Vision Statement

Devicescape Software, Inc was formed to dramatically accelerate the development of a rich, ubiquitous, easy to use network of devices, that we call the devicescape. Our belief is that this emerging phenomenon will intertwine with everyday life and enable unheard of advances in communications, education, entertainment and commerce. Our goals are threefold:

1. to accelerate the creation of intelligent, wirelessly-connected devices of tremendous diversity, by leveraging Linux and unlicensed wireless spectrum technologies,
2. to ensure that these wireless devices work well together and are easy and practical to use,
3. to facilitate the utilization or management of these devices for a specific and valuable purpose

To meet these goals, Devicescape provides a range of software products and services for our customers, who are the creators of the devices (device OEMs), and the eventual operators or users of the devices (consumers, IT departments and Service Providers).

The Rise of the Connected Device

Beyond the familiar cellphone and personal computer there is a much larger world of sophisticated electronics, that represent the bulk of the products enabled by today's powerful semiconductors. Unlike multi-purpose products like PCs, these devices typically perform a small set of dedicated functions - function drives form. These could be consumer devices such as televisions and digital cameras, networking devices such as access points and routers, or less familiar products in cars, workplaces and factories.

These devices are evolving rapidly to support more sophisticated applications, and –- most importantly - they are becoming connected to each other and to other types of devices in order to offer increased services, value and differentiation. The “"black box"” device of the past, which performed one function alone in a standalone manner, has been replaced by the “"intelligent node"” which is upgradeable and operates as part of a wider network. This is the primordial soup of the devicescape.

Enter 802.11 and Linux

Despite the diversity of these connected devices, they have much in common: every device needs underlying system software to support the application and a mechanism to communicate with the wider world. Two technologies now represent the de-facto standards for this basic enablement: Linux and wireless LAN (a.k.a Wi-Fi or 802.11).

Linux and Wi-Fi have clear advantages over alternative approaches. Technically they offer tremendous raw power, flexibility and integration with a complementary “"ecosystem"” of technologies which can be combined to form a more powerful whole. Both Linux and Wi-Fi have attained a critical mass which allows them to push into new applications and even displace less capable proprietary technologies. Linux can offer cost advantages over traditional closed operating systems, just as wireless is driving the cost of connectivity below the cost of wired networking, independent of whether the final application is mobile or not. Furthermore the unlicensed spectrum of Wi-Fi, which encourages innovation and free and easy use, is reminiscent of the openness and collaborative development of Linux. Together, Linux and Wi-Fi are discontinuous technologies that will be harnessed as the mainstream raw foundation for connected devices.

Challenges for OEMs, Users, Operators and Service Providers

While device OEMs need to focus on innovation and development of differentiating features, most often they become trapped in the acquisition, integration and validation of technologies which lie beyond their desired core competence. This is particularly true of Wi-Fi and Linux, which are extremely powerful yet complex technologies that are evolving extremely rapidly. Beyond the challenges of development, connected devices must be good network citizens and collaborate well and usably in the wider network, composed of both legacy and yet-to-be-developed products from a range of different manufacturers! Worse, the devices are subject to a wide array of supervisory requirements, in the form of remote management, diagnostics and debugging, update, profiling, provisioning, and so on, by consumers, IT departments and service providers. An integrated, system-wide solution is necessary at these three levels –- device creation, device to device, and device management –- that solve these problems in an easily accessible manner.

Devicescape Software: Our Role

Devicescape provides a range of wireless platforms that focus on making wireless devices work well together and be easy to use. Our platforms run on the device, as the critical infrastructure for the overall application, and on the server or managing PC, as part of the overall management infrastructure.

As wireless LAN experts we provide leading-edge implementations of emerging standards, together with critical innovations that enable device to device collaboration and remote management. Our platforms include powerful development tools to improve efficiency and the standard Linux operating system to ease the integration of additional technology.

Learn more about our Products and Services designed to usher in the era of total communications freedom and the devicescape.