Connected devices are coming to your closet and 911 call

Five years ago, the only smart wireless devices in most homes were routers and computers — other wireless devices, like baby monitors or garage-door openers, remained dumb. Today, there are mobile phones, smart TVs and emerging connected devices like thermostats and locks also sipping away at Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. The number will continue to grow as more internet of things-compatible devices hit the market.

At an event hosted by Broadcom in San Francisco, a panel of industry business leaders agreed the most important mission is to ensure devices connect flawlessly: The user experience must be totally seamless. iDevices CEO and founder Chris Allen utilized the event to announce My Virtual Closet, an app that communicates with chip-equipped clothing items to help users shop and organize their closet. Manufacturers can insert a button-sized metallic disk into the tag of, say, a shirt. When shoppers encounter it at the store, they scan the shirt with their phone to view information like whether it is available in the store or online in their size.