Home Automation

Smart lock company, August Home, has just been acquired by Yale’s parent company, ASSA ABLOY. The company announced in a short press release this week, that it is purchasing August Home but did not mention much in terms of the deal. So it’s unclear how much ASSA ABLOY is spending to acquire August Home. The […]

Perhaps the most popular product in the Smart Home category is smart thermostats, and that makes plenty of sense. Being able to automate the temperature in your home, or control it from your smartphone is a big deal, and actually it’ll save you plenty of money as well. Since you aren’t keeping your thermostat at […]

Korean tech giant Samsung believes the future will bring fully connected homes, with users having almost every device in their household boasting Internet-enabled capabilities. Samsung Next President David Eun spoke about his company’s vision this Tuesday at the WSJDLive conference held in Laguna Beach, California. He explained how the company expects to soon witness a […]

The easiest way to start out making your home smarter is to start with one room. The kitchen is a great place to start, and there are already a ton of great smart home products available for the kitchen, and these include things like smart plugs, some light bulbs, but also some things that you […]

Japanese tech giant Sony might make a comeback into robotics after more than a decade of inactivity in this sector, and its next consumer-grade robot could be backed by recent advancements in artificial intelligence. According to a recent report from Asia Nikkei, Sony is reassembling the former Aibo team in order to rekindle its robotics […]

August Home announced a few new products last month, which included the Doorbell Cam Pro. While the other products were made available immediately for purchase, and began shipping then, the Doorbell Cam Pro was not. It was available for pre-order with August Home stating that it would be shipping in October. And now units have […]

NETGEAR, who is the leader in home security cameras, with nearly 45% of the market share, has just announced its latest home security camera in the Arlo Pro 2. This new home security camera gives the customer the option of using it either as a wired camera or wireless. The battery inside can last between […]

Eufy is a division of the very popular smartphone accessories company, Anker, and it produces the majority of its smart home products as well as some fitness products like smart scales and such. Eufy recently launched its Lumos smart light bulbs, which are actually some of the cheapest smart lights on the market right now. […]

The Harman Kardon-made Invoke speaker will be released later this month, Brad Sams of Petri reported on Wednesday, citing officials from the audio equipment company. The Internet of Things device has been in the “coming soon” phase since May and while no firm reasons for its apparent delay were given, it seems that consumers in […]

Nest’s smart home products have long been begging for full integration with Google products to bring extra features, and it was announced at today’s event that they are getting that integration, starting with Google Home. Some of the newest Nest products will be able to link up with your Google Home to save information to […]

The Google Home Max is a product that launched without many rumors and speculation as Alphabet’s subsidiary managed to keep it a secret almost until its very unveiling and only had the device leaked last week. The firm’s Wednesday hardware event hence managed to surprise many industry watchers, with the tech giant launching a gadget […]

Google on Wednesday announced “Broadcast,” a new feature designed for its Google Home units with a relatively self-explanatory name, being intended to provide users with the ability to quickly broadcast a message to all of their Internet of Things devices simultaneously. The Alphabet-owned company provided an example of a parent using Broadcast to remind their […]

Following the latest update to the Google Home app, the company’s smart speakers can be tied or “assigned” to individual rooms with the goal of facilitating their management, users have discovered. The change was seemingly debuted as part of the upgrade that hit the Google Play Store earlier today and should soon be available for […]

Amazon owns the AI-enabled connected home device market but whether or not it can hold its position at the top is not something it can afford to take for granted. The company has released wave after wave of devices with Alexa built in, filling various niches, and leaving competitors little time to create any competition […]

The rumored Google Home Max speaker is codenamed “biggie” which is meant to be a reference to Christopher George Latore Wallace, a late rapper better known as The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, 9to5Google reported on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the company’s project. The device that’s meant to be a larger version of […]

LIFX, today, has announced a brand new product for its growing catalog in the LIFX Beam. It’s similar to the Nanoleaf Aurora that many people have picked up and used to accent their living space or entertainment centers. Beam works pretty much the same way, allowing you to accent different living spaces, sections of a […]

