What is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things relates to objects and physical items such as hardware or software that provides functionality to our lives. This recent report by O’Reilley Media (you need to register to download it) defines this new phenomenon. Authors Mike Loukides and Jon Bruner say “We spent 30 or more years moving from atoms to bits; now it feels like we’re pushing the bits back into the atoms.” The report offers an overview of the trends with regard to hardware, software, and how it is impacting our lives in changes to self-driving automobiles, lighting that that follows you from room to room, and other smart devices.