My Weekend and the Internet of Everything

What would an “Internet of Everything” weekend look like was my question earlier this month as I sat there eating breakfast before going into battle later that day. Today’s meal was critical fuel for my next round of matches in a Masters Squash Tournament. The pressure was on because members of my family were coming to watch me later that day and winning was the only option!

I turned back to my breakfast and the environment around me and noticed that the people in the Bistro virtually all had smartphones. Their devices were either in use or sitting on the table as if they were part of the place setting right beside the eating utensils. I looked down at my smartphone and the black screen and began to think differently about what the phone could and should do that would change my weekend experience.

I knew that my family were on their way but had no idea if they’d stopped to do some shopping, if they were stuck in traffic or about to join me for breakfast. Other things crossed my mind including whether I should be concerned about the twinge in my knee and remembering to get contact information from some players I had met (some I hadn’t seen in years!).

I picked up my phone and sent a text to my daughter asking if they were on their way, did a search for “squash knee injuries” and a name search for one of the players I met earlier on. What happened was underwhelming and unproductive. I received no answer from my daughter; there was too much information to sift through about knee injuries. I found a player’s LinkedIn profile but it linked me to the mobile app instead of the web search result.

Sure I could have sent another text to my daughter or to my wife, sifted through the search results and logged into the LinkedIn mobile app but should I have had to do that? Did my daughter have her smartphone? Would my text to my wife even be seen since she was driving? Should I call her? Wasn’t there a simple and fast way to find a treatment for my knee prior to my next match? Couldn’t I just simply push a button and get the player’s public and approved contact information?

These are examples of “use case” challenges and opportunities that we experience day to day that the “Internet of Everything” can improve. For example, our FIAT could be equipped with a telematics device that tells me where the vehicle is and confirms, via a smartphone sync, that my wife and daughter are in the car. A chip in my knee (yes this is a bit “out there”) could assess if there was any damage and provide me with a pre-match treatment. A digital ID card could allow me to tap a player’s smartphone and transfer his or her contact information directly to my smartphone.

Use cases will drive the “Internet of Everything”. Take a look at what you do at work, at home and at play and think about how your day or your weekend could be made better, funner and more productive. What would the “Internet of Everything” have done for you this weekend?