Walmart on Tuesday prematurely listed the Google Home Mini on its website but amended the situation in a relatively swift manner and has already pulled the early listing. The retailer still revealed many details related to Google’s upcoming smart speaker, including its $49 price tag and a release date scheduled for October 19th. Walmart’s posting […]

Ring, a home automation company, has just announced its newest product, called ‘Ring Protect’. It is a security kit that provides homes with smart security at “just a fraction of the cost”, according to the company. The launch of Ring Protect allows Ring to compete directly with Nest (a popular home security company), specifically, the recently announced […]

When you start transitioning your home into a smart home, there are a few things you should think about first. One of those is which platform you want to use. There are basically two platforms available right now which is Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant or the Google Assistant. Both work on Android and iOS, and […]

Amazon has just announced a brand new member of its Alexa-enabled smart device family that effectively squeezes some Amazon Echo Show functionality into a much smaller form factor. This new Echo device was announced at Amazon’s event this morning alongside the all new Echo Plus, and the new Echo 2nd Gen. Called the Amazon Echo […]

The future of technology is interconnectivity-focused software solutions and A.I. providing a centralized hub for all of the technology that consumers want. That’s according to Andy Rubin, Founder and CEO at Essential and the creator of the Android ecosystem, who recently spoke with Time about his own vision on the matter. More to the point, […]

LIFX has just announced a brand new smart bulb, in the LIFX Mini. It’s still an A19-sized bulb, but a bit smaller. So it’ll fit in those smaller light fixtures that you have around your home. However, just because it is smaller, doesn’t mean it’s lacking in feature and connectivity. With the LIFX Mini, you […]

This week, Nest held an event in San Francisco where the company announced a slew of new products and effectively doubled its product portfolio. The company announced Nest Secure, it’s home security system, Nest Hello its smart doorbell and Nest Cam IQ Outdoor (it also is updating the Nest Cam IQ Indoor to have Google […]

It’s been a long time coming, but Nest has finally unveiled their first smart home security system. While Nest has arguably been the leader in smart thermostat technology for the past couple of years, they’ve yet to really break ground into new smart home markets, which have since been packed with plenty of household names. […]

Nest Labs on Wednesday announced a complete home security system in the form of Nest Secure, debuting several new products compatible with the service like the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor, as well as announcing that the previously released Nest Cam IQ will receive support for the Google Assistant this winter. No firm release date has […]

Earlier this morning Nest held its event to announce the Nest Secure smart home security alarm system, along with a couple of other new products (like the Nest Hello Doorbell) as Nest expands into the home security market. Nest Secure is a combination of products that make up the whole kit, and this includes the […]

Nest Labs on Wednesday announced a new home security system called Nest Secure, with the latest offering from the Alphabet-owned company encompassing a handful of products, including the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor, also stylized as “outdoor.” The camera is meant to succeed the original Nest Cam Outdoor and complement the company’s existing Nest Cam IQ […]

Nest wants to protect your home with a smart security system. Today, the company is announcing Nest Secure, a smart security system that is comprised of a few different products to ensure that you feel safe in your home and when you’re away from it so that you can have some peace of mind. Officially […]

California-based startup Aevena has just launched its first Kickstarter campaign, seeking to fund the production of its home assistant drone, Aire. Advertised as a self-flying robot, Aire is a drone packed with cameras, sensors, support for Amazon Alexa voice commands and wireless controls over its dedicated phone app. The robot should be able to map […]

Roku’s recent moves in the job market suggest that the company may be developing a voice-enabled smart speaker, with the firm hiring a significant number of software experts with audio experience earlier this summer. Roku’s Redwood City, California-based Technical Recruiter Chris Atkinson and his colleagues posted several such openings in recent months, with the company […]

