Sure, GPS was a game-changer. But as stars were to ancient mariners, “beacons” are the true wayfinders of the Internet of Things. They’re the enabling tech behind “micro-location”, and they’re about to revolutionize location services all over again.

Topics

* What are “beacons”?

* Beacons vs. iBeacons

* Generic names vs. Apple branding

* Compatibility

* Cost

* Design

* Hardware and service providers

* GPS vs BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), and why you need both

* Micro-location applications (see “Use cases” section below for more)

* A way for retail to compete with Amazon?

* Geofencing

* Ultra-microlocation (!)

* Light (vs. RF) becaons

Links

* Mobiquity

* Estimote — Stylish beacons priced at 3 for $99

* Qualcomm’s Gimbal beacons

Use cases

While the use cases for this technology is pretty endless, here are just a few we touch on:

* Airports

* Shopping malls

* Retail

* Personalized shopping

* In-store contextual advertising

* Radically different checkout experience (“real-life one-click”)

* Augmented reality

* Casinos

* Museums and libraries

* Medicine (Proteus are pills that notify a patch that you’ve digested the pill)

* Sports and games

* Theme parks

* Within a car (!)