I am a Windows Insider but..

 I have only Nokia Icon.

Microsoft has released the 2nd Windows 10 build for phones.

http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/04/10/new-windows-10-technical-preview-build-now-available-for-phones/?OCID=WIP_r_Mar_Body_SecondBuild

It supports most Microsoft and Nokia Phones but will not support Nokia Icon. There was almost a year delay even to get Windows Phone 8.1 on Nokia Icon and now this.

List of supported phones:

    Lumia 1020
    Lumia 1320
    Lumia 1520
    Lumia 530
    Lumia 530 Dual Sim
    Lumia 535
    Lumia 620
    Lumia 625
    Lumia 630
    Lumia 630 Dual Sim
    Lumia 635
    Lumia 636
    Lumia 638
    Lumia 720
    Lumia 730
    Lumia 730 Dual SIM
    Lumia 735
    Lumia 810
    Lumia 820
    Lumia 822
    Lumia 830
    Lumia 920
    Lumia 925
    Lumia 928
   NOKIA ICON
    Microsoft Lumia 430
    Microsoft Lumia 435
    Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM
    Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM DTV
    Microsoft Lumia 532
    Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM
    Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM
    Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM

The good news is that there will be a fix (?) although release date is TBD.

Here are the new things in this build:

Project Spartan - The killer rendering engine a great fit for mobile web. It can exist with IE11.
New Calendar and mail apps
New Phone and messaging app - Changing message to voice is not sweat.
New People app
New maps app - Voice guided navigation
App Switcher update

Read more at the link above.

OSISoft PI System; Microsoft Azure Fabric & Microservices

Microsoft is releasing in the near future Azure Service Fabric as a preview beta (http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2015/04/20/announcing-azure-service-fabric-reducing-complexity-in-a-hyper-scale-world/).

Azure Service Fabric is built to run microservices - a complex application consisting of smaller, interlocked components that enables updating components without disrupting service. Microsoft has used this over the past few years internally for many of its own applications and the new release is for general use, a new product.

http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2015/04/20/announcing-azure-service-fabric-reducing-complexity-in-a-hyper-scale-world/

OSIsoft is an early adopter of this system and run with it to expand into the exploding IoT market.
OSISoft's PI:

PI is a system envisaged to bring sensor data directly to the board room minus the human middle man. This is one embodiment of IoT to not only get the data but analyze so as to provide deeper insight and provide operational intelligence.

Here is OSIsoft overview (from OSIsoft site),

"OSIsoft, a global leader in operational intelligence, delivers an open enterprise infrastructure to connect sensor-based data, operations and people to enable real-time and actionable insights.--"
Read more here:
http://www.osisoft.com/company/press_releases/Press_Releases_-_Media/internet_of_things_hackathon.aspx
http://www.slideshare.net/YamenSader/a-microservices-reference-architecture-feb-2015?related=1

Microsoft Visual Studio to develop IOT projects

You need the Windows Developer program for IoT Developer Tools besides the hardware (Intel Galileo board). You will be obviously using Microsoft Visual Studio.
Before you download the necessary .msi file you need to go to Microsoft Connect site (https://connect.microsoft.com/) and join the program.

Visual Studio 2014 and Visual Studio 2015 are not supported and you need the WindowsDeveloperProgramforIOT.msi file which you can download from Connect site.
Continued...

Moving towards IoT: 5G challenges and trends

5G is not just faster data and/or higher capacity only. It is much more than these obvious characteristics.

For one thing for IoT to succeed; the grand vision created for its debut on a universal scale, 5G is a must. More users; more devices interconnected at any instant of time. The 5G must address the issues arising out of interconnected devices in addition to only users. Also for IoT to succeed additional items like coverage of the serviced region (Can you hear me now!) and more efficient networks.
The data rates required by 5G are some 1000 times that provided by 4G to make things happen with low latency. One immediate challenge is the unavailability of spectrum (700 MHZ to 3 GHZ). Two options open to work on are,
• Explore new spectrum
• Innovate usage of existing spectrum to send out more bits
Explosive growth of connected devices both arising out of human interaction as well as from embedded devices. The connected devices are heterogeneous in nature with low as well as high bandwidth which can presents significant design challenge to work in unison. This impacts deterministic response time and must be well understood to realize the full potential.
Moving towards 5G
• Overcoming the limitation of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing - exploratory generalized orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (GOFDM) as demonstrated by University of Dresden, Germany providing 30% more data rate than 4G designed by using National Instruments RF tools and LabView.  -Reference: http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1266564
• Increasing the number of access points (densification)- Use of Multiple input, multiple output(MIMO) base stations' promise of increased efficiency and better energy efficiency - Lund University MIMO experiments demonstrate date rates some  100 times
 -Reference: http://www.hermes-europe.net/home/univ-lund-realized-mimo-testbed/
• Using wavelength region not heavily populated like the 28GHZ, 38GHZ and the 71 to 76 GHZ range - usability demonstrated by NYU Wireless and Nokia has prototypes a mmWave communication link achieving some 100 times 4G rates.
-Reference: http://nyuwireless.com/research/

It may not just one of these will pave towards 5G but a combination of these and yet to be made new developments will ultimately steer 5G towards the future.

This post was motivated after reading the PDF document from National Instruments (NI) and draws heavily from its content. The added references are for those who may want to read more.


 

Voice biometrics in Financial Institutions - ENacomm

Biometrics to complement or add-on to authentication has a large following.

India's Aadhar Project is one prime example for large scale implementation of Biometrics. 

As voice biometrics (bio-behavior) is getting popular in Financial institutions for voice-based authentication many more players are in the field.

Enacomm is a player in this field and they are presenting their application at the
Payments 2015 Conference in New Orleans, LA between April 19-22.

This is what they are talking about:

Enacomm2.png

Here is a video that goes move general than the technical talk above: