SURE Universal, creators of next-generation IoT software for electronics and appliances, is extending its leadership in the interoperable smart home market with powerful new solutions for set-top-box (STB) manufacturers.
At IBC 2017, held September 15 – 19, in Rai, Amsterdam, the company will be showcasing its state-of-the-art software that immediately makes any existing STB into an interoperable, smart home gateway utilizing existing standards and using existing off-the-shelf smart home hardware.
The SURE Universal Remote is already in use by more than 20 million consumers on their smartphones. It is the first software solution certified by the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) standard, which moves into mass production later this year. SURE Universal Remote is ideal for STB vendors since it runs on both Android and iPhone devices and is focused on digital media, including such functionality as file sharing, content playing, and content streaming to the STB.
The new SURE Gateway is a software server for the STB, which is also based on the OCF standard. This ensures that STBs outfitted with the SURE Gateway software will work seamlessly across all OCF devices. In addition, SURE Gateway communicates to the existing Z-Wave and Wi-Fi smart home devices using the software bridge and the off-the-shelf USB Z-Wave and IR transmitters.
SURE Gateway is specifically aimed at the digital media STB vendors. Paired with SURE Universal Remote, SURE Gateway allows the remote control of the STB based smart TV functions including remote mouse, keyboard, content sharing, and streaming.
Today’s smart home devices work off a variety of control protocols and radio technologies. For example, smart TVs and security cameras often utilize Wi-Fi, while conventional TVs and disc players use infrared (IR) control. Smart home sensors often work through the popular Z-Wave and ZigBee protocols, and some of the future growing radio technologies are BLE, Lora, and NB-IoT. This technological confusion has made it difficult for STB makers and their operator customers to choose the right communication technologies and to establish a market foot-hold in the connected home. OCF is a new communication standard, backed by more than 400 leaders of the electronics industry. While it is destined to become mainstream technology in time and hundreds of companies plan to roll-out their OCF products in 2018, there are few devices on the market today that are OCF compatible. Consequently, SURE Universal has built and OCF software bridge to the existing Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and IR communication protocols allowing the use of the existing off-the-shelf connected home devices with SURE Gateway and SURE Universal Remote.
In this way, the STB can seamlessly control all devices and appliances throughout the consumers’ home, and SURE Universal solution can be brought to market by STB vendors with remarkable speed and economy.
By providing a standardized client, gateway and cloud offering, SURE Universal offers a complete software solution for smart home to STB makers and their MSO customers.
Xerox and World-Renowned Authors Set the Page Free in Collaborative Book Project
Posted in Commentary with tags Xerox on September 10, 2017 by itnerdA book collaboration of epic scale is underway with 14 celebrated and award-winning international writers and creative talents. Xerox’s Project: SET THE PAGE FREE will feature chapters by each of the contributors – including a poem and a song – that together tell the ultimate story of the modern workplace, each with a unique creative perspective on the working world.
SetThePageFree.com showcases an unparalleled array of contributors. The website – which launches today – is the initial reveal of short video documentaries, exclusive photos, book excerpts and podcasts for the first wave of contributors including Lee Child, Joshua Ferris, Roxane Gay and Gary Shteyngart. In the weeks ahead, additional content from Jonathan Ames, Billy Collins, Jonathan Coulton, Sloane Crosley, Jonathan Safran Foer, Chip Kidd, Valeria Luiselli, Alain Mabanckou, Aimee Mann and Joyce Carol Oates will be revealed.
Xerox has always focused on innovating the way the world communicates, connects and works. Today, that means delivering breakthrough experiences that allow people to move freely between their physical and digital worlds. This project captures that spirit in a creative, mainstream way.
Xerox technology, software and apps are helping the contributors collaborate throughout the project – whether it’s translating languages using the Xerox Easy Translator Service app, voice recognition technology or scanning and sharing their work in the cloud.
As part of the project, Xerox is aiding global literacy through donations to 92nd Street Y and Worldreader.
The project has been in collaboration with 92nd Street Y, a world-class nonprofit community and cultural center that provided an unparalleled lineup of authors and artists, as well as the editing for production of the finished book. 92nd Street Y forges deep connections between readers and writers all over the world through their global literacy outreach programs, digital festivals, online seminars and livestream events.
Worldreader, a global nonprofit organization, shares Xerox’s belief in the transformative potential of technology. It champions digital reading in underserved communities by creating a world where everyone can be a reader, empowering over 500,000 children and families in 50 countries to read from its free digital library every month.
The book will be released internationally as a free eBook in English in late October. Beginning Sept. 19, the French and Latin American Spanish versions of the site will be launched, for a global program rollout to 22 countries.
For updates on the project including author videos, podcast interviews, contributor excerpts and the latest information about the book release, visit SetThePageFree.com and follow #SetThePageFree.
The project was developed with Xerox’s partner Y&R New York, with media strategy and execution provided by MEC Global.
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