YouTube is reportedly planning to launch audiobooks for its Premium subscribers.
Audiobooks could arrive for the platform’s ad-free $16 subscription plan in 2027 if this goes without a hitch for Google/YouTube.
YouTube would run into competition with the likes of Spotify (audiobooks arrived in 2023) and Audible.
Audiobook-enjoyers might have something to celebrate on YouTube. There are rumors that the platform is looking to enter a new market for its Premium subscribers.
A post by the Wall Street Journal (paywalled) highlighted rumors that YouTube Premium could soon offer audiobooks in one of its subscription plans (via GSMArena). Supposedly, Google has been “talking with publishers” about bringing audiobooks onto the platform in 2027.
Early reports allege YouTube Premium would offer audiobooks in its ad-free plan, which currently runs consumers $16 a month. What’s interesting is that this could solve an issue: piracy. GoodEReader brought this up in its coverage, highlighting data that shows “45% of listeners” consume “audiobooks” on YouTube. The air quotes (and literal quotes) are warranted here, as the publication states these are AI-narrated, not authentic.
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Audiobooks in YouTube Premium would give users the best experience possible, away from false creations. However, it’s worth remembering that these are rumors, and nothing’s been confirmed by YouTube yet.
YouTube’s branching out
(Image credit: Chris Wedel/Android Central)
Android Central’s Take
This is one of those things where you can associate a product or a feature or a form of entertainment with the name. If I think Spotify, I think music. If I think Audible, I think audiobooks. When I think of YouTube… I do not think about audiobooks (nevermind the fact that I prefer reading over an audiobook). I wonder how large of a market there is for YouTube. But I guess there must be if there’s a piracy problem, and they’re using AI voices. Crazy.
Many should be well-acquainted with Audible’s audiobook offerings. In recent history, Spotify has joined that market, taking the fight directly to Audible with over 200,000 “free” titles. That was how it all started, anyway. When audiobooks launched for Spotify Premium in 2023, the platform gave its subscribers in the U.S. and the U.K. 15 hours of listening per month.
After you exceeded your limit, you could pay an additional $12.99 to get 10 more hours “or buy them a la carte.” Spotify’s library exceeded that initial 200,000 for Premium subscribers. But if you wanted more, you’d have to buy them individually. Spotify then launched its “Audiobook Access” tier for $9.99, giving users the same 15 hours of listening per month deal.
It goes without saying that YouTube will have its work cut out for it by stepping into this new world.
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If you run a business from home, the car is often part of the business. It carries samples to clients, hauls inventory to the post office, and doubles as the mobile office on sales days. So when the business moves to another state, or when the right work van turns up for sale 1,200 miles away, the question of getting that vehicle across the country stops being a personal errand and becomes a line item.
It is also a line item most owners guess at. Online quotes for the same trip can range by several hundred dollars, and the cheapest one is often the one that falls apart. Here is what car shipping actually costs, based on real prices paid rather than advertised ones, and how to put a number in the budget that holds up.
The Short Answer
At SAKAEM Logistics we built our pricing guide on a database of 335,037 completed vehicle shipments across the United States. Across all of them, the average price for a running car, SUV, or pickup on an open trailer was $1,175. The typical range was $925 to $1,380.
That range is a useful starting point, but distance moves the number more than anything else, so it is worth getting specific.
Distance Sets The Price, But Not The Way You Might Expect
On routes of roughly 1,000 miles, think Chicago to Dallas or New York to Atlanta, the typical price in our data was $870 to $1,096, with a median of about $972. That works out to just under a dollar a mile.
Double the distance and the price does not double. On routes of about 2,000 miles, the typical range was $1,109 to $1,379, with a median around $1,224, or roughly 61 cents a mile. Long hauls are cheaper per mile because the truck spends its time driving instead of loading and unloading. Short regional moves are the most expensive per mile for the same reason.
For a business owner, that has a practical consequence. If you are deciding between two vehicles for sale, one 300 miles away and one 1,500 miles away, the shipping gap between them is usually smaller than you would guess.
What Pushes The Number Up or Down
Once you know the distance, five things decide where in the range you land.
Vehicle size. A full-size pickup or cargo van takes more deck space and weight than a sedan, and it is priced that way.
Trailer type. Open trailers, the two-deck rigs you see delivering to dealerships, are the standard. Enclosed trailers protect against weather and road debris, and in our data they averaged $1,813 against $1,175 for open. Unless the vehicle is a classic or high-value, open is the sensible choice.
Running condition. A vehicle that does not run needs a winch and extra loading time, which added about $300 on average.
The route. Busy interstate corridors price tighter than remote towns, because more trucks compete for the load.
Timing. Mid-fall and mid-winter are generally the calmer months. The January snowbird rush into Florida and the summer relocation season push prices up on the busiest lanes.
Ship It Or Drive It: Run The Numbers Like a Business
Many owners assume driving is free. It is not. The IRS standard mileage rate is 70 cents a mile, which is the government’s own estimate of what it costs to operate a vehicle once fuel, wear, maintenance, and depreciation are counted. On a 2,000-mile trip, that is $1,400 in vehicle cost alone.
Add hotels and meals for three or four days on the road, then add the most expensive item for any business owner, which is three or four days of your own time not spent on clients. Against a typical shipping price of around $1,224 for the same distance, driving rarely wins on long trips. Under 500 miles or so, driving is usually cheaper. The break-even for most people lands somewhere between 500 and 800 miles.
