Awair’s new air quality monitor has some smart home tricks up its sleeve
Awair is a pretty heavy hitter in the smart home market for customers who are interested in monitoring and improving their air quality, but the company's latest release, the Glow C, comes with a lot of extras, including a smart home plug, improved monitoring, and increased customization.
A prototype robotic grocery store has just launched in Tel Aviv
Robotic delivery and distribution systems are being developed all the time, but one company is launching a new robotics-powered grocery store and delivery service in Tel Aviv that could be a game-changer for mid-to-large-sized grocery chains and might just break the traditional distribution model.
LifeShield adds an HD video doorbell to its array of gadgets
ADT has been teasing the introduction of new smart home technology into its smart home security platform for a while but after previewing a new camera at CES 2019, the company has officially launched its new LifeShield HD Video Doorbell that supports recording and livestreaming.
GE-backed startup brings crystal-clear ice to fans of bourbon and other spirits
While there are plenty of drinkers who like to enjoy their spirits neat, those who like theirs on the rocks will appreciate the new crowdfunded home ice maker from FirstBuild, a startup backed by GE Appliances. It makes perfectly clear, spherical ice gems to go with your drink of choice.
Food wish fulfilled? Genie launches next-gen pod-based cooking system
Back in the day, people were amazed by microwave ovens that could heat up premade food in minutes, Now, an Israeli company is soft-launching a new device called Genie that can replicate all the steps that a home cook goes through in just 3 minutes, treating each ingredient individually.
A new survey by Adobe shows an evolving market for voice applications
It's not breaking news that consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable with conversing with their smartphones, digital gizmos, smart home devices, and smart speakers but a new survey from Adobe Analytics is showing a desire for more diversity in where voice technology is applied and used.
The cordless vacuum gets a reinvention thanks to these Dyson disciples
Kickstarter can be hit or miss but a couple of former Dyson engineers seem to have hit the jackpot by raising nearly half a million dollars to launch their cordless vacuum cleaner, branded under the name Lupe, which promises the energy of a jet engine and an hour of use on one charge.
Robotic furniture transforms Ikea’s tiny rooms with the touch of a button
Ikea's newest addition to its efforts to enter the smart home market and transform tiny spaces into livable ones is pretty innovative. The flat-pack home furnishings manufacturer has partnered with startup Ori to integrate robotic furniture that transforms a room at the touch of a button.
Philips may add a smart plug to its expanding lineup of smart home gizmos
Smart home products developers have never been exactly subtle but a new leak that appears to come from smart bulb giant Philips appears to demonstrate that the company is expanding its smart home line significantly, starting with a new smart plug intended to compete with other titans like Amazon.
Cleanyst imagines a new mix-at-home paradigm for cleaning products
Just like Keurig offers coffee junkies a quick and clean solution to making a cup of joe, a new Miami-based startup called Cleanyst is offering a new smart home solution that enables users to mix and match high-quality concentrates to create home cleaning products that are organic, clean, and efficient.
Amazon Alexa’s Guard is a new security feature to keep your smart home safe
Smart home security is a lucrative market but Amazon is getting ahead of the competition with its rollout of Alexa Guard, a new set of smart home security features enabled by the Alexa digital assistant that allows the speaker to monitor for intrusions or fires, control smart home lighting, and more.
Amazon’s Alexa adds email updates, plus a bunch of cool new routines
Amazon's Alexa digital assistant is constantly evolving and this month is no exception as the app gains the ability to automate more tasks automatically, as well as to generate updates for users from both Gmail and Outlook. That's not to mention updates from smart home cameras and new translation abilities.
Walabot’s new DIY Plus wall scanner ups its Superman vision game
Vayyar Imaging has been making cool strides in the construction industry for a while but its new Walabot DIY Plus is a real breakthrough for homeowners and construction professionals, enabling them to scan through plaster, drywall, and concrete to get a better idea of what to do next.
As predicted, Arlo’s next smart doorbell will have a video camera
Arlo Technologies has been pretty tenuous about getting into the smart home market with both feet until recently but after new images of a video doorbell leaked from one of Arlo's partner companies, I-View Now, the company confirmed that an HD smart home video doorbell will be on the market soon.
Some food stamp recipients can now buy food online at Amazon, Walmart
A new pilot program that originated at the U.S. Department of Agriculture would enable beneficiaries of food stamps to buy food online from retailers like Amazon and Walmart. The pilot program will be launched in New York and spread to other states in the next few months.
Not only is Chucky back, he haunts your smart home in Child’s Play reboot
Smart homes may be all the rage right now but Orion Pictures has figured out a new way to scare you out of yours. It's putting the classic horror villain Chucky in charge of a murderous smart home platform called "Buddi" in the new reboot of Child's Play starring Mark Hamill as the infamous killer doll.
The Houzz app now lets you virtually tile your floor with augmented reality
Palo Alto-based home renovation and design firm Houzz is adding a new innovation to its View in My Room 3D application that gives users the ability to use augmented reality to see how their joint might look if they installed new tile in the place and order it on the spot.
