Introduction to the AWS IoT Button

Had heard of this recently, but just started to take a look.   Like the Dash buttons I still have in test for retail.  Consider it for the simple acquisition of data for analytics.

Post by Mihai Corbuleac:

The AWS IoT button provides a very simple way to control different devices around the home or outside. The best part is that it is very easy to both install and use. It is fully supported by AWS which is increasingly the home to many different technologies and solutions. The integration makes it very easy to achieve complex tasks in a simple way. ... 

It makes IoT approachable for people

With the IoT button, IoT is no longer something which only experts can dabble in. Now, anyone who has programming skills can easily test out different IoT applications and create their own through the IoT button. You can set it up in your house easily with a few scripts and an active connection to AWS. You need to create the AWS IoT resources, configure your button and create rules. There are great guides available on the internet as well as software so you can hit the ground running with it.

Customize to your heart’s will

The problem with closed systems is that they do not let people get creative. There are already much more complex devices than the IoT button available to purchase but most of them use a closed architecture which you and I cannot access or customize. Only limited development is possible on the terms of the device’s manufacturer. The IoT button, on the other hand, is pretty much customizable.   ... " 

A Dash Button for an Internet of Things

I have been testing the Amazon Dash buttons for some time. Nice, simple idea.  That implemented some of our innovation center ideas.   Now Walter Riker reports that that they have been generalized to perform other tasks.   Now as a signalling button in the internet of things?   Some hints of linking to other devices like the Echo. Thinking the possibilities.

In AndroidAuthority:
" ... Amazon’s Dash Button could just be a piece of hardware that would order you some toilet paper with the click of a button when needed, or perhaps some more dog food, but the company’s new Dash button isn’t for re-ordering products at all — it’s a programmable button that hooks users into the Internet of Things. ... 

The AWS IoT button connects to Wi-Fi and relies upon Amazon’s AWS cloud services. Because of this, can be easily programmed to do pretty much anything. Examples of some things the Dash button can be used to do include switching on your Phillips Hue lights, hail an Uber, send a Tweet, or even hook into Slack. Amazon CTO Werner Vogels even said that if there’s a chore you can with Alexa, you can assign it to one of these buttons. ... " 

Cost is $20, but currently unavailable. They write a more technical set of goals:

An easy way to get started with the Internet of Things, based on the Amazon Dash button hardware, the AWS IoT button is a developer kit that can be programmed to control internet-connected devices and services. ... " 

This programmable Wi-Fi button is designed to help developers learn how to use AWS IoT, AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Simple Notification Service and other Amazon Web Services.

Use the button to count items, track usage, initiate a call, send alerts or start and stop a process.

Eliminate the hassle of writing device-specific code; code in the cloud to configure your button's single, double, and long clicks. ... "