05, 2016

Keeping Cool This Summer with LTE and the IoT, Part 2: Sports Wearables

Summer is just around the corner and with it all the pleasures of the season. However, along with those long balmy days comes high heat and accompanying health concerns. Weather forecasters are already anticipating another...

Apr 25, 2016

Surf’s Up! Keeping Cool This Summer with 4G LTE and the IoT: Part 1

It’s time to dust off those grills, break out the shorts and put the air conditioners back in the windows — summer is coming. In addition to the backyard barbeques, outdoor activities and longer days,...

Apr 04, 2016

The IoT is Stepping Up to the Plate in Major League Baseball

The Major League Baseball (MLB) season is underway for another year of spectacular home runs, diving outfield grabs and plays at the plate. Yet there are many parts of the national pastime that we could...

Mar 29, 2016

Solving Water Quality Quandaries with LTE

Following recent developments in Flint, Michigan, it is no surprise that the issue of monitoring the quality of public water supplies has found itself under the microscope. In 2014, the city transferred its water supply...

Feb 11, 2016

Busting Crime with the IoT

Would-be criminals, beware: the IoT has come to the aid of security and surveillance technology to ensure that your unlawful schemes will not succeed. Thanks to the now ubiquitous reach of cost-efficient, long-range 4G LTE...

Jan 25, 2016

May the Force Be With You: The IoT is Making Hollywood Magic a Reality

Are you one of the millions of people that came out of the movie theater after seeing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” wishing you had some Jedi mind tricks of your own? Even if your...

Jan 14, 2016

LTE: The Key Ingredient for Successfully Actualizing Virtual Reality Products

If this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is any indication, 2016 will be the year that virtual reality (VR) finally makes its way into the mainstream. The show, which took place last week in Las...

Nov 26, 2015

The IoT Is Getting Its Own Network – and Guess What, it’s LTE

Verizon’s recent announcement that it plans to build a 4G LTE network specifically for IoT-connected devices is more than warranted. Not least because adding more small low-data-using devices to its existing network is not cost-effective....

Nov 18, 2015

“Let Me Entertain You” – with a little help from the IoT

According to eMarketer, there are currently 1.9 billion smartphone users in the world. That means there is now a whole lot of data passing through the Internet, from smartphone access to social media platforms and...

Nov 03, 2015

LTE: The New Standard for the IoT

According to Gartner, 25 billion devices will be connected to the IoT by the year 2020. The advent of connected technology, on both a large and small scale, is creating an increasing demand for stronger...

Oct 27, 2015

Improving Car Insurance with LTE and the IoT

In 2008, the number of internet-connected devices surpassed the number of people on this earth, according to tech giant Cisco. As this trend gains momentum, it will continue to transform our lives, from wearable devices...

Oct 14, 2015

Solving Traffic Problems with LTE Chipsets

It’s a situation that we’re all familiar with: not-so-patiently navigating the morning rush-hour traffic, only to be held up at a traffic light — even though there’s no traffic at all crossing our path. Not...

Oct 06, 2015

Improving Law Enforcement with LTE and the IoT

Police officers are on the front lines every day, protecting and serving their communities. For this reason, they are well-equipped with an array of gadgets to assist them in fulfilling their duties. Beyond the traditional...

Sep 21, 2015

The Internet of School Things is Coming

School is back in session, and with that comes a sense of nostalgia; the smell of dry erase markers, the rustling of papers, and the slamming of locker doors as students scurry to get ready...

Sep 09, 2015

Be Careful What You Wish For: Should Artificial Intelligence and IoT Meet

When we think of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we may immediately be reminded of the 2001 Stephen Spielberg film in which a child android longs to be real in order to reclaim the love of the...

Aug 31, 2015

How the IoT Adds Up to a More Convenient Life

Anyone who’s been following technology – or even just general – news will have heard a lot about Internet of Things (IoT) or “smart” devices recently. And some might be asking just how much of...

Aug 26, 2015

Wearables: Not Just for Humans Anymore

As a company in the midst of disrupting the Internet of Things (IoT) marketplace with new low-power, low-cost 4G LTE chipsets, we are committed to proving that LTE for IoT can help improve people’s lives...

Aug 19, 2015

Five Superheroes Already Using the IoT

What makes a superhero? Superhuman strength? Sure! Lightning-quick speed? Certainly! But let’s not forget the other advantage that many of these heroes share – access to amazing technology. In fact, many of these fictional adventurers...

Aug 11, 2015

Are We There Yet? No, and it Doesn’t Matter

“Are we there yet?” No four words can better sum-up the impatience and frustration of a family road trip. This is made even more frustrating by the knowledge that the child asking this question is...

Aug 03, 2015

Smart Meters Curb Drought Problems in California

It is no secret that California is currently enduring one of the worst droughts in its history. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), the three year period between October 2011 and October...

Jul 22, 2015

Yes, You Heard Right—The Smart Backpack Is Here!

Those of us born to a previous generation remember a time when backpacks were nothing more than material receptacles held together by a few seams and zippers. These knapsacks—which we slung over our shoulders or...

Jul 01, 2015

Global LTE by the Numbers

As you have probably noticed by now, we discuss LTE quite frequently on the Altair blog. And sure, as a maker of innovative, low price, low power LTE chipset solutions, we have a vested interest...

