Whois & Analysis for rim.net

The Internet of things (IoT) is the inter-networking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as "connected devices" and "smart devices"), buildings, and other items—embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data.

In 2013 the Global Standards Initiative on Internet of Things (IoT-GSI) defined the IoT as "the infrastructure of the information society." The IoT allows objects to be sensed or controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration of the physical world into computer-based systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit in addition to reduced human intervention.

When IoT is augmented with sensors and actuators, the technology becomes an instance of the more general class of cyber-physical systems, which also encompasses technologies such as smart grids, virtual power plants, smart homes, intelligent transportation and smart cities.

Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet infrastructure.

Experts estimate that the IoT will consist of almost 50 billion objects by 2020.

A smartphone is a mobile phone (also known as cell phones or mobiles) with an advanced mobile operating system that combines features of a personal computer operating system with other features useful for mobile or handheld use.

Smartphones, which are pocket-sized, typically combine the features of a mobile phone, such as the abilities to place and receive voice calls and create and receive text messages, with those of other popular digital mobile devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs), such as an event calendar, media player, video games, GPS navigation, digital camera and digital video camera.

Smartphones can access the Internet and can run a variety of third-party software components ("apps" from places like Google Play Store or Apple App Store).

They typically have a color display with a graphical user interface that covers more than 76% of the front surface.

The display is almost always a touchscreen and sometimes additionally a touch-enabled keyboard like the Priv/Passport BlackBerrys, which enables the user to use a virtual keyboard to type words and numbers and press onscreen icons to activate "app" features.

BlackBerry Limited, formerly known as Research In Motion Limited (RIM), is a Canadian-based multinational wireless telecommunications software and mobile hardware company best known to the general public as the developer of the BlackBerry brand of smartphones, and tablets, but is transitioning to becoming a worldwide provider of software for industrial applications and mobile device management (MDM).

QNX, a subsidiary of BlackBerry, produces automotive software.

BlackBerry's software and hardware products are used worldwide by various governments' agencies and by car makers and industrial plants.

The company is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

It was founded by Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin in 1984.

Fregin left the company in 2007.

In 1992 Lazaridis hired Jim Balsillie, and Lazaridis and Balsillie served as co-CEOs until January 22, 2012.

In November 2013, John S.

Chen took over as CEO.

His strategy is to subcontract manufacturing to Foxconn, and to focus on software technology.

In economics, a service is a transaction in which no physical goods is transferred from the seller to the buyer.

The benefits of such a service are held to be demonstrated by the buyer's willingness to make the exchange.

Public services are those that society (nation state, fiscal union, region) as a whole pays for.

Using resources, skill, ingenuity, and experience, service providers benefit service consumers.

A business (also known as an enterprise, a company or a firm) is an organizational entity involved in the provision of goods and services to consumers.

Businesses serve as a form of economic activity, and are prevalent in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and provide goods and services allocated through a market to consumers and customers in exchange for other goods, services, money, or other forms of exchange that hold intrinsic economic value.

Businesses may also be social non-profit enterprises or state-owned public enterprises operated by governments with specific social and economic objectives.

A business owned by multiple private individuals may form as an incorporated company or jointly organise as a partnership.

Countries have different laws that may ascribe different rights to the various business entities.