How to use a Google Play gift card
Got a Google Play gift card? When you apply the card to your Google Play account, it adds to your balance so you can buy music, movies, and other digital content found in the Google Play Store. Applying it to your account takes less than a solid minute. Here's how to use a Google Play gift card.
Hunter Douglas smart blinds and shades blot out the sun, but come at a cost
Hunter Douglas has unveiled their new Smart Shades using PowerView Motorization. These shades, privacy sheers, blackout curtains, shutters and more are fully automated using the Hunter Douglas PowerView App or voice control with Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant, Siri or other home hubs and assistants.
New research finds that smart speakers can be compromised by lasers
A new study about the vulnerabilities of smart speakers, like Amazon Echo, Apple Home Pod, and Google Home, has been released. All the researchers at the University of Michigan and Japan's University of Electro-Communications had to do was shine a special laser on the smart speakers to manipulate them.
Ring Indoor Cam Review: It comes up short
The Ring Indoor Cam is one of the tiniest smart cameras on the market at only 1.81 in. x 1.81 in. x 2.95 in. (46 mm x 46 mm x 75 mm). That's smaller than a can of soda. It almost looks like a toy, but don't let its appearance fool you. There's some good stuff crammed into that small package.
Meet Miko 2, an adorable robot for kids that’s coming to North America
A bestselling, cute educational robot has been hanging out in Asia for the last four years, and now it's coming to North America, just in time for the holiday season. Miko 2 combines conversational, play-based learning using stories, quizzes and fun facts in a type of smart hub for kids.
Finally, stereo speaker pairing comes to the Google Home and Home Mini
At first, only Google Home Max could pair with stereo speakers, and then Google added the Nest Mini. Over the weekend, though, Android Police discovered that now you can pair your stereo speaker system with Google Home and Google Home Mini speakers, too. Here's what you need to know and how to set it up.
Alexa can now set sleep timers to simulate a sunrise using your smart lights
If you have Alexa-compatible smart lights and live in the U.S., you just got some new features that will be rolling out this week. You can set up wake-up lights or sleep timers and create new Alexa Routines to dim or brighten over a certain stretch of time, just like sunsets and sunrises.
You may be able to ask Amazon Alexa about your bills soon
Amazon announced that they will be partnering with the payment network Paymentus to make keeping track of bills easier with a new Alexa feature. While you won't be able to pay your bills with Alexa, you can use the new skill to ask about the status of your bills, such as whether they are past due.Â
Wink on life support: Company is running out of funds
Will.i.am's a tech company i.am+ and its smart home hub, Wink, aren't doing well at the moment. In fact, they may be out of business soon. Employees reportedly aren't being paid, customer service is silent, Wink Hub are having problems, and the company seems to owe a lot of overdue taxes.
Get the Wyze Smart Home Starter Pack and $15 gift card for $99
Merry Wyze Day 2019, everyone. If you've been needing a good reason to finally start automating your home, then you're in luck. On October 24 only, you can get the Wyze Smart Home Starter Pack for just $99. That's $10 off. Plus you'll get a free $15 Wyze Day gift card.
A filing for the Ring Video Doorbell 3 makes its way to the FCC
It looks like the Ring Video Doorbell 3 is coming soon, since the company recently created an FCC filing. How soon? If this new timeline is anything like the one for the Ring Video Doorbell 2, that could mean that we could be getting the third generation in just a few month's time.
Pani’s smart home water monitor is the Fitbit of water usage
Pani, a company focused on smart home water technology, announced the new Pani Smart Water Monitor today. This water monitor is a smart device that attaches to a faucet, shower, or toilet. Then, it records water usage, checks for leaks, and sends real-time reports to an app.
No need to get down and dirty cleaning your toilet with Shine Bathroom Assistant
If you hate polishing the porcelain throne, then there's good news. Shine Bathroom Assistant, the automated toilet cleaning and maintenance bot, is now a thing. The device can clean the toilet bowl when it's dirty or tell you how to fix any toilet malfunctions that may arise. It is even Alexa compatible.
SwitchBot is the Chromecast of smart curtains
Starting today, October 22, you can get the SwitchBot Curtain through its Kickstarter campaign. The Switchbot Curtain is a motorized device you can attach to your curtains in minutes to make them become smart curtains. Once installed, you can use voice commands or an app to open and close your curtains.
Don’t be fooled if your smart speaker asks for your password
Recently, Security Research Labs (SRLabs), a hacking research group and think tank based in Germany, found that Alexa and Google Home expose users to phishing and eavesdropping due to third-party skills and apps. This exploit uses the speaker's own voice recognition technology to gather data.
Nest Hello adds spooky chimes to greet trick-or-treaters this Halloween
Nest Hello users will get some fun Halloween sounds for their doorbell, starting Monday, October 21. You can change the tone of your doorbell to the sounds of a cackling witch, vampire, monster, or ghost to surprise guests, or to crank up the spooky mood on Halloween night for trick-or-treaters.
Smart speakers may soon be able to keep tabs on your infant’s breathing
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a new smart speaker skill, called BreathJunior, with a focus on taking care of baby. The skill uses white noise to monitor your baby's movement and breathing. The white noise can also be used to soothe a fussy baby during nap time or bedtime.