Jul 06, 2015

The IoT Makes Sci-Fi Technology Possible

Growing up as children in the ’70s and ’80s, “The Jetsons” sci-fi cartoon program embodied our vision of how the future would be, and it was nothing less than exhilarating. Now with the arrival of...

Jun 22, 2015

The IoT Market Is Too Big to Fathom

The numbers are officially getting crazy. Recently, Machina Research released a study estimating that the Internet of Things (IoT) global market will reach $4.3 trillion (yes that is trillion, spelled with a ‘T’) by 2024....

Jun 18, 2015

IoT is for Everyone

I recently had the opportunity to deliver one of the keynote speeches at the Imagination Summit. It’s an event that brings together hundreds of top executives and engineers who are in the trenches of the...

Jun 15, 2015

What Wearables Can Do for Child Safety

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: You turn around for one minute in the grocery store or airport and when you look back your child is no longer in sight. Adrenaline makes your heart race as...

Jun 10, 2015

Smart Liquor? Johnnie Walker Embraces the IoT

Just when you thought the Internet of Things (IoT) couldn’t get any cooler, it has found its way into the world of fine liquor. Yes, the IoT is now being paired with Johnnie Walker’s premium...

May 27, 2015

The Year of the Smart Watch

Around this time last year, I wrote a post titled “These Smart Watches Better Sell” for this blog. It was a short piece with a simple message: A lot of time and money had been...

May 20, 2015

Jumping on the IoT Bandwagon

IBM recently announced that it will invest $3 billion to form an IoT division within the company. The technology giant’s investment will be aimed at furthering numerous aspects of the IoT, including expanding its own...

May 07, 2015

The Coolest Smart Products You Might Not Have Heard About

If you had the chance to attend the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this past January, or the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in March, or any number of other technology trade...

Apr 16, 2015

How the IoT Takes Human Error Out of Security

Up until recently, home and building security had a problem with no ideal solution: No matter how sophisticated an alarm or lock system was, it could be rendered essentially useless because of simple forgetfulness. In...

Mar 29, 2015

Urban Life in 2050: The Future of Smart Cities

Today’s urban cities are practically bursting at the seams. According to research from the United Nations, 54 percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a percentage that is expected to increase to upward...

Mar 18, 2015

Why the IoT Needs 4G LTE to Reach Its Full Potential

If you could take a look through time to 10 or 20 years from now, what would you see? Imagine smart cities where every traffic light is configured to optimize traffic patterns and ease congestion....

Dec 04, 2014

LTE: Like Water or Not?

When water wants to go somewhere, it normally finds a way to get there. Of course, it receives valuable help from gravity, but that's just a detail. The point is that it gets there. So...

Aug 14, 2014

LTE-A has arrived

According to a new ABI Research report, LTE subscriptions will grow to 411 million (4G LTE) and 22 million (4.5G LTE-Advanced) by the end of 2014. No less than 45 LTE-A networks will have been...

Jul 21, 2014

The Hype of IoT

We all know fads are short-lived, and while some become mainstream, others don't necessarily succeed. For example, Crocs, the foam clog company, burst onto the scene in 2006 and is now a $1 billion company....

Jun 18, 2014

History Is On Our Side

Ever since the days of Noah, and particularly in modern times through the Industrial Revolution, Field of Dreams and the Internet, the concept of "If you build it, they (Actually, in the movie, it was...

May 29, 2014

Will Samsung be first to launch a truly smartwatch?

Six months ago, I wrote a piece on smartwatches. In it, I argued that "Today’s devices are essentially sophisticated smartphone accessories...With the exception of some experimental devices...none of today’s smartwatches have stand-alone functionality." I ended by...

May 13, 2014

These SmartWatches Better Sell

Motorola's highly anticipated 360 is not the only Android smartwatch set to be released this year. LG is launching its own Android smartwatch, G Watch. Here's an interesting new article comparing the the two. Analysts expect...

May 11, 2014

Where, Oh Where Can Wearables Go?

I recently read an article about Google "Glass" going commercial. Now, we can debate the pros and cons of people walking around, concentrating more on a small piece of glass in front of their faces...

May 07, 2014

Does VoLTE increase voice call quality?

According to a recent Engadget post, AT&T set to beat Verizon by deploying high-definition calls over LTE this month: "With so many apps, services and features on today's smartphones, it's easy to forget that there...

Mar 19, 2014

MWC 2014: When Is a Tablet Not Just a Tablet?

Having recently spent a few days at MWC, where Altair was inundated with meetings upon meetings with carriers, infrastructure vendors, hardware manufacturers and others, there are two major takeaways I was able to see. First,...

Feb 03, 2014

No Time to Sit Back and Relax

In the hi-tech industry, a major deal can make all the difference for a company. A big manufacturer decides to deploy your chipset, and certain companies could just stand by and count the money as...

Dec 23, 2013

Remain Calm At All Times

Normally, we at Altair try to remain calm, even when positive things are happening for us in the market. We have a bunch of industry firsts, and our flagship FourGee product has been certified in...

Nov 10, 2013

Fine China

You may remember that, when I recently wrote about the state of affairs for LTE in China, I had talked about the intense, large-scale trials that were going on in that market. I recently took...

Dec 03, 2012

Around the World in Nine Blog Posts – Post 7 – India

When it comes to LTE, there may be no market as fascinating to observe as India. First, it’s a huge market, and anyone who is going to be involved there will be involved in a...

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