Nokia has a new vision for the future of media and television which was just announced September 12, at the IBC 2017 conference in Amsterdam. The concept itself, which the company calls Any Vision, is so different from the way media is currently consumed that it can be a bit difficult to grasp. The tech […]

iRobot is preparing to celebrate 15 years of robots cleaning homes, or more specifically, 15 years since it launched the very first Roomba robotic vacuum, which fast forward to today has led to selling more than 20 million units, including top models like the Roomba 980. As part of iRobot’s 15th anniversary that happens next […]

A Samsung Electronics-made device bearing the model number SLS-BUT10J was certified by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) several weeks ago, with the product being submitted to the agency in late August and its certification being published just yesterday following a swift period of testing which ended last Friday. The label of the offering […]

TP-Link today announced its latest smart security camera in the Kasa smart home family. It’s the KC120, which features two-way audio, night vision, and streams in 1080p video quality. It’s more commonly known as the “Kasa Cam”, as it is the first smart home security camera from TP-Link that interfaces with the Kasa ecosystem. Everything you […]

These days, it seems like just about every company is selling a smart light bulb. WiZ is the of the newer smart lights on the block, likely one that you haven’t heard of before. But they have a slew of smart lights they are just introducing to the North American market. So now do these […]

Original equipment manufacturer Honeywell debuted the Lyric C2 Wi-Fi Security Camera, noting how it’s already selling its latest creation. The new product features improved sound and motion detection, enhanced video capabilities, and better hardware compared to its predecessor. The sound detection feature of the camera can now detect cries from a baby, in addition to […]

Consumer electronics manufacturer iHome on Thursday officially announced the iAVS16, its first voice-activated hybrid of a bedside alarm clock and an advanced music player compatible with Amazon’s Alexa artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The device is equipped with a compact LCD panel featuring everything from time and date to persistent weather information and your alarm settings, in […]

LG Electronics is planning on doubling its smart home-related investments by 2020, the company’s Head of H&A Business Song Dae-hyun said at the latest iteration of the IFA trade show in Berlin, Germany. The Seoul, South Korea-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will back the expansion of its Internet of Things (IoT) efforts with a number of […]

Samsung Electronics’ smart speaker that the company is looking to introduce in the near future will be “unbeatable” and superior to the Google Home and Amazon’s Echo lineup, Harman International Chief Executive Officer Dinesh Paliwal said on Sunday at IFA 2017 in Berlin, Germany. In a statement issued to The Korea Herald, Mr. Paliwal revealed he […]

Nest has a big announcement set for September 20th as the company sent out invites earlier this afternoon to a press conference on that day. The invite doesn’t specify what the press event is for, but Nest has already unveiled the new Nest Thermostat E, which is a cheaper option compared to the standard Nest […]

Consumers in North America who are looking to make their homes smarter have one more lighting option to consider thanks to the recently launched WiZ Connected Lights. The system is, like many other systems that are already available, built up around an entire range of LED smart bulbs, recessed lighting, and other accessories that connect […]

Nest has announced the cheaper, more subtly designed Thermostat E, a way for Nest to appeal to the larger majority of the market of consumers and make it possible for more people to save money on their energy bills. The new smart home device was leaked just last week, and will hit the market with […]

Mobvoi (the company which recently announced it would be releasing two Android Wear smartwatches) has launched the Google Assistant-powered TicHome Mini, a smart home device that will enable users to interact with other smart home products they have simply by voice in the same way you would interact with Google Home. Because this is the same […]

The Nest Learning Thermostat might be getting a redesign, possibly in form of a cheaper version. As spotted by Evan Blass (aka @evleaks), notorious for various phone and gadget leaks, this new model of the Nest Learning Thermostat comes with a slightly reimagined design (all white instead of predominantly black) and it seems like the […]

Honeywell thermostats are now integrated with Google Home allowing anybody with either a Lyric thermostat or a Total Connect Comfort Thermostat to use their voice to adjust the temperatures for a more comfortable indoor climate. While the integration with Google Home is geared towards those with the smart speaker unit, the integration does also work […]