How To Build a Budget That Holds
The most reliable way to plan is to start from real prices on your specific route rather than a national average. You can estimate your car shipping cost for any pair of states with our free calculator, which shows the range customers actually paid on that lane, including the low end and the high end. Then build the budget around the middle of that range, not the bottom.
A few habits make the number stick.
Book two to seven days ahead. That is enough time to match the vehicle with the right truck without paying for a rush. Same-day bookings are possible on busy routes but cost more.
Give a pickup window, not a pickup hour. A flexible window of a few days lets the vehicle ride on a truck that is already heading your way.
Be wary of the lowest quote. In our data, the cheapest quarter of customers paid about $662 on a 500-mile trip, $870 at 1,000 miles, and $1,174 coast to coast. A quote well below those floors usually means no carrier will take the load at that price. The result is a pickup that keeps slipping and a price that climbs after you have committed.
Do not pay a large deposit up front. A reputable broker should not charge until a vetted carrier is actually assigned to your shipment.
Buying a Work Vehicle Out Of State
The same math applies when buying a vehicle. A used cargo van or pickup from another state may offer better value, even after adding the car shipping cost. Before agreeing to the deal, get an estimate for the exact route and add it to the purchase price. Ask the seller to confirm that the vehicle runs, since non-running vehicles cost more to load. Arrange for someone you trust to sign the inspection report at pickup.
The Bottom Line
For most long-distance moves, shipping a car typically costs $925 to $1,380 on an open trailer, and it is often cheaper than driving once your time is counted. Treat it like any other business expense. Get real numbers for your route, budget for the middle of the range, and choose a provider who does not ask for money before your shipment has a truck.
Multiple states are working to legalize backyard solar setups.
After Utah, nine other states have legalized it, or are working on bills for plug-in solar.
24 other states are stalled but already working on legislation.
Plug-in solar systems are easy to set up and can save consumers money on their power bills, but they’re still illegal in many states. Utah was the first to legalize backyard and plug-in solar, but other states have since caught on, and more are working on their own pathway to legalization.
As we’ve covered before, these plug-in solar setups (also commonly called “backyard solar”) are plug-and-play systems consisting of one or more solar panels, an inverter, and a battery. The system connects to a home’s standard 120-volt outlet, automatically routing solar-generated electricity from the battery to the nearest running appliance.
What states have legalized plug-in solar?
Ten states have already legalized backyard and plug-in solar systems, so residents there can already purchase and install systems like the EcoFlow Stream in their homes. Here’s the current status of the states that have already successfully passed legislation, legalizing such devices for consumer use.
State
Legislation status
Utah
House bill 340: Effective May 2025
Virginia
House bill 395, Senate bill 250: Effective January 1, 2027
Colorado
House bill 26-1007: Effective August 12, 2026
Vermont
House bill 598, Senate bill 202: Effective July 1, 2026
New Hampshire
Senate bill 540: Effective January 1, 2027
Maine
Legislative document 1730: Effective July 29, 2026
What states are working to legalize plug-in solar?
About two dozen states are still in the process of legalizing plug-in solar. Some bills have stalled until the next legislative session reconvenes in 2027, while others are going through committee hearings.
Balcony solar bills H.5175 and S3143 are advancing in Massachusetts, and the SUNNY Act is pending governor approval in New York. Bills in other states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington, DC have reached committee hearings.
Most states have stalled plug-in solar bills until the next legislative session in 2027, including Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, plug-in solar bills have failed in Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, so if you live in one of those states, these kinds of devices are technically illegal to operate. This doesn’t mean that it won’t eventually clear the legislative slate in these states, but lawmakers will need to file a new bill to reintroduce them after making necessary revisions.
Can I set up my solar panels if my state legalizes plug-in solar?
Whether you can immediately set up your balcony solar panels or not after the systems are legalized in your state will depend on your home situation.
Generally speaking, the bills in question focus on preventing utility companies from blocking plug-in solar projects. These bills can’t preempt bans on these systems by landlords or HOAs, though supplementary bills have been introduced in some states to include protections for HOAs and landlords.
Why is plug-in solar illegal?
Plug-in solar is illegal because the electrical systems in traditional American homes aren’t designed to receive power from a standard wall outlet. Rooftop solar systems are professionally installed and designed so the energy harvested by the panels flows through a circuit breaker and into your outlets. Plug-in solar, in turn, introduces electricity directly into an outlet, bypassing the electrical panel.
In a plug-in solar setup, nearby appliances draw energy supplied by the breaker and the solar inverter, but the wiring could carry more current than the breaker alone would allow before it trips. But it’s not solely about safety.
Installing your own solar panels means less reliance on local utilities. These companies are the biggest regulatory obstacle for plug-in or balcony solar setups. Their rules and regulations on solar energy are designed for rooftop panels, not plug-and-play systems, so legislation should push utility companies to change that.
There’s also the elephant in the room: utilities would make less money off their services if plug-in solar becomes widely popular. When consumers purchase less electricity, they contribute less to grid costs.
Maria Diaz is a staff writer with a passion for home automation, smart home devices, and tablets. With a background in graphic design, photography, and filmmaking, she has a bachelor’s in Mass Communication and experience in journalism and film.
