philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

IoT: Microsoft Joins the Qualcomm-Backed AllSeen Alliance

Microsoft on Tuesday joined 50 other members in the AllSeen Alliance, including major consumer electronics players Panasonic Corp, LG Electronics Inc and Sharp Corp, the group said.

But chipmakers that compete with Qualcomm plan to launch a rival standards consortium as early as next week, an industry source who was familiar with the plans but not authorized to discuss them, also told Reuters on Tuesday.

Battle lines are being drawn as manufacturers roll out growing numbers of Internet-connected burglar alarms, televisions and baby monitors. But like the early days of video cassette recorders, many of the smart home products being launched are incompatible with each other.

Qualcomm and other tech companies believe the quick establishment of standards across home-connected gadgets, cars and wearable computing devices will accelerate the introduction of new devices by manufacturers.

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"All these things need a standard. Nobody wants to buy a TV and have to make sure their speakers are compliant," said Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon. “But we're in an experimentation phase with the Internet of Things. It's early days and nobody knows what it's eventually going to look like."

See the full story here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/02/us-qualcomm-microsoft-idUSKBN0F709120140702