A new smart car seat can keep a driver calm by actively monitoring the commuter’s physical and mental status, according to the maker. “We’ve built a seat called Active Wellness. And what it does is allows us to understand something about your heart rate, your respirationrate, and then analyze that to really understand your stress level,” said Matthew Benson, an advanced innovation manager at Faurecia, one of the world’s largest automotive-equipment suppliers. If you feel stressed, the Active Wellness seat uses a biometric sensing system to activate …

Jawbone, the maker of the Jambox speaker and variety of fitness trackers, confirmed Friday it will lay off 15% of its global workforce. In a statement Friday, Jawbone says the cuts were made to create a more "streamlined and successful" business. "We are sad to see colleagues go, but we know that these changes, while difficult for those impacted, will set us up for even greater success," said Jawbone in a statement.

London buses are to be fitted with smart sensors, in a road safety trial intended to reduce the number of collisions with pedestrians and cyclists. TfL is “upgrading” its London buses fleet. The new safety sensors, that could save the lives of dozens of vulnerable road users, will be installed on all London buses by the end of 2016. Transport for London asked leading manufacturers to come forward with designs back in 2014. One of the favourites was CycleEye and its pedestrians sensing sensors.

AT&T today appears to have started notifying customers that a quality issue has occurred with the recently launched LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition. According to sources, AT&T has notified its retail stores and customers that those who purchased the latest Watch Urbane are eligible for a refund due to the “quality issue.” At this point, it’s unclear what the “quality issue” is. According to our sources, the issue relates to a hardware problem that directly affects the day-to-day functionality of the device, but it’s unclear what the problem is specifically. AT&T is also allowing users to exchange the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition …

British automaker Jaguar is betting on a different market sector to take off with its 2017 XE. Apple Watch connectivity is chief among the new vehicle’s innovations. While the future of wearables is still uncertain, the compatibility positions Jaguar as a technological savvy brand determined to appeal to the desires of its consumers on an individual basis. Jaguar has a recent history of placing technology as one of its foremost innovations and areas of development, and the new XE is no different. With the Apple Watch, consumers can monitor fuel from afar, lock and unlock the vehicle and turn on heating …

The TV is on in the background, and you’re replying to a quick email on your phone nearby. You don’t know it, but the devices are communicating. During a commercial, the TV emits an inaudible tone and your phone, which was listening for it, picks it up. Somewhere far away, a server makes a note: Both devices probably belong to you. This information about which devices belong to whom is immensely valuable to advertisers hoping to target ads specifically to you. In a simpler time, targeted marketing was easy. Most people had a computer at work and maybe another …

A new report recommends the federal government take several actions as it navigates the Internet of Things, such as ensuring privacy and security protections are in place without imposing regulations that would hinder innovation. The Advanced Technology Academic Research Center issued the report, which is based on discussions at six collaborative meetings over a 10-week period attended by stakeholders from government, industry and academia. The working group is chaired by representatives from Cisco, Samsung and Verizon. "IoT will have a big impact on the federal government, in ways that many of us haven't even thought about yet. The work of …

Standard notice and choice aren’t going to cut it when it comes to the IoT. “As the Internet of Things ecosystem grows and more devices are connected to the Internet, you might not even know that they are,” said Pedro Pavón, Oracle’s senior corporate counsel, speaking at a two-day International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) event held Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, DC. “Self-regulation and online behavioral advertising are very heavy on notice,” Pavón said. “But how do you provide notice on a Fitbit? How do you update a policy and provide appropriate notice or even give consent?”

Vivint is highlighting mobile’s growing role in home security by introducing an application that oversees consumers’ smart home devices and systems, offering the ability to control various appliances remotely. The Vivint Sky mobile app was designed to offer consumers peace of mind when they are away from their homes, as well as gather important customer metrics to improve the mobile experience. Users can opt to receive push notifications related to certain instances, such as a visitor ringing the doorbell or the house alarm going off, suggesting that these types of overarching controller apps will become commonplace for consumers with security …

Mobile advertising is an effective way for companies to reach consumers. But linking a mobile ad to an in-store purchase is important? That’s golden. A recent survey confirmed that mobile coupons work. According to October, 2015 research by Marchex and Digiday, about two-thirds of U.S. marketers said mobile coupons were the most effective method for attributing in-store purchases to mobile ads. “Indeed, mobile coupons are valuable,” reports eMarketer. “In 2015, 40.5 percent of U.S. companies with more than a hundred employees will use mobile coupons for marketing purposes, eMarketer estimates. By 2017, that number will grow by 7.5 percentage points.”