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IoT product development refers to the process of building and engineering a connected physical device. This means piecing together hardware, firmware, wireless connectivity, and a cloud layer as one product. The development process of this is typically concept, PCB design services, firmware, wireless certification, and validation before mass production. Each stage matters and has a significant effect on the others; it is encouraged that they be developed in coordination rather than in isolation. Most first-timers underestimate the complexity of certification requirements, testing cycles, and timelines, not fully aware of how these could impact cost and launch timelines. To help in starting the IoT product development, Cad Crowd can help in connecting founders with vetted mechanical, electrical, and firmware engineers to make the whole process manageable and efficient.
🚀 Table of contents
What makes IoT product development different from regular hardware design?
It’s four disciplines running in parallel, not in sequence
IoT product development services is different from other regular hardware design since it runs on four engineering disciplines, working in parallel and not one after another. Disciplines include electrical engineering, firmware, mechanical design, and cloud systems. Everything has to be coordinated and continuously aligned.
It is critical to be well-coordinated, as a change could easily break another. For instance, an antenna that is poorly placed inside an enclosure could block the signal. This can be avoided when the four disciplines are working in harmony with each other. Working together as one avoids conflicts and clashes. This constant coordination can help in making a strong design.
The “product” doesn’t end at manufacturing
Compared with other traditional hardware, an IoT product is not really “finished” once it is manufactured and shipped. A physical device would just mean one part of the system. The mobile app, cloud backends, and over-the-air (OTA) updates are all parts of an actual product. Simply put, this means that the product continues to evolve and update even after a successful launch.
The update could be through software updates, new features, and other performance improvements. For connected devices, the version users buy on day one is just a starting point, not really the final version. IoT products have functionality that is continuously improving instead of being fixed at one point in manufacturing.
Selecting between a microcontroller (MCU) or system-on-chip (SoC) is one of the most critical and important decisions in product design development services. This is because it can actually define the device or product’s overall capabilities and limits. This will determine how much processing power, memory, and built-in features, like WiFi or Bluetooth, the device or product can support.
An applicable example is for developing a simple temperature sensor. It may only need a low-power 8-bit microcontroller with no wireless component. For a smart camera, a more powerful SoC can be used to handle the video processing and connectivity. The decision can affect cost, performance, and battery life, sometimes even product features.
Sensor selection drives accuracy and cost together
Sensor selection can have an impact on both accuracy and cost of an IoT product. There are different sensors such as temperature, motion, or light. They can vary in precision, power consumption, and, of course, pricing. Even if each of them serves the same basic function, it would still have a great impact on the device or product.
An application for this is a consumer air-quality monitor. It does not need laboratory-grade sensors to be useful, while industrial systems may require higher accuracy and stability. Simply speaking, it is important to know when to design more accurate and stabilized sensors. Choosing a more accurate sensor for unnecessary applications would just waste resources.
PCB design turns components into a working circuit
A PCB design is where all the selected components are turned into a working electronic system on a physical board. This PCB can connect and route power and data signals among the components and parts, including the MCU, sensors, and wireless modules like Bluetooth and WiFi.
It is important that the PCB design is done well, as it could still impact performance. It could only work if the PCB design is not poorly designed, as good materials wouldn’t be enough. Choosing a freelance PCB design experts is one of the most sensitive parts in IoT development since small mistakes could lead to non-functional devices.
Power budgeting decides whether your product survives on a battery
Power budgeting refers to determining and identifying whether an IoT product can be usable and functional in a real-life setting. This is especially applicable for battery-powered devices. Every component, like the MCU and sensors, consumes energy, and its total power draw can decide how long the device can run before it needs to be recharged or have its batteries replaced.
Most of the time, radio modules are the ones that have the biggest power consumption. Typically, devices that wake up briefly to send data and sleep right after would have a longer running time than a device that stays constantly connected. The balance between performance and energy lies in better planning in early product development.
Prototyping validates the design before tooling starts
Prototyping design servicesrefers to the stage wherein an IoT design is tested in real conditions and settings before investing in expensive manufacturing. Here, engineers use breadboards and development boards initially because it is quick and low-cost. This is where the concepts are tested to see if it’s feasible or possible in real life,
Once the concept is proven to work, the design would progress to a custom PCB. This phase is critical and important since it can expose possible issues like power instability, signal interference, or part mismatches. Identifying these issues is helpful to spot before production begins to avoid rework. Skipping a prototype can cause more costly problems later on.
What firmware architecture does an IoT device need?
Bare-metal firmware is known as the simplest type of IoT software architecture design. This is where the code runs directly on the hardware without an operating system in between. This kind of approach is more lightweight, quick, and efficient. It is ideal for simple devices that perform single, repeating tasks.
Since there’s no operating system managing tasks, the performance is predictable, and the resource usage is actually minimal. This is helpful in low-power and low-cost products. This simplicity can be difficult to handle when the device becomes complex; it could be hard to handle multiple tasks and manage storage.
A real-time operating system (RTOS) is typically used for IoT devices that need to perform multiple tasks simultaneously without causing conflicts or delays. An RTOS can schedule tasks so the device can just collect sensor data, store it, and still maintain wireless communication simultaneously. All this without a single function blocking the other one.
This actually makes RTOS-based firmware essential and important for most connected products that go beyond simple sensor and transmit setup. RTOS is a great help in improving reliability, responsiveness, and timing accuracy. It’s more helpful for systems where delays can cause errors and data loss. The most common RTOS options include Free RTOS and Zephyr; they are used for resource-limited IoT hardware.
Over-the-air update architecture has to be designed in from day one
Over-the-air (OTA) update architecture is one of the most critical parts of IoT design firmware. It has to be planned from the very beginning of the development process. OTA allows product design manufacturers to remotely update a device even after it leaves the manufacturing facility and is released. It can help enable bug fixes, performance improvements, and security patches without any physical recalls.
