The Balogna Airport has revealed that it will be using a range of different forms of mobile technology, including geolocation beacons, near field communication (NFC) tags, and even QR codes to help to enhance the experience of travelers who make their way through this location. By using geolocation beacons with Bluetooth low-energy technology, and by combining that withNFC tags and quick response codes, the Balogna Airport is hoping to be able to reach as many travelers as possible, regardless of the model or make of their mobile phones. Using these various types of tech, it will become possible for the airport to send …

We were rolling eastward across the San Mateo Bridge in an Audi A7 at a dutiful 55 miles per hour, and I was riding shotgun accompanied by two of the car's engineers. With a sticker price topping $70,000, the A7 is a fancy car, but not an uncommon one along the stock-option-paved highways of Silicon Valley. I looked around at the drivers around us, knowing they hadn't a clue about what was happening right beside them. Traffic was getting thick, as rush hour approached. Outside the window, the water of the San Francisco Bay was a dull green, like patinated …

British automaker Jaguar Land Rover is investing in a “living laboratory” to help develop connected and autonomous vehicles. Forty-one miles of roads running through Coventry and Solihull in the United Kingdom will turn public roads into a laboratory for testing new connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies. Although autonomous vehicles are attractive in theory, many consumers still have reservations about the real world effectiveness and driving experience.

Porsche does not plan to join luxury carmakers who are trying to develop self-driving vehicles, its chief executive told a German newspaper, indicating differences between large premium brands and sports car companies. Lamborghini, also part of the Volkswagen group, has expressed similar scepticism about the trend towards autonomous driving, a concept which brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz are seeking to build into their models. The comments from Porsche Chief Executive Oliver Blume show that some car makers believe their drivers want to remain firmly in control at the wheel. "One wants to drive a Porsche by oneself," Blume said in an …

Nest Labs Inc. sells an estimated 1.2 million thermostats each year. Data scientists gather the temperature preference information from 100,000 households each month; and then Google, which purchased Nest in 2014, uses skilled data analysts to help the company more competitively run its business. Online retailers, social media and the Internet of Things — manufactured things that are connected to the Internet (like the Nest thermostat) — are generating extraordinary amounts of data. Plus, with computers and cloud computing cheaper and faster, companies can perform high-powered number crunching on data to personalize products or predict future trends. "Data is a …

Google is testing solar-powered drones at Spaceport America in New Mexico to explore ways to deliver high-speed internet from the air, the Guardian has learned. In a secretive project codenamed SkyBender, the technology giant built several prototype transceivers at the isolated spaceport last summer, and is testing them with multiple drones, according to documents obtained under public records laws. In order to house the drones and support aircraft, Google is temporarily using 15,000 square feet of hangar space in the glamorous Gateway to Space terminal designed by Norman Foster for the much-delayed Virgin Galactic spaceflights. The tech company has also installed its own dedicated …

The “Internet of things” (IoT) is no longer just a topic of conversation at your workplace or outside of it. It is no longer just a concept with some potential impact on how we live and how we work. The IoT is happening right now. It is already here. The number of “connected” devices into people’s homes and their day-to-day routines is on the rise. Moreover, it will continue to grow. And, by 2025, you’ll have at least ten active IoT devices in your home.

If you don’t need a separate dishwasher from a dish dryer, why do you need one for laundry? This is the question that consumed Glenn Reid of Marathon Laundry—a former Apple employee who worked with Steve Jobs for six years. Five years and seven prototypes later, the tech visionary launched his startup’s first product—an internet-connected combination washer and dryer at the CES this month. While the idea of having a single washing and drying device is by no means new, a ventless dryer combined with a washer with the performance of separate dryers is first of …

The best examples of Internet of Things (IoT) devices don’t require a hard sell as to why they need a wireless connection, it’s just obvious. Smart thermostats, for example: change the temperature of your house remotely, while it learns your behaviour. Yes, sign me up for some of that. A belt that talks to my smartphone? Uh, if you say so, I guess – but isn’t the average belt already pretty good at telling me when I’ve eaten too much as it is? Why do I need one with yet another battery to charge? You see my point: if you spend a great deal …

The internet of things is upon us, but what’s mostly left behind when we’re talking about the novelty of connected devices is just how secure, or vulnerable they really are. Following numerous reports of hacked devices being used to scream at — or play profane noises for — children, New York’s Department of Consumer affairs has launched an investigation into the baby monitor companies and their security protocols. The Federal Trade Commission looked at five popular baby monitors and found four of them could be easily accessed. Only one of the five required a strong password, the others used simple and easily-to-guess passcodes, …