The CTA Foundation and IBM will collaborate on cognitive computing research to proactively monitor the health and well-being of older people and those with physical and cognitive disabilities. CTA said Thursday in a news release the aim is to give device and software makers and healthcare and social service providers a “broader perspective” in how such systems can transform the delivery of information in a way that balances privacy, security and accessibility issues. More than 47 million Americans are 65 or older, with 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day for the next 15 years, CTA said. It said people 60 and older will account for about 22 percent of the global population by 2050, vs. only 12 percent now. The new initiative will examine how mobile, smart home appliances, robotics and wearable devices could improve services such as proactive alerts about medications, exercise and dietary reminders, among other “in-home” technology applications. It will also study how weather conditions and traffic patterns affect people’s social activities.

MasterCard said it’s partnering with Coin to make credit card payments available on smart watches, fitness bands and other wearable devices. Coin will provide hardware and software tech integrated with MasterCard’s Digital Enablement Service that will allow wearable device manufacturers to implement payment functionality in their devices, MasterCard said Wednesday. Adding payment functionality to wearable devices “makes the products more useful for consumers and enhances the value device manufacturers can deliver to their customers,” MasterCard Senior Vice President-Digital Payments Sherri Hammond said in a news release. Coin’s Payment of Things platform “is a turnkey solution to enable payments for the wearable/IoT industry,” Coin CEO Kanishk Parashar said in the MasterCard news release. “Leveraging Coin’s technology, device manufacturers will benefit from significantly reduced costs and time to market.”

Some Starz Digital TV series and independent films will be available via the Tubi TV free streaming service, they said in a news release Wednesday. Starz Digital -- the licensing and digital arm of Starz -- joins more than 200 other content producers -- including Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount Pictures -- with Tubi distribution agreements.

Samsung executives said they're trying to improve the second-screen plus smart TV experiences, at a news conference Tuesday at CES in Las Vegas. A connected Extend adapter can control up to 200 devices “from home appliances to baby monitors,” said Samsung Electronics America Chief Operating Officer Tim Baxter. Easier access to content is a goal for 2016, said Won-Jin Lee, SEA executive vice president. The average TV is connected to three external devices, and moving among devices and juggling remotes “has never been an ideal experience for anyone,” said Lee. Now, when the TV powers up, all source favorites are in the same area, making it “as easy to change between ESPN and Netflix as going from channel 1 to channel 2,” said Chris Turkstra, Samsung Customer Experience Lab vice president-experience. The company aims to improve content discovery in 2016 TVs. Previously, users had to wait for an app such as Amazon Instant Video to launch to see what’s new. Now, refreshed content appears instantly in the user interface, said Turkstra: Users can highlight a tile, instantly bringing up content. And Lee said users will also be able to cast content from a Samsung Smart View mobile app to the big screen from Android, iOS and PCs. Meanwhile, a refrigerator with a 21.5-inch display has a family calendar, plays music and video content, manages food and allows users to shop directly from the touch screen through a program with MasterCard. Family members can leave notes, post photos, share calendars and artwork from a smartphone or tablet with the fridge, said SEA Senior Vice President John Herrington.

Monster is making a streaming music play, CEO Noel Lee told us in Las Vegas after the company’s CES news conference. The new Inspiration noise-canceling headphone is designed to operate independently of a smartphone, Lee said, will connect to Monster Music via Wi-Fi and will automatically download and refresh music from a cloud-based music server. He said Wi-Fi for streaming music isn’t available in a lot of locations where people travel. Monster Music will compete with Pandora and other streaming music services when the headphone and service launch in June, Lee said. Subscribers to Monster Music will get the first year free before a $10/month fee kicks in, Lee said.

Harman said it’s buying auto cybersecurity firm TowerSec. Harman will integrate TowerSec’s technology into its security framework, which will “ensure that we remain one step ahead to protect existing and future connected systems,” said Harman CEO Dinesh Paliwal in a Tuesday news release. “While we have been partnering with HARMAN as a supplier, now we will leverage the Company’s scale, network and deep connected car domain experience to meet the demands of our target markets, including providers of gateways,” said TowerSec CEO Saar Dickman.

Lumos Labs, which created and markets the online and mobile "brain training" program Lumosity, agreed to pay $2 million in consumer redress to settle FTC allegations that the company deceived consumers with "unfounded claims" that its games could help reduce or delay cognitive impairment, the agency said Tuesday in a news release. The order that the release describes imposes a $50 million judgment that will be suspended due to the company's financial condition after it pays the $2 million, the FTC said. “Lumosity preyed on consumers’ fears about age-related cognitive decline, suggesting their games could stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease,” said Consumer Protection Bureau Director Jessica Rich, saying the company didn't have the science to back up its ads. Lumos Labs in an emailed statement said "neither the action nor the settlement pertains to the rigor of our research or the quality of the products -- it is a reflection of marketing language that has been discontinued." The company said it continues to invest "heavily" in research and game development.

Henry Schein Practice Solutions will pay $250,000 to settle FTC allegations the provider of office management software to dental practices "falsely advertised the level of encryption" to protect patient data, the agency said Tuesday in a news release. The commission voted 4-0 to issue the administrative complaint. The FTC said it will publish a description of the consent agreement, which will be subject to public comment through Feb. 4, in the Federal Register soon. The agency alleged the company marketed "deceptive claims" for two years that its Dentrix G5 software provided industry-standard encryption of sensitive patient data as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The FTC said the company was aware its software "used a less complex method of data masking to protect patient data than Advanced Encryption Standard," which is the recommended industry caliber. “If a company promises strong encryption, it should deliver it," said Consumer Protection Bureau Director Jessica Rich. Under the settlement, Schein "will be prohibited from misleading customers about the extent to which its products use industry-standard encryption or the extent to which its products help ensure regulatory compliance or protect consumers’ personal information," the FTC said. Schein must also notify all affected customers that the software doesn't provide industry-standard encryption. The company disagreed with the commission about how "we used the word 'encrypted' in Dentrix G5 marketing from early 2012 to January 2014," and the "product works, and works well," emailed a Schein representative Tuesday. "We have always communicated to customers that the ultimate responsibility for data security and HIPAA compliance resides with each practice." The settlement doesn't "represent an admission of wrongdoing regarding the Dentrix product," said the representative. "We made a decision to settle with the FTC to avoid long and costly litigation," she said. "We continuously upgrade and improve our product and service offerings, and advise our customers that they also need to take steps to protect the security of their data."

The CSG Ascendon digital services platform now supports a "new membership-based service" available in the U.K., CSG said in a news release Tuesday. CSG's platform allows users to add "up to 10 compatible devices" with a subscription and watch movies and TV shows and read books in up to five languages, it said.

Coldwell Banker found older Americans are transitioning to some smart home technology more quickly than younger consumers. Some 40 percent of those surveyed over 65 who own smart home products currently have smart temperature products, compared with 25 percent of those 18 to 34, it said. The real estate firm said Monday that 45 percent of Americans either own smart home technology or plan to invest in it this year. Of those, 36 percent don’t consider themselves early tech adopters. The most popular type of smart home technology that people already own is smart entertainment (44 percent), followed by smart security (31 percent) and smart thermostats (30 percent), it said.The survey was done in October by Harris Poll with 4,065 adults ages 18 and above, including 1,009 that owned at least one smart home product.