A smart device is an electronic device, generally connected to other devices or networks via different protocols such as Bluetooth, NFC, WiFi, 3G, etc., that can operate to some extent interactively and autonomously.
It is widely believed that these types of devices will outnumber any other forms of smart computing and communication in a very short time, in part, acting as a useful enabler for the Internet of Things.
Several notable types of smart devices as of the time of this writing are smartphones like the Apple iPhone or most of the devices running Android operating system, phablets and tablets, like the Apple iPad or Google Nexus 7. The term can also refer to a ubiquitous computing device: a device that exhibits some properties of ubiquitous computing including,but not necessary, artificial intelligence.
Smart-Things a company which creates smart devices
Smart devices can be designed to support a variety of form factors, a range of properties pertaining to ubiquitous computing and to be used in three main system environments: physical world, human-centred environments and distributed computing environments
A house that tracks your every movement through your car and automatically heats up before you get home. A toaster that talks to your refrigerator and announces when breakfast is ready through your TV. A toothbrush that tattles on kids by sending a text message to their parents.
Exciting or frightening, these connected devices of the futuristic "smart" home may be familiar to fans of science fiction. Now the tech industry is making them a reality.
A smart shoe
Mundane physical objects all around us are connecting to networks, communicating with mobile devices and each other to create whats being called an "Internet of Things," or IoT. Smart homes are just one segment cars, clothing, factories and anything else you can imagine will eventually be "smart" as well.
But theres a catch: So far, most Internet of Things products have been a messy tangle of different wireless protocols and brands. Many can communicate with their own apps and ecosystems but havent found a way to play nice with each other. The Nest thermostat, which can adapt to your energy-consumption habits, is just one example.
These standalone devices and ecosystems are running their own proprietary software and speaking different languages. Your smart toaster is humming along in French, for example, while your fridge is babbling about dairy expiration dates in Japanese.
The Internet of Things will be revolutionary. Sensors will show up in more and more devices and turn them into sponges that soak up data about our habits, environment, movements and health.
A smart smoke detector, for example, might also gather information about the pollen count in a house. A home security systems motion detectors can track a familys movements and location over time, sharing information with a central heating or cooling system to customize each rooms temperature.