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Internet-Connected Battery Could Bring Smoke Alarms Online

Internet-Connected Battery Could Bring Smoke Alarms Online

A startup has come up with a simple way to make smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors more useful: a nine-volt battery with built-in Wi-Fi. The battery can alert you on your smartphone if the alarm goes off or the battery itself is about to die. Roost, the Sunnyvale, California-based company behind the battery, plans to sell the batteries starting next year for $25 to $35.

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Can Apple Pay Do to Your Wallet What iTunes Did for Music?

Can Apple Pay Do to Your Wallet What iTunes Did for Music?

The point-of-sale terminal at the CVS drugstore in Palo Alto, California, can accept payments through a quick tap from a smartphone. The clerk isn’t sure how it works, though he knows it does because “a few kids” have used it. But one shopper tries it by taking out his Android phone and clicking on Google’s “wallet” app intended to allow instant payment and taps the terminal. Nothing happens. Then he tries PayPal’s payment app. Nothing. Out comes the leather wallet.

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Voice Recognition for the Internet of Things

Voice Recognition for the Internet of Things

It’s not unusual to find yourself talking to an uncoöperative appliance or gadget. Soon, though, it could soon be more common for those devices to actually pay attention. A startup called Wit.ai plans to make it easy for hardware makers and software developers to add custom voice controls to everything from smartphones and smart watches to Internet-connected thermostats and drones.

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