Smart Home

Google’s $99.99 Chromecast successor isn’t scheduled to launch until the 24th, but 9to5Google points out people in the UK, Germany, and Canada (below) who have already brought them home.

If you’re wondering how much storage space is free out of 32GB, one person reported it starts with 26GB available.

Known for its smart locks that still look like regular ones, Level has been purchased by lock giant Assa Abloy, which will operate it as an independent brand.

Assa Abloy exec Lucas Boselli says:

Their innovative platform provides an easy transition from mechanical locking to digital access solutions with minimal effort.

Meanwhile, the Level M arm that focused on multifamily dwellings is spinning off as Ambient Property Technologies, where CEO Mike Rovito says it’s working on a new app.

Correction: Only Level M is being renamed, while Level Lock will keep its name.

The Inspelning smart plug is now available for $11.99 in the US and beyond. It works with Ikea’s Dirigera smart hub and Energy Insights feature so you can adjust how and when you use energy-intensive appliances to maybe save some money and reduce your energy usage. 

An upcoming Galaxy Ring and SmartThings integration enables the smart ring to trigger smart home automations.

A giant super-sized model of the wearable was at IFA this week to demo how your home can respond to biometric signals.

It showed the ring sensing the wearer had fallen asleep or woken up and then starting a sleep routine or a good morning routine. Now that’s an effortless interface.

At IFA this week, Roborock and SharkNinja showed off robot vacuums that can lift themselves up to get over high room transitions, but Dreame went “a step” further.

It demoed its new ProLeap system, which uses retractable legs to navigate very low steps, as this video from The Ambient shows.

The tech is still in development but the company says it should arrive on its product line soon.

I love a good tactile dial and a sleek touchscreen for controlling my smart home gadgets, so Aqara’s new Panel Hub S1 Plus and Touchscreen Dial V1 caught my eye.

Both hardwire to existing light fixtures and can control other devices wirelessly — and that physical dial is so nice!

They’re launching in Europe and Aqara says U.S. versions could arrive next year.

The Siemens/Bosch XXL built-in fridge freezer was launched last year, and Eelco Lammertink of BSH tells me it will be upgraded to Matter in early 2025.

“Our ambition is to have our entire product line be connectable via Matter,” he said. BSH is also upgrading its Smart Kitchen Dock to be a Matter bridge, which will allow existing appliances to work with Matter.