Adding an OTA late in the development process would just be challenging since the model or device may not be able to handle the memory it needs to fully function. It is important to plan out a well-designed system. This includes a dual-partition setup wherein one firmware version runs while the other stores the update. This serves as a safety net for the product to revert in case the update failed.
Firmware testing needs to simulate real-world conditions
It would be ideal for firmware testing to not just be done in controlled labs but rather in real-world environments, experiencing actual and real conditions and settings. It has to be simulated in real-world usage scenarios. Bench testing could be useful for checking basic functionality, but it could fail in actual settings. This could include weak signals, network drops, and low battery conditions.
A field test can help uncover hidden problems by exposing the device in a way that users may face on a daily basis. This makes it easier to spot and identify, allowing for an early fix before launching it. Including and adding field testing early in the product development process and timeline can be a more effective approach rather than treating it as the last process.
Which wireless connectivity should you choose: BLE, Wi-Fi, Cellular, or LoRa?
Bluetooth Low Energy suits short-range, battery-powered devices
When an IoT device does not necessarily need long-range connectivity, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) can be a suitable choice. It is mostly used for battery-operated devices, including wearables and other smart devices and home accessories. It can actually operate and function within a 100-meter range. It is designed to have little power, making it ideal to run for a longer period of time.
BLE is actually not designed for direct internet connectivity, as it can’t send data to the cloud on its own. It simply relies on a smartphone or a hub to forward data to the internet. BLE is considered a practical and efficient choice for consumer IoT products where battery life and longer-range connectivity are prioritized.
Wi-Fi delivers speed at the cost of battery life
One of the most commonly used connectivity options for IoT devices is WiFi. It is used for smart cameras, doorbells, and home displays. It does not necessarily need a separate hub or gateway. It can conveniently connect the device directly to the internet.
The downside of having this connectivity, however, is that it can consume significant power. This makes it unsuitable for long-term and battery-powered wearables or products. It usually has high energy demand, so the devices are mostly plugged into a constant power supply. The tradeoff among speed, connectivity, and power consumption is the key factor in deciding if WiFi design services is suitable for the product.
Cellular (NB-IoT/LTE-M) works anywhere there’s a tower, at a recurring cost
Cellular connectivity, like NB-IoT and LTE-M, can allow IoT devices to connect to the internet conveniently anywhere there is mobile network coverage. This can be done without the need for WiFi or a local gateway. This is more suitable and useful for applications like asset trackers and remote industrial equipment.
LTE-M is specifically designed for IoT use since it uses simpler hardware than the standard/ it is optimized for lower consumption. The tradeoff for this convenience is the cost. Each device would require a SIM card and a recurring data subscription.
LoRa wins on range and battery life for infrequent data
LoRa is focused and designed for IoT devices that would need long-range communication but with very low power consumption. It can transmit over distances of up to ten to fifteen kilometers in rural areas and one to five kilometers in urban areas. It is a more ideal setting for remote monitoring applications and devices.
The downside is that it can’t handle high-speed or high-volume data transfers, like video or streaming. It is a more suitable choice for periodic updates like environmental sensors and agricultural monitoring systems.
The right choice depends on data volume, range, and power budget together
Selecting the right choice is not usually based on preferences but depends on balancing the needs and intent of the design. Knowing which to prioritize from data needs, range, speed, and power consumption can lead to the ideal and suitable option. Each technology serves a function and purpose. BLE is best for short-range and low-power connections. WiFi works best for high-speed internal access but can consume a significant amount of energy. Cellular can offer a wide range of coverage but with recurring costs. LoRa covers longer range and minimal power use, but has low data rates.
Choosing the right connectivity is just a part of the design process; the antenna and PB design layout still needs to be engineered altogether. Cad Crowd can definitely assist you with vetted CAD professionals to partner with. Check it out now here.
How do enclosure and antenna design work together?
The enclosure material affects wireless performance
The physical housing or metal housing can block wireless performance, which is why both enclosure and antenna design are closely linked to IoT products. There are materials that can block or weaken radio frequency (RF) signals. For those reasons, most devices place their antennas near plastic sections, or they can just use plastic enclosures altogether.
It is recommended and ideal to come up with a design that considers both industrial and electrical engineering experts. Doing so can help in strengthening WiFi, Bluetooth, or cellular range. When poorly designed, the connectivity could be reduced and weakened. These are common issues faced in IoT development.
Antenna placement needs testing in the actual enclosure, not just on a bench
To know if the antenna can serve as intended, it should be tested inside the final product enclosure. It is possible that the antenna can work well on a lab bench but wouldn’t be the same once placed in a housing or near components like a battery, metal shield, or other electronics that could interfere with wireless signals. Testing in an actual enclosure can help in identifying connectivity issues before production starts. This can help them fix it early before proceeding to a more committed phase. This lessens the possibility of costly redesign.
Thermal design keeps electronics from overheating inside a sealed case
There are instances wherein an IoT device may overheat inside a sealed case. To keep it cool and reliable, a thermal design has to be planned in a way that it can manage the feat during an operation. It helps in handling the heat generated by components like processors and wireless radios.
Unmanaged heat can reduce the device or product’s performance and lifespan. This may eventually cause failures. To resolve this, engineers often use thermal pads or other heat-conductive materials to dissipate heat. This ensures that the product’s durability is still maintained and not compromised.
