Smart Home

When it comes to selling connected devices, retailers have a tough job. Smart products are often complex, can require more up-front education and suffer from higher return rates than their more traditional brethren. As a result, efforts by some retailers to expand into the consumer Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home ended in disappointment. Office retailer Staples, who…

My washing machine talks to my thermostat. Amazon Alexa talks to my lights and motion sensors talk to my oven. But as these conversations proliferate in my home (and in the cloud), who’s listening in? Big companies? Hackers? More and more consumers are starting to ask these tough questions, demanding that companies provide answers. Or worse— they’re put off by the whole idea…

In October 2016, the technology world was jolted awake when millions of poorly secured consumer devices were compromised and subsequently used in a malicious attack on popular web services like Soundcloud and Twitter. This incident, which came to be known as the Mirai botnet attack, utilized a form of malware to take control of devices and effectively turn them into an army…

As connectivity transforms the way we live, work and shop, there is a heavy focus on technology’s role in our daily lives. The internet pushed us into a global economy, and the Internet of Things will connect us to our stuff and to the people who make our stuff. But what about food? We’ve explored how kitchen appliances are evolving and how grocers and retailers are shifting…