Ember’s new smart mugs will keep your drinks warmer for longer this winter
Today Ember released its second generation of self-heating mugs, the Ember Travel Mug 2 and the Ember Mug 2. The second generation of the Ember Mugs has been redesigned to include 50% longer battery life and a touchscreen instead of a dial. They also have an app to control temperature.
In the war against porch pirates, Arlo adds its own video doorbell
Arlo introduced its first video doorbell. It includes a vertical field of view with an optimized 1:1 aspect ratio and night vision, so users can even monitor their porch in the dark. It also has motion detectors that will send alerts to your phone and pre-recorded audio messages.
Simplisafe claims a faster police response and releases a new Entryway Kit
Simplisafe announced the release of its latest product. The Entryway Kit features everything you need to create a smart home security system, including an interactive video doorbell, keypad, and entry sensor. It can also be used remotely with Alexa, Google Home, and App Control.
Molekule’s new Air Mini purifier cleans the air with light
The new Molekule Air Mini is only 12 inches high and weighs just over seven pounds. Though it is small for an air purifying system, it can clean air in up to 250 square feet of space every 60 minutes and can remove viruses, allergens, mold and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air.
The world’s first 360-degree video call device, Rimo, is launching on Indiegogo
Rimo, which claims to be the World's First 360° Video Call Device, is launching on Indiegogo. The phone base automatically connects with your phone and rotates it to keep you in the frame. Watchers can also use hand gestures to move the camera to look around your room or at others in the room during video chats.
Level Lock Bolt Edition is a game-changing and disruptive smart lock
Level Home, a company that focuses on smart home innovations, has revealed its latest product. The Level Lock Bolt Edition an invisible device that can turn any standard deadbolt into a smart lock. The company says the transformation takes just less than 10 minutes using a screwdriver.
A European site may have leaked the new Google Nest Mini
We just posted about a Canadian company possibly leaking the code name and price for the new Google Mini that should be debuting tomorrow, October 15, at the Google hardware event, but it looks like a European site has leaked, the new device, reportedly called the Google Nest Mini.
Did a Canadian retailer leak Nest Mini’s pricing and code name?
A cached page from a Canadian retailer from back in September may offer some clues about the new Nest Mini that is expected to be revealed on October 15 at the Google hardware event. On September 7, online retailer PC-Canada listed several suspicious items that may be the new Nest Mini and Wi-Fi.
Habla Español? Yes! Amazon Alexa can now speak in Spanish
Those who speak Spanish can now talk to Alexa in their native language, or two languages at once through multilingual mode, on supported Alexa devices like the Echo. The assistant is getting a new voice and Amazon has also beefed up Alexa's knowledge base with hundreds of new skills for Spanish speakers.
Shades of Big Brother? Study finds smart TVs are keeping tabs on us
Turns out that our televisions may be watching us, too. A study by Princeton University found that internet-connected TVs have data trackers that collect things such as your location, what type of device you have, Wi-Fi network, and advertising ID. Another study shows that this isn't uncommon.
The voice of Insecure’s Issa Rae is coming to Google Assistant
So far, you have only been able to make John Legend your own personal assistant. As of today, October 10, though, you can also make actress and director Issa Rae your new Google Assistant voice. Rae recently co-starred in the the movie comedy Little with Regina Hall and Marsai Martin.
Samsung’s Powerbot R7260 robot vacuum uses a rubber blade to clean corners
Samsung says that the new Powerbot R7260 has 40 times more cleaning ability than its competitors. If that doesn't get your attention, the odd body shape will. The new Powerbot features a roller brush like a regular upright vacuum and a rubber blade that can sweep dust and pet hair from corners and edges.
‘Stream transfer’ feature moves your music around the house using Google Assistant
Google Assistant users can now easily move their music and podcasts from YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora and more from one smart device to another using a new feature called stream transfer. Videos move, too, with Google video devices like the Nest Hub Max and Chromecast-enabled TVs.Â
The new Coway Airmega air purifier uses coconuts to make your home safer
Coway, a Korean company that creates home health technologies, just announced the launch of the Coway Airmega AP-1512HHS air purifier, which uses coconut fibers to filter the air. It can filter 99.97 percent of particulates as small as 0.3 micron, including dust, allergens and cigarette smoke particles.
Get Alexa’s help with your next cocktail thanks to SideChef-Bacardi collaboration
SideChef, a cooking and meal planning app, announced that it is collaborating with Bacardi to create curated cocktails for the SideChef platform. Users of SideChef can now find easy, step-by-step drink recipes developed by Bacardi on the app with more mixology recipes and features coming soon.
Customize the look of your Christmas tree with Twinkly smart lights
Recently, retailers like Home Depot unveiled a new take on pre-lit Christmas trees. While pre-lit trees aren't unusual, trees with Twinkly smart lights can be controlled using an app on your phone to change the lights' colors and flashing patterns to keep your holiday decor looking unique and fresh.
You can finally make Duo calls with Google Home smart speakers
You can now make Google Duo calls with Google Home speakers. Duo works with display devices like Google Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max in all countries and languages where Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max are sold, and on smart speakers like Google Home, Home Max, Home Mini. You can call speakers in your home, too.