Amazon is becoming somewhat of a leader in the IoT space with its cloud powering ever more impressive usage and their 'Echo' products a hit with consumers and developers alike. The head of Microsoft's IoT division in Australia, Lee Hickin, has switched allegiance to Amazon after over a decade with the company.  In particular, Hickin will be joining the Amazon Web Services team for the Asia-Pacific region as the 

General Motors is unveiling a new addition to its OnStar system, the ability for subscribers to make mobile transactions and earn loyalty rewards through GM applications. The new feature will be available on all of GM’s mobile apps and lets users make purchases from a variety of retailers and restaurants through their phones. The payment system will use a system called AtYourService and will be powered by Sionic Mobile.

Seattle-based online retailer Amazon has gifted nearby University of Washington a $10 million sum, serving the hybrid purposes of both investment in AI and commerce technologies as well as donation. The donation will go towards adding a second Computer Science and Engineering building on the University of Washington campus. Amazon’s patronage will also establish a pipeline of talent from University of Washington into their own brand, one that needs young talent in order to successfully complete a shift in their commerce from mobile to artificial intelligence.

Ardell, a supplier of eyelashes and eyebrow beauty products, is bringing eight Halloween-inspired looks to the augmented reality application YouCam Makeup. The app will let users virtually try on the different looks by projecting them onto their faces through their mobile device’s camera. Consumers can then be taken directly to a page to purchase those looks if they like what they see.

Clarion Hotel Amaranten in Stockholm is the first in the world to have a chatbot serve guests in their suites.  The chatbot servant is based on Amazon's robot assisstant Amazon Echo, which calls itself Alexa. It has been augmented with hotel specific functions by a company called Edge DNA. Alexa is currently able to perform tasks such as: waking the guests in the morning, ordering taxis, playing the music of your choice, searching for information on the internet, and informing on the weather prognosis and the opening hours of the hotel.

British automaker Bentley Motors is making headway within luxury automotive lifestyles through an on-demand gas delivery service. While other luxury vehicle manufacturers are focusing on being the leader in technology, competing for autonomous capability, Bentley is focusing on making everyday tasks for the consumer more upscale. Bentley owners can now enroll in a program with gas delivery service Filld, operated through a mobile application that automatically delivers gas when needed.

Smart fragrance system Aera is looking to tackle outdated home perfuming methods through an activation powered by the Internet of Things. The Aera smart home fragrance system was developed by Prolitec, a brand known for its commercial perfuming systems found in retail and hospitality settings. Citing a lapse in market offerings, Prolitec’s Aera is the brand’s first venture into the consumer space, bringing with it expertise, knowledge and understanding of fragrance distribution and scent development.

IBM made the southern German city its new global internet of things (IoT) headquarters towards the end of last year, and now the hub is set to receive one of the company’s largest ever investments in Europe. In announcing the new funding for the centre’s operations, IBM said it was in response to escalating demand from customers, who are looking to overhaul their business using a combination of IoT and AI technologies.

Rimmel London is helping consumers make their style inspirations a reality with a new application that lets users take photos of styles they admire and suggests products that can help them recreate those looks. The new app, called Get the Look, enables users to snap photos of looks before showing them a list of products that will let them recreate it. The app will also let users virtually try on Rimmel products by projecting the makeup onto their faces via their mobile device’s camera.

Last month, Uber began a self-driving car pilot project, taking passengers around Pittsburgh in autonomous mode. But it appears that the programme may have got off to a bumpy start, with reports of multiple problems. Witnesses have revealed that the self-driving Uber cars have been involved in accidents and disobeyed traffic signs in the two weeks since the pilot launched.