Introduction

Before getting into IoT, we should know the basics of the Internet and how to harness the power of it. IoT is the current emerging market trend, but still, what are its end-user applications? What can it offer for an end customer? How far it can be used in our day-to-day life? This article will discuss what IoT is.
What is IoT
The name itself gives out that it is going to use the "Internet" for the integration of common things that we use in our daily life. Internet does not mean only WWW (World Wide Web), it is also the interconnection of devices through wired or wireless mediums, and in this, we are mostly going to look deep into wireless connectivity. It is a platform where you combine all the devices that can be used under one single control.
What it could emerge as
The second half of IoT can be anything from Big data to AI (Artificial Intelligence). Big data analysis can be used in efficient ways to understand usage and manage resources as much as possible. On the other hand, AI can be used in handling devices that look as cool as an Iron man movie.
What it can offer end customers
End-user application has a lot of possibilities, such as when we talk about managing resources alone; i.e, efficient water management, power consumption, and even learn what is the best requirement for a person and what could be added in and what is not required according to the climate. It has limitless applications on every device that could be integrated, starting from lamps to TVs and so on.
Who are the major companies in this area
Intel is the one that provides a lot of resources and materials that can be used to develop ideas about the Internet of things. To know more about this, visit http://intel.ly/1nCfhH7.
Microsoft: The tech giant is investing a lot in projects that deal with IoT.
Google: Internet maestro is pulling up projects that are related to IoT.
IBM: They are in business already in regard to this with their "IBM Watson;" to know more, visit http://ibm.co/1m3mvTS.
Raspberry Pi, Arduino, openHAB are some of the opensource software in this technology.