Mechanical tolerances matter more once electronics are involved
Mechanical tolerances matter more when there’s an electronic inside the product. This is significant and critical since every component has to fit and function precisely during its assembly. There are features like charging ports, buttons, battery compartments, and other mounting parts that need to be accurate and manufactured consistently.
Small tolerance errors or misaligned parts can cause poor performance and feel. Freelance mechanical engineers can actually identify and correct tolerance issues during the design stage. They can help in addressing tolerancing and manufacturability issues early to reduce production costs. This can overall improve the product quality and avoid further possibilities of redesigning that may be costly.
What does the cloud and app layer involve?
The cloud layer stores and processes data the device sends
A cloud layer is defined as the online system that receives, stores, and processes data sent by an IoT device. This can enable features like real-time monitoring, data history, notifications, and other remote device management. There are managed platforms like AWS IoT, Azure IoT Hub, or Google Cloud services to help in backend development and improve the overall scalability. While it was developed along with hardware, it is still important to plan the cloud infrastructure early on since it has an impact on how the device communicates.
How do you build security into an IoT product from day one?
Security-by-design starts with the firmware, not a bolt-on feature
Security should already be part of the design or architectural design services during initial stages instead of just adding it before it’s launched. In the first stages of firmware development, the engineering team should be able to plan for features like secure authentication and protected data storage. Adding those layers of security and protection can help in reducing possible complexities later. This way, the design team can smoothly create a device that is a lot safer and more reliable to counter cyber threats.
Outdated firmware is the leading cause of IoT breaches
A reliable over-the-air (OTA) update system is considered essential in modern IoT devices and products. It helps the manufacturer to remotely fix security issues and can aid in improving its performance and releasing updates without physical recalls. This is important because there could be a possibility of cyberattacks if the firmware was outdated or never patched. An updated firmware helps in reducing the possibility of vulnerabilities. It helps create an additional layer of security, reducing user and device risk.
What wireless certifications does your IoT product need before launch?
Wireless certifications are required before selling IoT devices
Before an IoT device or project can be released to the market, it has to pass the official safety and compliance regulations. In the United States, devices that use wireless features like WiFi, Bluetooth, or cellular should be able to pass FCC certifications. Meanwhile, in the European Union, CE/RED certification is needed. These certifications are needed to ensure that the device is safe to use and does not interfere with other electrical parts.
Costs and timelines could vary depending on the device complexity, lab, and region; the figures reflect ranges reported across compliance testing industry guides.
What are the stages from concept to mass production?
EVT (Engineering Validation Test)
This stage answers the objective “Does it work at all?” This refers to piecing things together, including early PCB, basic firmware, and other rough mechanical parts. This stage’s goal is to prove that the concept is feasible and actually functions. In this stage, the freelance engineers can test issues early; finding early failures means fixing them early. It helps in addressing it early to prevent costly redesign work. There are some teams that do pre-compliance checks to see if it can pass certifications.
DVT (Design Validation Test)
This stage answers the objective “Does it look and behave like the final product?” This focuses more on the transitioning of products to become real. In this phase, the PCB is defined, and the firmware is more stable. Its housing and enclosure are also close to final. The materials used in this test are close to those that are used for production. The goal of this stage is to ensure that the product does not just work or function well but also meets safety, performance, and user expectations. Bugs can be fixed early to ensure that there won’t be a possibility of expensive reworks.
This stage answers the objective “Who actually builds the product?”For every IoT product or device, a small and specialized team is needed to complete it. A specialized electrical engineer should design the PCB and choose necessary components suited to the task. This is critical since it directly impacts cost, power use, and performance. A firmware developer is needed to build the embedded software that helps run and operate the device, critical for reliability in real-world applications. An industrial designer is needed to ensure the product looks and feels good. A mechanical engineer is needed to turn the concept and design into a manufacturable enclosure that can be produced in large volumes.
An ideal approach, especially for startups, is not to hire a full-time designer but to hire specialized ones for certain stages. This is a cost-efficient approach that’s flexible enough and practical. Feeling stuck in the design concept? Blank canvas? Fill the gap and start your design concept, from concept to PCB design: Browse Cad Crowd’s vetted network of specialized engineers and professional CAD designers and get a confidential project estimate.
How long does IoT product development take from concept to launch?
Most IoT products would take about 9 to 18 months to build. This covers full phases and stages from concept design to building prototypes, as well as preparation for manufacturing. The timeline really depends on the device’s complexity.
How much does it cost to develop an IoT product?
The costs in developing IoT products depend on the complexity of the device. There are products that are more affordable, like basic sensors or pre-certified wireless modules. The cost can significantly increase based on how extensive the certification and tooling are.
What’s the biggest mistake first-time IoT teams make?
Startups often underestimate just how costly certification is and how long it takes to be approved. Most of the time, the startups focus more on designing and building the device first, then later on realize how important it is to consider certification timeline and costs. It is important to finalize key decisions to know the significant certifications and testing needed.
Conclusion
Developing an IoT device or product involves integrating hardware, firmware, connectivity, and certification into one system. It is important to note that each task is not to be handled separately but pieced together in parallel coordination. It is important for the team to plan well to ensure a successful launch. Certification and testing requirements have to be planned out early as well to avoid last-minute fixes. Knowing this reduces surprises and costly redesigns. Specialists are needed at every stage to ensure proper alignment. To help in getting the right specialist for the project stage you’re currently in, browse Cad Crowd and connect with vetted specialists tailored to your needs.
