Tag: Tim Smokoff
Apple Watch SOS and mPERS: Apples and oranges?
July 14, 2016Spencer Ives
YARMOUTH, Maine—On first inspection, the Apple Watch's newly announced 'SOS' feature may seem similar to an mPERS device, but PERS experts who spoke to Security Systems News said comparing an Apple Watch with an mPERS device is like comparing apples and oranges.Apple in June announced new features for its Apple Watch 2, which its expects to release later this year. Here's how the Apple Watch SOS feature works: If an Apple Watch user holds down the device's side button, nearby emergency services...
Will Apple take bite out of the PERS market?
June 22, 2016Spencer Ives
Apple recently announced a new 'SOS' feature coming to the Apple Watch—similar to a PERS device.
If an Apple Watch user holds down the device's side button, emergency services local to that user's location will be notified, as well as emergency contacts.
I spoke with former Numera CEO, current Group VP of the Nortek Innovations & Incubation Foundry, about how the Nortek offerings compare to the announced features of the Apple Watch SOS. He said one particular differentiator for Nortek is "the...
Nortek unveils technology think tank
June 15, 2016Paul Ragusa
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—In conjunction with the recent acquisition of Nuiku, a natural language processing platform for use with home automation and other applications, Nortek has launched a technology incubation think tank—the Nortek Innovations & Incubation Foundry.The team, led by former Numera CEO Tim Smokoff, will closely monitor trends in the marketplace, seeking opportunities to acquire or internally develop emerging technologies that can be adopted quickly and deployed efficiently across...
Market Trends: The golden years of the PERS market
April 20, 2016Kenneth Z. Chutchian
YARMOUTH, Maine—The users of personal emergency response systems (PERS) are getting younger. They are generally technologically savvy. The technology is getting more advanced. And so monitoring stations, manufacturers and dealers have reasons to believe the golden age of PERS market growth has begun.
Except, of course, free markets are ultimately run by people, not data. And people complicate things.
The PERS market has the type of demographics that grab the attention of venture capitalists,...
Numera releases combination life safety-PERS hub
April 4, 2016Spencer Ives
CARLSBAD, Calif.—Nortek Security and Control on March 31 announced its new Numera Home Safety Hub, an expanded way to monitor the activity levels of PERS users.“Activity is a strong indicator of health and wellness, and that—to measure it accurately in the home—[necessitates] a combination of both passive and active [monitoring],” Tim Smokoff, group vice president of health & wellness, Nortek Security & Control, told Security Systems News.As Smokoff defined it, active...
Numera expands EverThere offering
January 15, 2016Spencer Ives
LAS VEGAS—EverThere, the activity-tracking platform attached to Numera's Libris mPERS, can now include data from a variety of medical devices, Nortek announced during CES this year.“Beginning here in January, we've turned on the ability to use the Libris device as a health gateway,” Tim Smokoff, group vice president health & wellness, Nortek Security & Control, told Security Systems News.The platform currently supports seven different categories of devices, Smokoff said: glucometers,...
Numera releases activity tracking platform EverThere
September 30, 2015Spencer Ives
SEATTLE—Numera is rolling out EverThere, a new proactive activity tracking platform attached to its Libris mPERS, allowing users or family members to track activity levels, note trends and set alerts.The EverThere platform offers alerts based on events such as low activity of the mPERS user or the device being left in its charger.“It's about giving information to both the senior and their care providers, family members, neighbors, close, personal friends or a professional health worker—insight...
Nortek Security & Control buys Numera for mPERS
July 1, 2015Amy Canfield
CARLSBAD, Calif.—Nortek Security & Control has purchased Numera Inc. for a reported $12 million.Numera, based in Seattle with reported net sales of not more than $3 million in 2014, now becomes Nortek's flagship brand in the health and wellness space, Duane Paulson, SVP of product and market development for Nortek Security & Control told Security Systems News.Numera's name and branding will remain the same, he said, and will fall under the Nortek umbrella, which includes 2Gig and Go!Control.Nortek...
Numera CEO sees mobile PERS, home security as 'natural' fit
May 1, 2013Rich Miller
SEATTLE—For Numera Corp. CEO Tim Smokoff, home security and mobile health monitoring are part of the same “natural conversation,” one that holds the promise of increased RMR for security companies as telehealth gains traction in the marketplace.Numera, a provider of integrated health care solutions, announced in February that it has formed a partnership with AT&T, which will provide wireless network and location services for Numera's Libris. The wearable device goes beyond traditional...