Few marketing tchotchkes have done as well as the Staples Easy Button: Sales of the $6.99 gadget passed the one million mark ten years ago. The iconic red button even shared the stage with President Barack Obama and Zach Galafaniakis on the online talk show Between Two Ferns. Not bad for something that, in truth, does nothing but say “that was easy” when pushed. But developers at Staples  SPLS -0.97%  are working to make the button much more useful by connecting it to back end services that will let business customers place their office supply orders and, eventually, …

 5G will massively speed up the internet and unlock the Internet of Things, making driverless cars and talking fridges a reality, but experts warn plenty of hurdles remain.  The fifth generation of mobile networks should permit devices to connect over the internet, allowing them talk to us, to applications, and each other. 5G is the term on everyone's lips at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and a global race to develop it is under way.

The Internet of Things might as well be called the Internet of Batteries. Internet-connected sensors that go off when the front door opens or the oven heats up may be useful, but they become a hassle when the batteries that power those components start to die. A team of computer scientists and electrical engineers at the University of Washington may have found a way around the problem with a technology that dramatically reduces the amount of power needed to emit a Wi-Fi signal.

Pepper the robot is coming to America later this year, first for businesses and later for consumers. After its debut in July 2014, there are now more than 10,000 Pepper robots in use in other countries, primarily Japan. Some are helping passengers find the right train platform at stations in France, and some greet shoppers at supermarkets in both France and Spain. A fuller expansion in Europe is planned for 2016, as well as the U.S. introduction, according to officials at the robot's inventor, Aldebaran, based in Paris. Aldebaran is a subsidiary of Softbank Group of Japan.

Due out this fall, Apple is planning to use the next major release of its Mac operating system to expand Siri. “Last year, Apple implemented Siri as cornerstone features of both the Apple Watch and new Apple TV, and for 2016, Siri is planned to finally make its way to the Mac,” 9To5Mac reports. “Apple had been testing versions of OS X internally with Siri integration since at least 2012.”

Visa is testing a service that will take mobile payments one step further down the road toward reaching scale through connected vehicle commerce. At the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2015, the financial services company revealed its plans to bring mobile payments into consumer vehicles, a feature that can create an even more seamless purchasing experience for customers. 

While most technology and vehicle manufacturers are looking to put the latest gadgets in new cars, Samsung is giving older vehicles a smart upgrade. It aims to do this with a connected car product called Samsung Connect Auto. The device, which plugs directly into a vehicle’s on-board diagnostic port, can provide its users with car details such as fuel efficiency and real-time alerts to improve driving habits. Samsung Connect Auto can also provide passengers with a Wi-Fi connection so they can stay connected to the internet while on the go.

Entertainment company Fox has become the first brand to use beacons on London buses as part of a promo campaign for Kung Fu Panda 3. Exterion Media outlined its plans fit some 500 buses with beacons last year, claiming it would give advertisers the chance to target around 300,000 bus riders every day with content. For the Kung Fu Panda activity, Exterion partnered with popular music streaming app Shazam which it will use as the vehicle to push out content.

The functionality of luxury brand watches and wearables, including those by Hublot and Bulgari, are set to increase with the introduction of contactless payment. Announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Feb. 22, Mastercard and WISeKey have partnered to offer wearers of specific luxury watches and wearables a payment solution that allows consumers to shop securely. Payment protection is an important issue for brands, regardless of sector, to consider, especially if its core consumers are affluent.

AT&T Inc. has entered into a multiyear contract to help Porsche provide Internet connectivity in its cars in the United States, beginning with some 2017 models, the companies announced today. In a separate announcement on Monday, Ericsson, the world's top supplier of wireless equipment, and Geely Automobile Holdings of China said they would work jointly to develop "an industry-leading connected car platform." AT&T and Audi, a unit of Volkswagen AG along with Porsche, also announced an extension of their connected car agreement for North America. AT&T has provided Audi cars with connectivity since 2014 and is offering new features in …