由曾任职苹果(Apple)、Facebook、Google、Mozilla和Yahoo的工程师成立的 Electric Imp Inc. 正在努力推动物联网(Internet of Things, IoT)，他们的努力，可能让物联网进一步获得提升在市场上的形象。
然而，这也很可能是一把双刃剑。
每当看到电子产业中出现具备大规模扩展潜力的新应用时，总是相当令人感到兴奋。事实上，正如同首次上市时市值即被估计达800亿美元的 Facebook ， IoT 也让我联想到“很酷”和“社交”等名词。
毕竟，Facebook的前资深产品设计师兼使用者经验专家正是该公司的创办人之一。
但另一方面，对我这个倔强的老头来说，我担心的是将来即使日常生活中最简单的事情，也都要仰赖网络来完成。“我只是想把灯关掉罢了…..什么？你说我没有设定好密码？”
确实，许多公司都在关注连网趋势。但还有另一家公司引起我的注意：Neul Lte.。
就像Electric Imp，Neul也希望活用资料，提供IoT服务，而且该公司也提供使用端设备的芯片。我记得，Neul是苏格兰盖尔语(Gaelic language)中“云”的意思。所以，Neul也有着看起来可以很“酷”的理由。
Electric Imp 和 Neul 之间的最大差异，在于Neul将注意力集中在使用闲置频谱(white-space)无线技术作为专用的IoT无线信道，该技术在无线频谱上大约为 400~800MHz频段。而Electric Imp则决定采用普及的Wi-Fi技术，而非重新建立自己的无线基础设施。Wi-Fi在所有已开发国家中都拥有极高的家庭渗透率，在美国约为60%；英 国、法国和德国则约为70%。事实上，目前全球使用Wi-Fi的家庭数大约达到25%。
Electric Imp提供插座和卡片系统，同时采取标准化的分工策略，未来也可望为所有厂商降低成本。然而，有一种说法认为，若IoT真能成功，那么，无以计数的庞大节点将压垮Wi-Fi频宽。无疑地，若Electric Imp有朝一日能以25美元的价格销售十亿张以上的微型卡时，他们的创办人们必然会将这个问题考虑进去。
而Neul也销售终端设备用芯片组，但客户仍需要投入开发部份与RF有关的复杂工作。Neul希望未来能授权给其它的芯片公司，共同推动这个商业模式。
要探讨这两套系统竞争或并存实际上并没有必要。事实上二种系统都能共存，因为他们占用着不同的频段。
Electric Imp可能会在消费电子产品领域找到切入点。目前包括洗衣机、电视、室内和户外照明等设备制造商，都希望以极低的成本为他们的设备添加区隔化特性。而 Neul由于入门成本较高，因此他们在公共事业上可能较有机会，如智能电表，以及其它由国家级单位或大型公司所建置的服务。
现在，Electric Imp 和 Neul 都积极抢进物联网市场？但最终谁会胜出？还要观察市场反应。
编译： Joy Teng
本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载
参考英文原文： Electric Imp's cool versus Neul in IoT ，by Peter Clarke
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Electric Imp's cool versus Cambridge's Neul in IoT
Peter Clarke
The launch of Electric Imp Inc. by founders with have served time at Apple, Facebook, Google, Mozilla and Yahoo suggests that the Internet of Things might be about to get a boost in public profile.
This could be a double-edged sword.
On the one hand it is always exciting to see an application of electronics that we have been studying and writing about for a few years finally make it on to a bigger stage. Indeed as Facebook is about to be valued at $80 billion plus at its initial public offering it is interesting to think that the Internet of Things (IoT) could be about to get "cool" and "social."
After all, a former senior product designer at Facebook and UX expert [that's user experience if you didn't guess] is a cofounder.
On the other hand the curmudgeon in me fears the heavy-hand of the internet weighing down on operations that used to be oh so simple. "I just want to switch the freaking lights out. What do you mean my password is no good?"
There are indeed numerous companies starting to pay attention to the Internet of Things. But one other company stands out for me: Neul Ltd.
Like Electric Imp, Neul wants to host data and provide IoT services and is prepared to supply user equipment chips. Neul means cloud in the Gaelic language as I remember, so Neul has its own cool factor.
The big difference between the two companies is that Neul is focusing its attention on using a white-space radio for dedicated IoT radio channels in the in spectrum at around 400- to 800-MHz. Rather than have to build its own radio infrastructure Electric Imp has decided to piggy back off Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi has high penetration in households in developed economies; reportedly 60 percent in the United States and 70 percent in the U.K., France and Germany. Indeed 25 percent of all the world's households are said to have Wi-Fi.
The other difference – and potentially an even bigger one – is that Electric Imp has, with its socket and card system, neatly divided the cost of enabling IoT between the vendors of things and the developers of networks of things. The company has also standardized that division in a way that should reduce the cost for everyone. However, there is an argument that if IoT is going to be truly successful the nodes will become so numerous that they would overwhelm Wi-Fi bandwidth. No doubt the founders of Electric Imp would consider that a nice problem to have if they have sold billions of tiny cards at $25 to get there.
Meanwhile, Neul is also selling chipsets for inclusion in end-user equipment which then still needs expensive development and some RF sophistication to be made to work. Neul hopes that where it leads other chip companies will license and follow.
It is not necessary that one system will drive out the other. Both can co-exist not least because they are in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Electric Imp is likely to find speculative interest among consumer electronics builders and hobbyists. It lets vendors of washing machines, TVs, indoor and outdoor lighting, and so on, add a differentiating capability to their equipment at very low cost. Neul, with its higher cost of entry, may do better with institutions such as utility companies aiming to introduce smart metering and other national and big company services.
So, Electric Imp or Neul? The market will decide.
责编：Quentin
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