The term "Internet of Things" is thrown around a lot, even used in parallel with other terms describing the same thing for a specific area of focus. Even after reading a range of articles over the last few years, I felt my understanding remained a bit vague and decided to look for a resource with depth and breadth. Kellermeit and Obodovski's The Silent Intelligence: The Internet of Things comes highly rated on Amazon (4.5 stars) and seemed more informational than application-oriented books such as McEwen and Cassimally's Designing the Internet of Things, or Robert Scoble and Shel Israel's Age of Context: Mobile, Sensors, Data and the Future of Privacy - which I plan to read as well.

They offer a video overview of the book, which provides an introduction of the book's content.

In the introduction, they give a perfect overview of the seven chapters. Starting with chapters one through three, they define the term 'Internet of Things' with quotes from leaders in the field; they present it as a technology ecosystem combining data collection, data transport, and data analysis; and look into the future asking questions about how we (humans) will interact with machines as decision makers.

Chapter four was, for me, the most interesting and instructive chapter. The authors offer future scenarios based around connected versions of cities, homes, health care, and cars to provide a better understanding of how we M2M (machine to machine) enabled versions of these will provide benefits to us as the Internet of Things sparks and then matures.

Chapter five offers cases where M2M technologies are being used today, including failed attempts to bring products to market before it matures. Chapter six looks at the issues involved with bringing a product to market, including personal experiences of the authors. Chapter seven offers advice on where we might invest our time, energy, and money on the Internet of Things and they highlight three needs for mass market adoption: size and processing efficiency, affordability, the removing all wires including the power cable.

Concluding the book, they compare the Internet of Things to the Internet adoption boom of the '90s. As the interconnections grow deeper and more meaningful, the attraction will push towards critical mass. But, as they point out, the impact will be more like the Industrial Revolution and how it changed the structure of society.

What makes the book a must read isn't the authors' viewpoints, though they do their jobs as authors and subject matter experts quite well, but the wide range of quotes from other experts - quotes that offer important insights into the field. By bringing dozens of voices to the topic, The Silent Intelligence provides a brief and comprehensive look at the subject.

At 150 pages, The Silent Intelligence is a slim book about one of the most important trends ready to hit us like a wave and well worth the $12.76 it lists for on Amazon. If you're interested in the topic and have only read articles on the subject, I recommend it as a way to build a foundation of understanding through which all future articles will be more informed. It's a book I highly recommend and one I'll be keeping on my shelf.