Cad Crowd connects businesses with experienced electrical engineers, firmware developers, mechanical engineers, and CAD professionals who specialize in IoT product development, PCB design, embedded systems, enclosure design, wireless connectivity, prototyping, and manufacturing preparation. Whether you’re developing a simple connected sensor or a more complex smart device, our vetted professionals can help coordinate the different stages of development and turn your concept into a functional, production-ready IoT product. Contact Cad Crowd today for a free quote and find the right engineering expertise to move your IoT project from concept to launch with confidence.
MacKenzie Brown is the founder and CEO of Cad Crowd. With over 18 years of experience in launching and scaling platforms specializing in CAD services, product design, manufacturing, hardware, and software development, MacKenzie is a recognized authority in the engineering industry. Under his leadership, Cad Crowd serves esteemed clients like NASA, JPL, the U.S. Navy, and Fortune 500 companies, empowering innovators with access to high-quality design and engineering talent.
As I’m typing this, we’re in the final hellish days before the October 16 launch of TENEBRIS SOMNIA – the retro survival horror game with live-action cutscenes – coming at you from Andrés Borghi (The Black Heart) Saibot Studios (Hellbound), and published by New Blood Interactive. (FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, DUSK, Blood West).
In Tenebris Somnia you play as Julia, a young woman who is having nightmares about her ex-boyfriend being torn apart by horrible monsters. Hoping to find some peace, she goes to his apartment to check on him. What she discovers is a world of horror that descends beyond her darkest dreams. What if the nightmares are real…?
One night while filmmaker and indie game developer Andrés Borghi was streaming our previous horror game FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, he got the idea to make a pixel horror game of his own with a sinister twist: the cutscenes would be live action, with real actors in real locations and real spooky special effects.
So Andrés and Saibot Studios lead Tobías Rusjan got working on a demo. Then they pitched the full game to New Blood, the only studio crazy enough to give a horror filmmaker the budget to make a survival horror game.
And that’s just what we did! Shortly after inking the publishing deal, we traveled to Buenos Aires to see Andrés and the film crew in action. What we saw amazed us – a legit professional camera and production crew, practical monster effects supervised by the award-winning Marcos Berta (“When Evil Lurks”), the performance by Argentine scream queen Clara Kovacic as the game’s protagonista – all meticulously storyboarded and directed by Andrés.
We witnessed the floor of a 17th-century Argentine cathedral splattered with fake blood. We watched a boom operator sprint 20 meters – and slide on his knees the final 2 meters – to get the perfect lighting effect under an actor at the perfect moment. They even guerilla-filmed several shots on the subway in the middle of the night (but don’t tell anyone). This wasn’t the low-budget FMV approach you remember from classic horror-adventure games. It was high-quality movie magic happening right in front of us. And absolutely no generative AI was used anywhere at any point in production.
That’s right, we did it the old-fashioned way. Good old human slop. Practical special effects and limited CGI. Human produced and directed, human-translated localization into English, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese. In-game art and animation drawn by hand, pixel by pixel, frame by frame. Audio and music by an actual human composer. Real-life living breathing human programmers. Even if we had used generative AI to take shortcuts (not that we even know how) we wouldn’t be able to call it a New Blood Interactive game with a clear conscience. Would it have saved us some money? Probably, but we would incur a much steeper cost – the trust of our fans who look to us for sincerity and authenticity. It’s just not our brand. Our players and, quite frankly, games in general, deserve better than gen AI. But enough about that.
Back to the game’s incredible cutscenes. These aren’t just cutscenes for cutscenes’ sake. In a lot of retro games, cutscenes were often a reward for making it to the end. In Tenebris Somnia, the cutscenes are directly linked to the gameplay – you never know when a cutscene will begin or end. This not only shocks the player – because now they’re encountering the horrors of the game in gruesome detail – but it keeps them in suspense at all times. You never know if the cutscene will drop you right into an enemy encounter or start right after one!
Merging pixel horror gameplay and live-action cinematics didn’t come without its challenges, however. Film sets needed to match the in-game locations, requiring careful planning and a blend of practical set-dressing and seamless CGI. Thankfully Andrés is also a talented film editor and VFX artist! To make the monster effects believable, silicon masks and prosthetics were molded out of performer’s faces and then fitted back on with makeup – a process that took several hours each time just like in a major Hollywood-style production. You can see behind-the-scenes videos on how this was done on our YouTube and Instagram. We hope to release a full making-of documentary after the game is launched!
After nearly 4 years of production we’re extremely proud of this monster we’ve created together. Tenebris Somnia offers a classic survival horror experience – scary monsters, limited resources, brutal boss fights, great sound design, puzzles to solve, and a terrifying plot to uncover. In the words of Andrés, “I hope players will come to see the cutscenes, and stay to experience the story”! It also stands alone as a genuinely scary horror game with a truly unique identity – take it from me – the guy that made FAITH!
Tenebris Somnia is available now on XBOX Series X|S and XBOX on PC. PC. Play it on console and PC at no additional cost with XBOX Play Anywhere.
Tenebris Somnia
New Blood Interactive
☆☆☆☆☆ 3
★★★★★
$24.99
$19.99
Tenebris Somnia is a 2D retro survival horror adventure game with live action cutscenes created by an award winning film crew from Argentina. Unveil the depths of a disturbing story by solving puzzles and fighting horrible creatures. …What if they aren’t just nightmares?
