Contracts are optional with this DIY connected-home system
Aside from the absence of a keypad control panel, the Abode connected-home/home-security system looks much like a product you’d buy from ADT, Vivint, or one of the other major home-security dealers....
View ArticleSatechi joins the connected-home fray with a color-tunable bulb and smart plug
Bluetooth-enabled LED bulbs and smart plugs are coming out of the woodwork. San Diego-based Satechi is just the latest manufacturer to enter this emerging space. The firm, which sells a broad...
View ArticleSleep Number i8 mattress review: Trial and error eventually leads to better...
For those who have trouble sleeping, having a few options available can help you count a few more sheep. The futon in the den might work for a night or two, or a maybe a radio that plays ocean sounds...
View ArticleWink smart hubs knocked offline, require fix after borked security update
The downside of smart homes has become painfully clear to some Wink owners, whose systems got knocked offline over the weekend. Wink traced the issue to an expired security certificate, which...
View ArticleOomi is a sensor-packed connected-home system looking to break the mold
There’s no shortage of connected-home systems on the market, but most of them have two things in common: They over-rely on your smartphone to be the master controller, and pairing all the devices you...
View ArticleIkea's wireless, phone-charging furniture to jumpstart high-tech home goods
Ikea’s recently announced wireless charging line of furniture is expected to jumpstart a trend that will amount to 10 million sticks of high-tech furniture sold in just two years, according to a new...
View ArticleCamio turns your spare phone or tablet into Dropcam
For all their out-of-the-box convenience, advanced features and constant improvements, cloud cameras such as Dropcam and Netcam HD aren’t exactly the cheapest home-surveillance option. In addition to...
View ArticleNew IFTTT compatibility boosts Amazon Echo's usefulness--and weirdness
You know that a smart-home device or platform has arrived when it get its own IFTTT (IF This Then That) channel. Amazon’s Echo interactive speaker (or, more accurately, the interactive speaker’s...
View ArticleKetra’s bright idea brings dynamic LED lighting to affluent smart homes
The transition from incandescent light bulbs to LEDs improved home lighting in a number of ways. For one, LEDs are more efficient, so even though the upfront cost is higher, the bulbs last much longer...
View ArticleBelkin’s WeMo app will soon control Cree Connected LED bulbs
Belkin’s Wemo family of smart-home devices has gradually become a very talkative bunch—and that’s a compliment in the connected-home market. Following in the footsteps of the WeMo Switch, Insight...
View ArticleYour house is filled with vampires that suck $100s from your wallet annually
Note: This story was updated on May 7 to add information from a study released by the National Resources Defense Council on that date. You shut down your computer. You turn off your TV. You take the...
View ArticleSamsung bringing Tizen OS to some of its older 4K TVs with its 2015 Evolution...
When Samsung unveiled its 2015 smart TV lineup at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, owners of Evolution Kit-compatible sets wondered if they, too, were in line for an upgrade to the new Tizen...
View ArticleAutonomous Desk is a self-adjusting sit/stand desk you can talk to
Increasing awareness of the health risks associated with prolonged sitting is fuelling demand for sit/stand desks, so it’s time we also tackled the deleterious effects on mental health of having to...
View ArticleSamsung introduces Artik: An all-new Internet of Things development platform
When you think of the Internet of Things, does your mind wander to connected-home gadgets such as smart thermostats that know when you’re home and when you’re away, or refrigerators that can read your...
View ArticleADT hooks up with LG to compete in the budget smart-home space
ADT doesn't want to get caught sleeping on smart homes. While the home security giant's Pulse service aleady offers basic automation for certain lights, door locks, and thermostats, ADT is planning to...
View ArticleSmart Labs heads to Indiegogo with Halo WX, a smarter smoke detector that can...
One of the pitches Smart Labs makes on its website promoting Halo WX, purportedly the smartest smoke alarm ever created, is that “safety shouldn’t discriminate.” The company’s referring to Halo’s...
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Vivint expands its connected-home system with a sophisticated doorbell camera
There are pluses and minuses to contracting with a connected-home/home-security provider such as Vivint. On the bright side, you get professional installation as part of the package; and if anything...
View ArticleMiito is an energy-saving electric kettle replacement
A Berlin-based startup is enjoying much success in its crowd-funding effort to do away with the electric kettle. Traditional kettles, it says, are wastrels. It wants us to replace them with something...
View ArticleEcoisme will monitor your home's electricity consumption to help you save...
Savvy computer users have long relied on the Task Manager to audit RAM usage and root out memory hogs. Likewise, the cleverly named Ecoisme (“eco is me” without the spaces) is an intelligent energy...
View ArticleBehmor’s building a smarter coffee roaster and brewer
Every coffee aficionado strives to brew the perfect cup of Joe. But if your reach consistently exceeds your grasp, the fault might lie with your equipment and not your lack of barista skills. There...
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