Buttons

Researchers from Columbia University and Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, have come up with an ingenious method of smartphone control. It lets you add dials and switches to a handset, without the need for any connecting wires or Bluetooth pairing.

Amazon has brought its Dash Buttons to Europe. Dash Buttons let you order certain products from Amazon simply by pressing a physical button located in your home, which is perfect for shoppers who buy the same things over and over again.

Logitech has unveiled a button that can be used to control smart devices around the home. The Pop button will allow users to switch on lights, close the curtains and turn on the heating, or all three things at the same time.

Reminder and tracking apps are all well and good, but it can still be easy to forget or ignore them. Droplet is a standalone wireless button that is designed to bring reminders and activity tracking into the physical world.