INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
When we first told you about ATT LTE-M Button, the information was socked away in a deluge of AWS Re:Invent announcements
The telecom giant was a bit more upfront when announcing its availability earlier this week — but just a bit
After all, it not a direct-to-consumer device
Unlike the product-branded hunk of plastic you can presently pick up from Amazon to refresh your supply of Goldfish crackers and Tide Pods,
this one currently open to developers at companies looking to build their own
What it does have going for it, however, is LTE-M, a cheaper, lower cost version of 4G that set to power a future generation of IoT devices
That means it can be used for your standard Dash-like activities — letting customers replenish items with a press — and it can also be
implemented in some more interesting scenarios, out of the bounds of regular WiFi
ATT offers up a couple of case uses, including customer feedback in public venues and use in places like construction sites where
home/office Wifi isn&t an option
Of course, without the direct retail feedback loop, it not really a Dash competitor — and besides, AWS is helping power the thing, so
Amazon still getting a kickback here
Oh, and then there the price — the buttons start at $30 a piece, which amounts to a lot of Tide Pods
As such, we likely won&t see them take off too quickly, but they do provide an interesting usage as ATT looks to LTE-M to push IoT outside