Facebook reportedly has a video chat device in development and is likely looking to market this device to compete with the likes of devices such as Amazon’s Echo Show. The fact that Facebook is working on such a hardware product though would be one of the only similarities between it and Amazon’s most recent Echo offering, […]

The Galaxy Note 8 is set to be announced next month, and it should be up for pre-orders within a few days. As Samsung has done this in previous years with its flagship devices. Now, according to a leak from Samsung Australia that appeared on its website – and was then quickly taken down – […]

The BLUBOO S1 is a new smartphone from BLUBOO which only became available to order last week. This is a phone that in spite of being priced competitively, is one which comes with a number of selling points. For starters, it is a phone that includes a dual rear camera setup. In addition, it is […]

The Philips Hue Go Light is currently on sale over on Amazon, posted at a price of $50.04 (at the time of this writing, it has been fluctuating between $50.04 and $50.96). This light is typically $79.99 and almost never goes on sale, so it’s a great time to pick one up, especially if you […]

The newly launched Aumi Mini Kickstarter project revolves around a smart night light that features notifications and many more functionalities. It’s attracting plenty of attention as the crowd-funding target of $30,000 CAD has already been surpassed and at the time of this writing has reached $44,645 CAD with 27 days still to go until the deadline […]

The Nest Cam IQ has started shipping to buyers for those who placed pre-order purchases for it, and the units will be available for full purchase out of a pre-order status on June 30th according to Amazon’s listing for the indoor security camera. The Nest Cam IQ comes in a single pack or a two-pack […]

Chrome OS is finally getting the Night Light feature that has long helped owners of other devices to get better sleep by reducing the amount of blue light put out by their devices. In Chrome OS, the feature makes changes to font rendering, screen colors, and image rendering to make content on the screen as […]

The Nest Learning Thermostat is currently on sale over at Amazon. It’s getting a $50 price drop, bringing it down to just $199. Which makes it slightly cheaper than its main competitor the Ecobee4 smart thermostat, which is normally $249 (like the Nest Learning Thermostat). This is the third generation, so it is the latest […]

Nest’s lead industrial designer since 2013, Rocky Jacob, has reportedly left the company to lend his talents to LVMH Moët Hennessy, the French chapter of Louis Vuitton’s global accessory empire. The well-known fashion firm will receive the former Nest designer as its chief product officer for luxury luggage lineup Rimowa. He will be overseeing and […]

OnePlus on Thursday published yet another teaser for the OnePlus 5, hinting that its upcoming Android-powered flagship may boast a blue light filter and a number of other software additions. The short video that can be seen beneath this writing shows a user interface of an eBook reader with a setting for manually adjusting the […]

Today, Amazon has discounted TP-Link’s smart LED Light Bulbs to just $15.99. That’s the lowest price these bulbs have ever been. These are the white, dimmable bulbs and not the colored bulbs. These bulbs usually are priced at about $35, but lately, they’ve been closer to around $25. Now they are even cheaper, and definitely […]

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X was originally announced back in February, and a new variant of the device is now available in China. The company had released the all-new light blue variant of the Redmi Note 4X, which Chinese consumers can now purchase through JingDong Mall (JD.com), one of China’s largest retailers. This variant of […]

Smartisan’s Nuts Pro premium mid-range smartphone that was unveiled last month is to get two new color options, Chocolate and Light Gold. The new colors will be available soon to go alongside the Red Wine, Carbon Black, and special ‘Thin Red Line’ edition that were previously announced and are already available on the company’s website. […]

If you have yet to try shopping through Light in the Box, then now might be a good time to do so. This is an international online retail company that offers a wide range of products and at some seriously low prices and including those from a number of the more well-known electronics brands. Take […]

Nest on Wednesday announced the Nest Cam IQ, its latest security camera with support for recording 4K video that will be released in select markets in the coming weeks. The camera that has already been the subject of several rumors earlier this year was designed specifically for indoor use, the Alphabet-owned consumer electronics manufacturer said, […]