Google will buy the intellectual property rights to Fossil's smartwatch in a deal worth $40 million. The purchase will include some of Fossil Group's research and development team moving over to Google.

Microsoft will not release its own smart speaker and instead will use its virtual assistant, Cortana, in other projects, says Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott. "On the smart speaker side of things, we've got a bunch of partners who are building Cortana-powered things right now and we're super excited about all of those, but it's not like we're going to have a single Microsoft-branded Cortana smart speaker that's going to be the thing that carries Cortana to customers," Scott says.

Project Alias is a system designed by Bjorn Karmann and Tore Knudsen to help protect users' private conversations from being recorded and transmitted by their smart speakers. The device includes a 3D-printed housing that uses a microphone and speaker to produce white noise and prevent eavesdropping.

A pair of patent applications filed in July reveals Lyft's desire to provide virtual and augmented reality experiences for riders. The virtual reality patent is about providing entertainment, and the augmented reality patent is about producing practical information.

Chris Penrose, senior vice president of AT&T's internet of things division, said in an interview that the company is enjoying strong growth in the connected car market, with more than 1 million vehicles added in each of the past 14 quarters. Penrose believes autonomous vehicles are a great opportunity for wireless carriers, and added that AT&T is also working with carmakers to develop vehicle-to-everything capabilities.

FuboTV's subscriber engagement last month was nearly three times greater than at the same time the previous year, and the company says connected TVs get the credit. The company's nearly 250,000 subscribers watched an average of almost 90 hours of programming, with entertainment being the most popular category.

Multiple TV-makers at CES 2019 discussed their upcoming 8K options, with TCL, Sony, Samsung and LG reportedly planning on shipping big-screen 8K models this year. In addition, Hisense, Sharp, Changhong and Skyworth showed off prototypes of their 8K options.

Gary Shapiro -- president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ -- has released his new book, "Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation." In the sequel to his book, "Ninja Innovation," Shapiro delves into the mindset of innovators and explores what it takes to stay competitive in the rapidly changing future. Ninja Future is now available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For more information, visit NinjaFuture.com.

Still feeling the excitement from CES® 2019? Let it continue! Don't miss your chance to experience the premier consumer technology event for the Asian marketplace -- CES Asia™, June 11-13 in Shanghai, China. Gain exclusive access to some of the largest brands from across the globe and celebrate the innovation that defines the consumer technology sector. Learn more about all CES Asia has to offer.