Save Smart: The Best Black Friday Smart Home Deals
The number of Black Friday sales can be overwhelming. Here are some of the best bang-for-your-buck deals you'll find this year on the most popular smart home products on the market. Find the best savings on the Amazon Echo, Google Home, Nest Cam Indoor, and many more products.
New Hampshire judge tells Amazon to turn over Echo recordings in murder case
A New Hampshire judge has requested Amazon turn over Echo recordings to help solve a double homicide. The prosecution believes the device may have recorded conversations, or even the crime itself. The case raises privacy concerns over how much the Echo actually hears and remembers.
This subreddit can figure out everything about you by looking in your fridge
The food you eat (and how you store it) says a lot about you. A new subreddit called Fridge Detectives guesses who you are, what you do, and even where you live based on the contents of your refrigerator, often with a surprising amount of accuracy. All it takes is a quick photo of the interior.
Google Assistant displays will soon get multiroom audio, Home View, and more
Much-wanted features are coming to Google Assistant smart displays, including multi-room audio, Home View, and more. The most recent update expands supported smart display functionality and will roll out over the next few weeks. However, Google Home Hub should have these features at launch.
New Nuimo Click gives one-touch control over smart home devices
Berlin-based technology company Senic has announced the Nuimo Click, a smart switch that harvests kinetic energy to power itself without the need for cables or batteries. The Nuimo Click will begin shipping in December, but interested customers can pre-order now for a 20 percent discount.
LG’s Colosseo smart sofa is the comfiest piece of tech in your home
LG has partnered with Italian furniture brand Natuzzi to produce the Colosseo, a connected sofa with five custom scenarios to provide maximum comfort for watching TV or reading. Google's Voice Match technology lets the sofa know who is sitting on it and remembers individual preferences.
Is your smart home lighting too confusing? Intellect simplifies your controls
Leviton has introduced Intellect, a new controls platform for smart home lighting. Intellect is the fifth brand to join Leviton's portfolio, alongside ConTech, Intense, Birchwood, and JCC. Intellect provides dimming options and occupation sensors that turn the lights on automatically when someone is in the room.
Try IoT before you buy IoT: Google, B8ta let you ‘test drive’ smart home tech
Google has partnered with the startup B8ta to let customers try out smart home tech in a retail space arranged like a real home. This lets customers get a better feel for how the technology works and leads to more informed purchases. On-site representatives can also answer any questions customers have.
Patent shows Alexa may soon detect when you’re sick and suggest remedies
Amazon has patented a new feature that would allow Alexa to detect the signs of illness, such as a cough or a sore throat, and suggest solutions to help. The feature would also enable Alexa to offer to buy medicine for the user. These features follow a number of other medical-focused Alexa features.
GE and Google make using your smart bulbs as easy as saying, ‘Hey, Google’
Google and GE partnered together to offer the first Made-for-Google smart bulbs. These bulbs easily connect to Google Assistant via the Google Home app, without needing a central hub. All existing C by GE bulbs will be compatible with Google devices on October 22, the same date a starter kit goes on sale nationwide.
Philips Hue bulbs can now seamlessly synchronize with Siri Shortcuts
As of iOS 12, Philips Hue smart lights work with Siri's Shortcuts app. This app replaces Apple's Workflow and allows users to link multifunction routines together to perform complicated tasks with a single phrase. Use the app to create your own shortcuts, or choose from one of the dozens available in the gallery.
Now you can sleep with Amazon: The tech giant is offering a bed in a box
Amazon entered the online mattress marketplace with a line of mattresses through the AmazonBasics line. The sizes range from twin to California king and qualify for Amazon Prime's two-day shipping. There is no tryout period offered at the present time, but the online giant may offer one in the future.
Alexa could connect doctors with their patients through teleconferencing
A telehealth startup called MediSprout has partnered with Alexa to more easily connect patients with their doctors, schedule appointments, refill prescriptions, and ask general health questions. The service hopes to reduce the rate of no-show appointments and reduce health care costs.
The ‘charcoal’ color variant of the Google Home Hub leaks online
New images have leaked of the Google Home Hub, including the first views of the charcoal color variant and its side profile. The device will be formally announced on October 9 at the Made by Google event in New York City and is rumored to retail for $150.
Alexa will soon be able to hear you whisper — and answer in kind
Amazon Alexa will soon be able to respond to whispers with a whispered answer. The development team has implemented a way for the system to recognize whispers and answer in turn, allowing users to use Alexa without waking others. The feature will be available starting in October.
Honeywell’s server outage leaves people out in the cold (or heat)
A recent server outage left Honeywell users unable to control their smart home devices remotely. However, users claim the problem has been going on for much longer than just Tuesday. The incident has revealed a vulnerability in smart home devices: The lack of internet services.
