Qualcomm announced this week plans to sell Vuforia, its augmented reality business, to Internet of Things company PTC for $65 million. PTC plans to use Vuforia to expand its IoT offerings. More specifically, PTC said in its release that developers and businesses can utilize AR for design, product control and monitoring, and digital overlays to communicate information to operators and technicians. "Because of what IoT is enabling, more and more products are now a mixture of digital and part physical content," said PTC CEO Jim Heppelmann in a statement. "So, naturally, the ways in which we interact with these products will evolve …

The so-called "Internet of Things" is an ever-expanding universe of connected devices, and with big players like Apple, Google, and Amazon in the mix, it's growing faster than ever. The dream is that everything will work with everything, making it easy to build the specific smart home you've got in mind. The reality, though, is that the walls are already starting to come up.

Swatch Group AG is linking up with China’s banking giants to sell a timekeeper that can make payments at retailers across the country, posing a challenge to Apple Inc.’s and Samsung Electronics Co.’s smartwatches. The timepiece will allow users to make payments at stores that have China UnionPay Co.’s point-of-sale machines, according to the Biel, Switzerland-based company which is also teaming up with Bank of Communications Co., one of China’s big-five banks.

 In the works for about a year, the highlight of the update is the new Autosteer feature. This is designed specifically for highway driving, and when engaged keeps the car in its lane. When you need to change lanes, you flip your turn signal and the car will move over on its own when it determines it’s safe to do so. So we’re not quite ready to simply enter an address and let the car handle everything, but it’s a glimpse into out autonomous future.Tesla is rolling out version 7.0 of its software, and with it new autopilot features that …

It's hard to tell where Michael Hauser's love for denim ends and where his love of technology begins. The 25-year-old Dutch entrepreneur was just 20 years old when he opened House of Blue Jeans, a 100-square-meter (1,080-square-foot) clothing shop in Zoetermeer, a small city east of The Hague. He initially launched his business as an online store, Hauser says, and when he opened the brick-and-mortar version, he was eager to find ways in which using technology could make running the physical shop efficient but also more appealing to his customers.

The thing is, Amazon has always dabbled in many corners of the tech industry as it’s pursued its well-worn mantra of “growth before profits.” And that means the company is more than the world’s largest retailer. It’s also an Internet of Things company. A device maker. A payments company. The list goes on. Some bets, like its massive cloud computing service, Amazon Web Services, have proven hugely successful. Others, like the Fire phone, have not.

Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer has set a date for its upcoming Android Wear smartwatch unveiling. The Tag Heuer Connected, as it's called, will make its debut at the LVMH Tower in New York City on November 9th, according to invites sent out by the company today. The watch is reportedly based on the popular Tag Carrera and will cost around $1,800, according to a interview with Tag CEO Jean-Claude Biver on CNBC last month. Tag is targeting the crowd of fashion-conscious luxury collectors who may have pined for the gold Apple Watch, but found its aesthetic appeal lacking. Apple's decision to began selling …

Using beacons to send directed messages to customers while they are in the store is a goal of many convenience store retailers, but there are hurdles to clear and processes to develop. Panelists addressed these topics Monday in the educational session “Beckon Customer Dollars With Beacon Technology” at the NACS Show. “There have been a lot of discussions on beacons for the last couple of years in retail, but there aren’t very many case studies on them within the convenience industry,” said Jeannie Amerson, session moderator. “Most retailers want to know how you can change consumer behavior while also enhancing …

In a rare session for Sibos 2015, having almost no mention of blockchain, leading technologists from three of the world’s largest banks shared their views on the transformative effect of digital technologies on the business of banking. Billed as a session on the Internet of Things (IoT) and core banking systems the discussion at the Marina Bay Sands convention centre in Singapore ranged across a variety of topics, illustrating the diverse skills and experiences needed to direct information technology in a large, modern financial institution.

Together, virtual reality and augmented reality are expected to generate about $150 billion in revenue by the year 2020. Of that staggering sum, according to data released today by Manatt Digital Media, $120 billion is likely to come from sales of augmented reality—with the lion’s share comprised of hardware, commerce, data, voice services, and film and TV projects—and $30 billion from virtual reality, mainly from games and hardware. The report suggests that the major VR and AR areas that will be generating revenue fall into one of three categories.