The smart home was once a far-flung pipe dream, but it is now a reality. Wherever you live, your home is ground zero for some of the most interesting tech available right now, and tech that’s yet to come. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get your home up and running with smart hardware and services. Home security and monitoring solutions can alert you to a burglary, smoke, fire, or just simple motion activity. There are plenty of options with a range of capabilities, from smart doorbells and smart locks to indoor and outdoor cameras that can see in the dark. Smart speakers, like the Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod each play a big role in helping you out, too. In the kitchen, they can read out recipes, or if you’re cleaning, you can call out to them to change the song on the fly. If you buy smart light bulbs, for instance, you can turn them on and off by using your voice.
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How this smart garden stopped growing
Indoor smart garden maker AeroGarden will shut down in January, eventually taking app control with it.
This screensaver turns your Pixel into a smart home control panel
A new feature in Android 15 allows your phone or tablet to display an interactive smart home control panel while charging — and it’s not limited to Google Home.
The company’s follow-up to its sub-$1,000 robot lawnmower is the Navimow X3.
According to Segway, the new flagship model can now handle the edges of your lawn and tackle any space up to 2.5 acres without guide wires. RTK and vSlam technology power the mower’s mapping skills, and an AI-powered camera should stop it from mowing over your magnolias.
According to spokeperson Yassi Yarger:
● Customers who got that misleading “New Name, New Features, Same Great Price” email will now get free monitoring through January 1st, 2027 as apology.
● Depending on your Plus renewal date, you get up to a free year of monitoring — because Ring is raising the price on your first bill after March 1st. (Mine renews March 5th, unfortunately.)
● Ring Protect Pro customers get a one-year free trial of Ring Home Premium.
At its developer conference today, the company announced support for the latest version of the Matter spec, which includes EV chargers, ovens, cooktops, microwaves, tumble dryers, extractor hoods, water sensors, and water valves — along with energy reporting.
There aren’t Matter devices available in these categories yet, but this news might mean we’ll see some soon. Though not Samsung appliances, which don't support Matter yet.
Announced during IFA 2024, Govee’s upgraded Christmas String Lights 2 let you create custom lighting designs through an app using a new mapping feature that determines the location of every glowing bead.
They’re now available in 66, 99, 164, and 328-foot lengths and range in price from $99.99 to $399.99.
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This time from 9to5Mac, citing unnamed sources who say that the “HomeAccessory” device referenced in code is a smart home accessory with an A18 chip, that’s capable of handling Apple Intelligence features, apps, and acting as an AirPlay receiver.
They also report a camera for gesture control and that the “current” J490 device has a square display instead of a rectangular one.
Long live the HomeScreenPod.
Hyundai and Kia are working on a next-generation infotainment system and have brought Samsung in as a strategic partner as the automakers venture further into smartphone connectivity and in-car apps. Using Samsung’s SmartThings app to find your missing (or stolen!) car is but one feature envisioned.
[Kia Global Media Center]
