Starbucks is continuing to drive innovation in mobile retail with its announcement of an artificial-intelligence solution, which will act as a barista within customers’ mobile devices. During Starbucks’ Investment Day, the coffee chain announced its upcoming My Starbucks Barista feature that will likely support its bulldozing strategy to corner the mobile market. The AI technology will allow users to order their drinks and food through messaging and voice recognition on the application, without having to be in stores.

Google is inviting developers to create “conversation actions” for its Home smart speaker. “Though the company wouldn’t say when Home and the Google Assistant would be fully open to third-party developers beyond ‘early next year,’ some partners that have already been working with the company could announce new actions in the coming weeks,” The Verge notes. “The actions will let you ask the speaker a question and then have a chat about it.”

With the NBA, NFL and other pro sports leagues already embracing Snapchat, the NHL is throwing its hat in the ring — er, on the ice — by incorporating Snapchat Spectacles into its fan experience. The Minnesota Wild used Snapchat's video-recording glasses — which wirelessly transfer 10-second video to a user's Snapchat app — to capture behind-the-scenes action, including pre-game warmups, locker room shots and T-shirt canon firing, at a game in November.

Coop Italia, Italy’s largest supermarket chain, is looking to reinvent the customer experience in grocery shopping.  In collaboration with Accenture, the retailer has opened a flagship in Milan that merges the physical and digital to recreate the atmosphere of local open-air markets. Billed as the “supermarket of the future,” the store uses innovative digital solutions that provide product information, improve store navigation and engage customers. The implementation of interactive food display tables and smart shelves make shopping more relevant and personalized by providing customers with a range of product information. (The project incorporates a series of technical solutions originally developed …

Fitbit has acquired software assets from smartwatch startup Pebble. “The purchase excludes Pebble’s hardware,” Bloomberg reports. “The deal is mainly about hiring the startup’s software engineers and testers, and getting intellectual property such as the Pebble watch’s operating system, watch apps, and cloud services, people familiar with the matter said earlier.”

The major selling point of Android Auto is that it brings smartphone-like apps and services to your vehicle. Google Maps, access to music and weather updates are now taken for granted, but it's remained a mystery over why one of Android's most useful hands-free commands -- "OK Google" -- has taken so long to come to the infotainment software. Luckily, the search giant has finally recognized the need for the feature and is in the process of rolling it out, albeit at a slow pace. The feature was first spotted …

If you’re not satisfied with any of the drones on the market, you may one day be able to design your own, thanks to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has created a software tool that allows even relative novices to drag and drop standard components—including propellers, support rods, and a range of core body frames—and craft their own drone designs. While the database is relatively small, users of the tool can compose and manipulate the components to create a widely diverse set of designs, according to a paper the team …

Volkswagen Group is making a significant bet on future mobility services with Moia, a new separate company that will exist under the VW umbrella of brands focused specifically on providing mobility solutions, including fleet-based commuter shuttles and, eventually, autonomous on-demand transportation. Moia, which launched at TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 on Monday, is one of the most aggressive and intentional moves made yet by a major automaker in terms of investing in urban transportation models that extend beyond individual ownership.

Sales of the Apple Watch to consumers set a record during the first week of holiday shopping, and the current quarter is on track to be the best ever for the product, Apple Inc. Chief Executive Tim Cook told Reuters. Responding to an email from Reuters, Cook said the gadget's sell-through - a measure of how many units are sold to consumers, rather than simply stocked on retailers' shelves - reached a new high.

With the release of the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed film just around the corner, 20th Century Fox teamed up with AMD and Alienware to produce an immersive VR experience to promote the film. The VR experience is set to take the viewers into the world of the Spanish Inquisition, the time period in which the movie is partially set. The use of virtual reality brings the film back to its roots as a video game franchise.