Verizon plans to charge customers $10 per month for the iPhone Handoff feature that Apple added in iOS 27. iPhone Handoff allows one phone number to be shared across two separate iPhones.
Verizon will support iPhone Handoff, giving customers the flexibility to use a single Verizon phone number seamlessly across two compatible iPhone models. Whether using the pocketable iPhone Duo on the go or iPhone 18 Pro for work, customers can switch active status between devices at any time while keeping full access to Verizon’s 5G network. iPhone Handoff will be available from Verizon for $10/month on compatible iPhones models running iOS 27.
With iPhone Handoff, users can switch between a main iPhone and a companion iPhone at will, though a phone number can only be active on one iPhone at a time. Verizon says support is “coming soon,” and Apple previously said Verizon would adopt the feature before the end of the year.
U.S. carrier T-Mobile already supports iPhone Handoff, but charges just $5 per month for the feature. AT&T, the third major U.S. carrier, recently suggested it has no imminent plans to support iPhone Handoff.
U.K. carrier EE also said this week that it will soon support iPhone Handoff. Customers who have EE’s Full Works Plus plan will get iPhone Handoff free, while other EE users can get it for £5 per month.
Deutsche Telekom in Germany is the only other carrier that’s added iPhone Handoff support so far. It costs €6.95 per month, but the carrier includes it for free in the MagentaMobil L and XL plans.
Apple has begun inviting selected members of the media to a product launch experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
In a post on X, Gurman described the gathering as an “all-day product launch experience” for touchscreen MacBooks, a new iPad mini, and Macs equipped with M6 chips.
Gurman previously reported that Apple would introduce the…
Apple has an unreleased iPad mini Smart Folio listed on its French regulatory website, hinting that a new iPad mini is coming. The case’s A3632 model number doesn’t match current or past iPad mini cases.
Apple appears to have added the case to its website recently, and it’s listed alongside iPhone 18 Pro accessories added in September.
The listing doesn’t include any iPad mini specs, but…
Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo asks buyers to pay more for a folding screen while accepting almost 40 compromises compared with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, spanning camera capabilities, everyday usability, and ownership costs.
At equivalent storage capacities, the iPhone Duo costs $800 more than the iPhone 18 Pro and $700 more than the Pro Max. Its main attraction is a radically…
Dupery is a solo deduction game set in a noir city infiltrated by a powerful criminal syndicate. Take on the role of a detective, hunt down the syndicate criminals and uncover the head of the network. Explore individual cases, investigate roles – many of whom will be lying – and weed out the evil. There are 4 categories of roles – Innocent, Meddler, Underling and Traitor – with 175+ individual roles you will come across in your cases. Use your detective skills and a healthy amount of distrust for everyone to arrest the syndicate members as you traverse regions, all while maintaining your reputation and evading their attempts to deceive you. Avoid wrongful arrests, or you could lose your job. Chained Beasts
Interrogate, Review, Arrest Cases are procedurally generated on a grid containing a mix of good and evil roles. To solve a case, use clues provided by the characters and deduce whose stories are not quite checking out. Underlings lie, Traitors are worse, and even the well-meaning may be tainted. Cross reference what you hear, compile imperfect information using strings, pins and pen on your detective board and make your arrests. From the Mathematician who will announce the sum of all evil role addresses, to the critic who causes your reputation loss to be doubled, it’s up to you to investigate them and make the right decisions.
Your Reputation Is on the Line Progress through areas by completing cases, building your way towards the final boss confrontation. Arresting good-aligned roles will reduce your reputation – letting it fall too low will get you fired. Arresting all evil roles counts as solving the case and will increase your reputation, allowing you to pick the next case to solve. Choose which roles to add to your cases in between missions, along with acquiring quirks and modifiers that will shape your runs.
Different Campaigns. One Syndicate. Work your way through three campaigns set in distinct regions, each with its own unique mechanics and roles that alter your gameplay. Each region progresses you towards a final confrontation with the region’s syndicate general, where you will gain clues. Winning a region also unlocks new tiers of roles and quirks. Once you have unlocked all 9 tiers across every region, it’s time to enter the Syndicate’s region and face the boss – a brutal final run drawing from everything you encountered on your way. It’s up to you to bring down the syndicate mastermind.
Key Features:
Solo deduction roguelite with 175+ handcrafted roles
A reputation meter for you to protect as you make your arrests
3 regions with their own unique mechanics and roles
Procedurally generated cases so no two runs play the same
Different roles, quirks and modifiers to choose from between missions
Notation toolkit to build your own in-gamecrime board
Screenshots
SystemRequirements
Minimum
OS: Windows 10 or later
Processor: Dual Core 2.5GHz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Storage: 1 GB available space
Support the game developers by purchasing the game on Steam
InstallationGuide
TurnOff Your Antivirus Before Installing Any Game
1 :: Download Game 2 :: Extract Game 3 :: Launch The Game 4 :: Have Fun 🙂
The Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, is taking its educational livestreams to the next level with LiveU technology, allowing students around the world to explore nature through interactive live video.
After reaching more than 75,000 young viewers in 2025 using a mobile phone and WiFi, Eden Project upgraded to the LiveU LU900Q, LiveU Studio, and LiveU Audio Connect. The new setup provides more dependable connectivity, cloud-based production, and communication between presenters working across the site.
Through its free, twice-monthly Eden Project Live Learning sessions, students can explore the site’s rainforest biome and other environments while asking questions and participating in live polls. The project highlights how LiveU’s remote production and cloud streaming tools can help small teams create engaging, professional-quality educational content without requiring a large broadcast crew.