Fast and efficient: LG’s new washer rocks the laundry in half an hour
LG has been a leader in the smart home market for a long time and one of its areas of expertise is washing machines, so it's no surprise that the company is launching a Wi-Fi-enabled washing machine designed for the smart home that uses patented steam-driven technology and remote connectivity.
This hybrid tiny home sauna gives hotbox a whole new meaning
Tiny homes seem to come in all shapes and forms these days, and Igluhuts are no exception. While the homes look more like a hobbit might come out of one on the outside, inside, there's a modern and sleek look aimed at relaxation and rejuvenation. Just ask soccer star David Beckham, who owns one.
There will be 200 million smart speakers by year’s end, analysts say
The research and analysis firm Canalys predicts that the worldwide market for smart speakers like Amazon's Echo devices and Google Home smart speakers will reach a massive crescendo this year, topping 200 million smart speakers by the end of 2019 with the U.S. accounting for nearly half the market.
The Denali XL feels like one big-ass tiny home compared to others
A relatively small outfit operating out of Guntersville, Alabama is offering incredibly mobile tiny homes that are quite spacious compared to other tiny homes. It can be assembled for about $125,000 and includes nearly 400 square feet of living space with more features available upon request.
Need to check your blood sugar results or see a doctor? Just ask Alexa
Alexa is capable of a lot of things and saving your life might be next on the list. The intelligent digital assistant has recently acquired a bunch of new skills related to the HIPAA Act of 1996. Commands include the ability to schedule an urgent care appointment or check blood sugar results.
Steeped Coffee aims to solve the K-Cup problem with java in a tea bag
Keurig has been king of the single-serve coffee market for years, but an upstart in Santa Cruz, California is upending the coffee market with a new way to brew coffee instantly. Steeped Coffee looks like a tea bag, has a long shelf life, and is more environmentally friendly than K-Cups.
Leaked pics suggest Ecobee is adding a smart home security camera to its lineup
Leaked pictures of a sleek black-and-silver, conical Ecobee-branded camera turned up on Zatz Not Funny this week. Okay, it’s not exactly a surprise, but more like an inevitable addition to Ecobee’s lineup that nearly everyone in the smart home technology market has expected for some time.
Airbnb’s latest wild contest: Drink, dance, and sleep at the Louvre
Sure, why not? The Mona Lisa in the living room, right in front of the bar cart. The Venus de Milo smiling slyly during dinner. A little dance in the roccoco salon of Napoleon III right before bed. That's the newest hook from Airbnb, which is offering the wild prize in a new contest.
As oceans rise, one company is building cities that can swim
Floating cities may remind some people of science fiction scenarios like the 1995 post-apocalyptic movie Waterworld, but a new enterprise introduced to the United Nations envisions a high-tech, scalable floating city that could use extreme recycling, energy efficiency and communal design.
Hubitat swoops in to save Lowe’s Iris smart home devices from extinction
Owners of Iris-braded smart home devices sold by Lowe's were understandably bummed when the company stopped supporting the platform on March 31, but a smart home manufacturer called Hubitat has saved the day by figuring out how to support the devices via its home automation hub.
This new venture aims to 3D-print affordable tiny homes in a day
A stealthy new startup called Icon recently teamed up with a nonprofit that researches housing solutions to 3D-print a 350-square-foot tiny home in Austin, Texas that cost a fraction of the price of traditional building methods and offers proof-of-concept that technology can augment housing solutions.
This Italian-designed tiny home offers more transformations than meet the eye
A new tiny home design being showcased at this month's Milan Design Week is a transforming tiny home created by Italian architect Beatrice Bonzanigo of IB Studio called Casa Ojalá that uses a mechanical system of cranks and ropes to offer up to 20 different layouts and configurations to its residents.
Traeger’s latest wood-pellet grills are smoky, smart, and spacious
Traeger has been manufacturing its signature pellet grills for more than a quarter-century now but the innovative grill manufacturer is expanding with three new brands of its heavy-duty outdoor barbecue grills that are also equipped with smart home technology controls.
Google rewards One subscribers with a free Google Home Mini
Google continues its steady march toward smart home domination this month by rewarding select Google One cloud storage service subscribers with a free Google Home Mini through April 21 and the technology giant will even cover shipping to send along your own smart speaker.
Who should fix Internet of Things cybersecurity? Congress takes a crack at it
While the U.S. government has held a tight rein on security for networked devices like computers and cellphones, a bipartisan groups of legislators is now taking on the issue of cybersecurity for Internet of Things (IoT) devices by introducing a bill that would set new security standards.
Sonic Soak and its 50,000 cleaning vibrations make a big splash at launch
Cleaning delicate or rare items or finding a decent cleaner while traveling can be a big pain but a new portable cleaning device called the Sonic Soak, is smaller than an iPhone and cleans using 50,000 ultrasonic vibrations per second to knock out stains and odors.