Brands are poised to benefit greatly from the Internet of Things (IoT) over the next several years, as companies are being connected with their consumers in ways they never could before. Engagement is at the heart of IoT. It isn’t a dusty server sitting in a back office, it isn’t your laptop or even your smartphone. It is a concept built around connecting the various items we interact and engage with throughout the day in a way previously only reserved for what we would describe as computers. This means that brands have a variety of new methods by which they …

German automaker Audi is providing urban customers with a new way to get around town. At Auto China 2016 in Beijing, the Volkswagen-owned brand unveiled its connected mobility concept, aimed to help navigate urban areas. The innovative and green way around town capitalizes on both consumer and industrial trends and will help the brand ensure a devout audience.

Apple Inc. sold twice as many Watches as iPhones in each device’s debut year. Yet the smartwatch is dogged by a perception that seems premature given the history of Apple’s most popular devices: disappointment. As the Watch marks its first anniversary on Sunday—two days before Apple’s quarterly earnings announcement—the product’s fate is critical to the company. It is Apple’s first all-new product since the iPad and a test of its ability to innovate under Chief Executive Tim Cook, when sales of iPhones are slowing.

The U.S. government believes the Internet of Things (IoT) has enormous economic potential across all industries. Its machine-to-machine technologies can reduce automobile-related injuries, usher in an era of precise weather forecasting and automate all types of processes. But what impact will IoT have on jobs? Will it create more than it destroys? And what happens to all the data devices generate? With those kinds of issues at stake, the U.S. Department of Commerce is now seeking public comment on the "benefits, challenges and potential roles for the government in fostering the advancement of the Internet of Things." There are 28 questions, …

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the hottest topics in retail technology. While there has been a lot of talk about IoT’s status as a game-changer for retail, there has been less discussion on exactly how it will drive industry transformation. Here are three specific ways IoT will bring about a new era in retail operations. Automatic shopping: One of the biggest shifts IoT will spur in the retail landscape is a move toward automatic shopping. Appliance manufacturers are already beginning to release “smart” machines such as printers that can automatically place orders for ink when levels run low. In addition, “smart …

Wearing black headsets with tentacle-like sensors stretched over their foreheads, the competitors stare at cubes floating on computer screens as their small white drones prepare for takeoff. “Three, two, one … GO!” the announcer hollers, and as the racers fix their thoughts on pushing the cubes, the drones suddenly whir, rise and buzz through the air. Some struggle to move even a few feet, while others zip confidently across the finish line. The competition — billed as the world’s first drone race involving a brain-controlled interface — involved 16 pilots who used their willpower to drive drones through a 10-yard …

Shipments of augmented reality hardware, which combine real-world and virtual images in the user's field of view, are forecast by market research firm IDC to ramp up over the next few years. Unlike virtual reality hardware, which tends to be more geared toward gaming, AR hardware is particularly suited for enterprise use, such as architecture, equipment repair and maintenance, product design and medical procedures, to name a few. IDC predicted that VR hardware will take off first, but AR will catch up, with combined devices markets seeing hardware shipments exceeding 110 million units in 2020.

The rumors surrounding Apple’s automotive ambitions have escalated this week, following reports that a joint conversation with BMW and Daimler has fallen through, and that Apple has set up a small lab in Berlin to develop its vehicular strategy. Most of the recent news centers around Germany, where it was earlier reported that Apple was establishing a lab in the country, staffed by between 15 to 20 people. The news came from the German outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which was then picked up by the wider Apple-focused press.

The connected devices craze appears to be spreading to the yard, and Urbana-based startup PlantLink is trying to stake its claim. PlantLink, which makes a sensor that tells users when their plants need to be watered, is partnering with industry juggernaut Scotts Miracle-Gro on its mission to get millennials and younger generations into gardening. Scotts released the Gro app this week to coincide with Earth Day. The app can pair with PlantLink and other Connected Yard devices, like smart sprinklers. The partnership will provide a wider customer base for PlantLink and the other devices, and display them together at retailers. PlantLink's new products will be …

Craft brewer Saint Louis Brewery, also known as Schlafly Beer, is mounting Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons on the taps that dispense its beers at businesses throughout St. Louis. The beacons, working in conjunction with the brewery's new Brew Finder app, are intended to catch the attention of customers as they enter bars and restaurants, and to share information with them about the beer on tap. The solution, known as TapTalker, was provided by proximity marketing technology startup Juxtad. Schlafly has installed the beacons at approximately 125 businesses to date. Juxtad began developing its proximity marketing platform and TapTalker beacon in 2014, shortly after its founding …