AT&T and Ericsson team up to improve ‘Internet of Things’ security
AT&T and Ericsson have teamed up to combat cybersecurity threats in the IoT world. With a growing number of business implementing connected devices into their day-to-day operations, steps must be taken to safeguard data and prevent malicious attacks from gaining entry into networks.
LE iLUX floodlights let you create colorful scenes inside or outside your home
The iLUX floodlights let you light up huge parts of your home at once with their 120-lumen bulbs. Each light has 16 million color combinations and can be controlled with the touch of a button. They're perfect for backyard barbecues, holiday decorations, and whatever else you want to use them for.
Sengled wants to improve the smart home experience with new light bulbs, more
Sengled has announced a new lineup of smart home bulbs, including an all-in-one motion sensing outdoor security light, a color-changing bulb, and an entry-level smart bulb for newcomers to the smart home world. The company also announced a smart plug, available for purchase in October.
Beermkr is the all-in-one craft beer homebrewing machine
Beermkr is a new project on Kickstarter that promises to simplify the homebrewing process and make it easy for anyone to start brewing their own beer at home. The connected homebrewer can be monitored entirely from a smartphone. The Beermkr makes it possible to brew a gallon of beer in a week.
Images of Google Home Hub leak ahead of company’s October hardware event
Google Assistant has the capability to work with displays. A set of leaked images suggest Google plans to take advantage of this feature with their new Home Hub, an Echo Show-type device. The images depict a device with a 7-inch display on a mounted speaker unit.
Alexa can now tell you the odds of the next big football game
Alexa can now answer questions about your favorite NFL teams and players, such as what team is favored to win the upcoming game or what player has racked up the most distance over the course of their career. According to staff, this is just the start of Alexa's planned sports knowledge.
California passes bill that regulates security for Internet of Things devices
California recently became the first state in the country to pass a bill that regulates Internet of Things security. The bill requires manufacturers to include "reasonable security" measures on devices produced in the US. This bill is the first of its type on both a state or federal level.
LG’s new Styler takes the wrinkles out of your clothes without an iron
LG continues their bid to create the ultimate connected laundry room with the LG Styler, a device that steams and sanitizes clothing. Twenty-minute cycles freshen clothes and remove allergens. The Styler is available from most major retailers for $1,999.
The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip can control 6 devices, charge 3 others
A smart power strip brings all of the convenience of connected devices to the same appliances you've had for years. The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip can control six different devices and charge three others. This device is now available on Amazon as of September 13.
Elon Musk hints at Tesla-connected smart air conditioning
A huge portion of your energy bill goes towards heating and cooling your home. Elon Musk suggests that a connected air conditioner may be the way to reduce utility costs and make smarter use of energy. In an interview with Joe Rogan, he hinted that Tesla may be developing a new air conditioning system.
Tiny apartment has a kitchen in a bathroom. Or is the bathroom in the kitchen?
When square footage is limited, builders find creative ways to save space. An apartment in St. Louis combines the kitchen and the bathroom into a single, multifunctional space. The only thing smaller than the space is the rent, which is an astoundingly low $525 per month.
Google’s Digital Wellbeing initiative is coming to Assistant and Home
New data discovered inside the Google APK suggests the Digital Wellbeing initiative is coming to Google Assistant and Google Home. This will help users curb the amount of time spent in front of the screen and set parental controls in an effort to build healthy habits for the entire family.
Xbox-specific Alexa skills let you start console with your voice
Fans of the Xbox Kinect can potentially relive the benefits of the accessory. A set of new Alexa and Cortana skills allow players to control the Xbox One with their voice. Users can launch games, control the volume, and much more. These features are available now for Xbox Insiders in the United States.
Google Home partners with KB Homes to make houses smarter
KB Home has partnered with Google to provide a smart home system compatible with an ever-growing number of devices. The KB Smart Home System will debut in select communities throughout the country and include devices like the Google Home and Nest Hello video doorbell.
Chances of your Amazon Alexa being hacked are slim, says former hacker
Events surrounding the Amazon Alexa have raised security concerns, but according to a former NSA hacker, given its built-in security, the smart speaker is an unlikely target for most hackers. They are much more likely to target your bank data than your conversations at home.
Amazon Alexa is learning how to recognize silly questions and strange wording
Alexa has always been good at recognizing vocal input, but improvements to its natural language processing have yielded better accuracy and fewer misunderstandings. Alexa can now recognize when a question is asked in the wrong way or if someone poses a nonsense question.
Figure out whose turn it is to do the dishes with new Alexa skills
Amazon Alexa has more than 40,000 skills, but more skills are added every day. Users can create custom skills through blueprints. Alexa recently added even more blueprints to bring the total number above 30. These new blueprints make it easy to track chores, choose activities, and much more.
Keurig’s new coffee makers expand their repertoires to lattes and cappuccinos
Keurig now has an answer for when you crave more than just a normal cup of coffee in the morning. Their new machines can make cappuccinos and lattes, and even froth the milk to mix with the drink. Both retail for less than $200 and are available now from select retailers.