Among the major vendors that listed Discover-Tech as a “certified” or “verified” vendor were Google and the advertising industry association IAB Europe. The Israeli firm also used European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) consent frameworks to target users within the European Union. Discover-Tech has served ads through major networks such as Google, Yandex, and Beeswax.
Google and IAB Europe have since removed Discover-Tech from their ad vendor registries, and Google further terminated Discover-Tech’s access to its ad exchange platforms. Beeswax has removed Discover-Tech from its ad buying platform. Fellow ad platform Vungle (Liftoff) paused Discover-Tech’s access while conducting a review, and Eskimi blocked Discover-Tech’s accounts and domains.
Thursday’s report said that Discover-Tech ad impressions have appeared on government and national-security-linked networks throughout the world: NATO, United Nations networks, European lawmaking bodies, critical infrastructure providers in Australia, and armed forces and government agencies in Norway and Sweden.
“Discover-Tech’s mass abuse, privacy invasion, and facilitation for mercenary spyware attacks illustrates structural flaws with the online advertising system, which failed to detect or prevent the abuse documented in this report,” Citizen Lab said.
The research lab said that the mercenary malware installed through AdFection was developed and distributed by Candiru (rebranded as “Integrity Labs”). Under the arrangement with Discover-Tech, targets with specific profiles of interest to the Candiru customers received ads that carried JavaScript or other code that connected to Candiru’s control servers. In response, those servers delivered an exploit that served the zero-click payload when the ad appeared on an individual’s device.
The research doesn’t describe the vulnerabilities exploited in the zero-click attacks or the final malware that was installed in them. It’s likely they were zero-days that have been fixed after Citizen Lab discovered the campaign. Citizen Lab didn’t immediately respond to questions.
Messages sent to Discover-Tech and Candiru went unanswered.
Citizen Lab called on advertisers and government officials to take concrete action to proactively prevent campaigns like AdFection. Beyond that, the researchers said users can reduce the risk of being infected by installing ad blockers, resetting mobile advertising ID in iOS and Android settings (it’s unclear why the researchers didn’t advise turning off personalized ads altogether), and installing ad-blocking software on home or office networks. As always, installing updates in a timely manner is also a must.
One day into Wardogs Season 2, Bulkhead Interactive has decided to scrap the bribery plan it announced last week as a way to help convince players to join the Blue team. The problem isn’t that the plan didn’t work—it actually worked far too well.
THE PLAN:
“Lonestar cash and XP bonus. Season 2 only. New Bakurani spawn.”
“We’re looking at how we can help the win rate of a certain team.” -Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer (via “Road to Season 2” devlog)
THE REALITY:
“We were wrong. We fucked up,” Brammer admitted in a new video (via RPS).
Blue team is now winning “by far, the most,” Brammer said, even though the actual boosts are not terribly substantial: 5% Lonestar cash and 2.5% XP.
“Median” players didn’t get much from those percentages, but Bulkhead found that “top tier” players were seeing significant boosts
Bottom line: it’s gone.
“We’re removing the Blue XP bonus, the cash bonus. We were wrong,” Brammer said. Bulkhead co-founder Howard Philpott added that the studio thought Blue team bonus might work out this way, but said “I don’t think we expected it to be this much of a swing.”
I can’t say I’m terribly surprised by the outcome. I’m not a Wardogs player, but I have been around long enough to know how these things go: If you dangle a competitive edge in front of gamers, they’re going to jump for it. Percentage boosts are especially risky because they’re performance-based and so much more likely to go spinning out of control, especially in the hands of, as Brammer put it, “tryhards.”
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And it’s not just the extra XP and cash being earned that’s a problem: Philpott said the bonus is also “impacting people joining games and starting games,” presumably because if they can’t be a Blue, they’ll leave and try their luck with another game.
(Quick side note: I’m not a fan of the term ‘tryhard.’ Of course I’m trying hard! Why wouldn’t I be? My nephew called me a tryhard once and I told him that maybe if he tried harder he wouldn’t get his ass kicked so hard. He was 12 and I got some disapproving looks from other people at the Christmas party, but I stand by it.)
We’re holding our hands up and we got a few things wrong.
We are pushing a backend update:
▫️Removing Blue Cash & XP Bonus
▫️Driver Progression Fixes
▫️Fixing Driver Exploit Preventing lots of players from accessing tanks too early
▫️Coming Soon: Limited Mode Servers (No Power Weapons & Vehicles)
Full details in the video here:October 15, 2026
PC Gamer’s Morgan Park, who is a Wardogs guy, also made the call when this plan was unveiled last week: “XP and cash bribes are a drastic move, but should have a real impact. It’s unclear how big these boosts will be, but I expect Blue will instantly become the most popular team by a wide margin in Season 2.”
Predictable as this outcome was, I don’t see it as a particularly egregious misstep. Brammer called it an “experiment,” and sometimes that’s what you have to do—and the early stages of a massively popular videogame with teething issues can definitely be one of those times. Brammer also noted that other changes aimed at rebalancing things, including new spawns on the Bakurani map, have proven effective and will remain.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Alongside the removal of the Blue team bribery, Bulkhead is also fixing issues with driver progression, and is fixing a driver exploit that’s letting players access tanks too quickly: Players who are “very clearly” taking advantage of the exploit (less than 1,000 in total, according to Brammer) will be given a 24-hour ban from the game and have their cash and XP wiped.
