There were also discussions around innovation that would be more relevant to utility markets such as smart metering, leak detection, pressure regulation, water quality monitoring and more.

FORBES: Water Technologies Part II: Market Opportunities and Challenges for Water Innovation

Expect future cars to help motorists garner maximum mileage by leveraging technology like the eco-tutoring systems found in many hybrids, wider use of tire-pressure, oil life and engine-tuning monitoring systems and more-sophisticated GPS guidance that can select less-congested routes.

FORBES: How To Turn A Fuel-Efficient Car Into A Gas-Guzzler (And Vice-Versa)

And a report prepared by France's finance ministry criticised SocGen's procedures for monitoring its trades, adding to the pressure on Daniel Bouton, the bank's chairman, to step down.

ECONOMIST: Business this week

Each sensor, which is shaped like a hexagon and is about twice as thick as a hockey puck, is capable of monitoring the temperature, humidity and barometric pressure of virtually any object you can think of.

ENGADGET

With regulatory pressure increasing on energy hogs like data centers, the landlord with the best monitoring systems has the edge.

FORBES: How American-Style Capitalism Jolted France's Schneider Electric