World's First Smart Ecosystem Community Launches

Widgets for TVs, application stores for wireless phones, applets for the connected home and automobiles... The trend is clear as smart ecosystems have emerged on the scene as a new way to generate revenue while locking in customers to specific hardware/software solutions. For manufacturers such as Apple, Avaya, Cisco, Nokia and RIM, and makers of televisions, it is no longer adequate to focus exclusively on internally-developed products. Now such companies have to figure out how to build smart ecosystems around their offerings to leverage able and willing (hardware and software) developer communities. Those communities will in turn evangelize the manufacturers' platforms and develop long-tail applications, services and add-ons to boost the value of said ecosystems.

To help educate the emerging smart ecosystem community, TMC has partnered with Crossfire Media and distinguished college professor Mary Cronin, Ph.D., to launch a smart ecosystem portal containing news, thought leadership and analysis. The portal is called SPEC, which stands for Smart Product Ecosystems Connection and is located at www.specosys.com.

As you may recall, Crossfire Media is home to Carl Ford, with whom we already have partnered to build online and live communities (4GWE and M2M Summit) in the 4G and M2M spaces.This partnership, as I mentioned earlier, also includes Cronin, a professor in the Information Systems Department of Boston College's Carroll School of Management.Mary is a true thought leader in this space, and you can expect to hear her prescient thoughts on SPEC about how ecosystems will take root and evolve. Check out her first article titled "Five Rules for Smart Product Ecosystems" at http://tmcnet.com/17078.1.

Coverage on the SPEC site will extend into a variety of industries. For now they include telecom and mobile; health and medical; automotive and telematics; home automation and connected home entertainmentdevices; energy monitoring and personal energy management solutions. We are open to adding new areas, so drop us a line with suggestions.

It is evident that as time goes on, companies in all industries will be looking to tie their products and services into more ecosystems. They will either develop their own and/or leverage others on the market.

To stay up to date on the investment, partnering and other opportunities ahead, be sure to bookmark the new SPEC smart ecosystem site and check back often.

Wishing you continued success.