Facebook’s new Portal device can collect your data to target your ads
Facebook's latest gaffe with its users involves its new Portal smart displays, which were designed to enable video calls using Facebook Messenger. It turns out that the company technically could use the camera and mic to gather data to target users with advertisements.
Speakers gone wild: Alexa, Google spook customers with reefer reminders, F-bombs
Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant sometimes freak users out in spectacular and sometimes humorous ways. From F-bombs to alarms for cocaine and reefer, here are some examples of colossal smart speaker fails. Has anything weird involving smart speakers ever happened to you?
Google is porting some Home Hub features to other smart displays
Google is understandably proud of its new Google Home Hub, which goes on sale later this month, but in a surprise move, it's bringing many of the improvements and features associated with the new device to all of the Google-enabled smart displays in its product ecosystem, including some competing devices.
GE Appliances augments its new smart kitchen hub with SideChef
GE Appliances is getting into the smart kitchen market in a big way and recently announced two big partnerships including a venture to outfit its new smart kitchen hub with the SideChef app that can access more than 5,000 recipes and a plan to integrate Hestan Cue's automation technology into its ovens and cooktops.
Starbucks will see how Taiwan store made of shipping containers stacks up
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has unveiled his latest sustainable design for a Starbucks store in Taiwan that uses 29 reclaimed shipping containers to form a two-story, 3,500 square-foot store that even has a drive-through and a brightly colored wall mural that evokes the culture of the city.
Domio aims to dethrone Airbnb with new group travel accommodations
A New York-based startup called Domio is bypassing the fierce competition in the traditional hotel industry as well as the hospitality market dominance of Airbnb by targeting group travelers with new "asset-light" accomodations with 2 to 4 bedrooms, dubbed "apart-hotels."
Chefling is an Alexa-like sous-chef set to spice up smart kitchen appliances
Chefling, the digital assistant geared towards home cooking, is partnering with Home Connect to bring kitchen solutions to premier smart home appliance brands like Thermador and Bosch, all through one easy-to-use app. Chefling will be a primary interface for smart home appliance brands including Thermador and Bosch.
Google’s new Mini model is cool, jazzy, and kind of blue
Call it sapphire, cerulean, indigo or baby blue, but there's no denying that Google's new model of its popular Google Home Mini is a shade of blue. The new model of one of the company's bestselling products is expected to go on sale October 29th for a cool $50, unless Google has more news next week.
China’s Ezviz summons a swath of new smart home products
Ezviz, a division of Chinese-controlled Hikvision, announced a diverse new line of smart home security products that includes both wired and wireless infrared security cameras, a powerful floodlight camera for the backyard, a robust pan-tilt camera, and a pair of smart doorbells.
Amazon’s partnership with SideChef makes Alexa your sous chef
As if Amazon's week hasn't been busy enough, the company announced this week that it's furthering its partnership with interactive cooking platform SideChef to integrate its cooking guidance into Echo devices, including voice guidance, photography, video demos, and voice commands.
Armenian startup Bluenero is fishing for funds for a smart aquarium
A start up operating out of the Republic of Armenia has launched a successful Indiegogo campaign to design and manufacture a smart aquarium that will automatically feed fish, monitor water quality and water levels, and let customers look at their fish via an HD camera.
Amazon might open 3,000 cashier-free Amazon Go stores by 2021
A new report by Bloomberg indicates that Amazon's head honcho Jeff Bezos is considering upending the convenience store and quick service restaurant market by opening up 3,000 of his experimental, cashier-less Amazon Go stores by 2021, a move that could reinvent the shopping experience in urban centers.
Voice technology is useful, in demand, and not moving fast enough
A new survey about voice technology commissioned by IT analytics company AppDynamics indicates that enterprise companies aren't keeping up with millennials' demand for advancements in voice technology, and need to adapt to consumer behaviors and needs sooner rather than later.
Who needs Stitch Fix? Maison Me uses A.I. to custom design clothing just for you
A new Silicon Valley-based startup called Maison Me is deploying a new custom-designed clothing service that combines an A.I.-driven chatbot, hand-drawn sketches, video profiles, and smart manufacturing to produce design-to-order clothing that's cost competitive with standard retail outlets.
Amazon creates a bigger toy box with its new Alexa Gadgets Toolkit
Amazon is building a bigger toy box with the release of its new Alexa Gadgets Toolkit, a collection of self-service programs and gadget interfaces that facilitate direct pairing and connectivity, communication, and over-the-air updates between interactive devices and their paired Echo device.
If Ikea can flat-pack its furniture, why not a tiny house?
Ikea's Copenhagen-based future living lab Space10 is a trip on a normal day but two Danish design students have just outdone themselves by designing a 500-square-foot tiny house that can be open-sourced around the globe and manufactured for less than $10,000.
Hampton’s new smart lock is functional for both techies and traditional users
Hampton Products International manufactures a host of home security devices but is just now entering the lucrative smart home market by launching a new line of interoperable home security hardware products, starting with its flagship product, the Array Connected Smart Lock.
Qaio smart mirrors give your bathroom a window on the world
A California-based manufacturer of consumer electronics is getting into the niche side of the smart home market with a new line of Qaio smart mirrors that come outfitted with Alexa, an HD camera and display, onboard speakers, and even a night light with a motion sensor.
Adobe survey finds digital assistants, smart speakers are popular with shoppers
A new survey of more than 1,000 American consumers about voice assistants and smart speakers offers dramatic new intelligence about shopping, adoption rates, types of usage, and a widening diversity of voice activities that reflect an expansion beyond music and weather.
This tiny house produced in the Alps opens up to the skies
A small - make that tiny - house manufacturer high up in the Alps of Rhone, France, is manufacturing tiny homes that are transportable, can be operated completely off the grid, and have roofs that can open up to the skies.
Google confirms that its Assistant is acting strangely again
Google Assistant is getting off to a rocky start this month as a bunch of the digital assistant's users are reporting a new rash of glitches, including the loss of non-US accented English language speakers, some sex changes, and a refusal to respond to the "Hey, Google" wakeup command.
Lenovo augments its smart home line with new camera, plug, and bulb
Lenovo is debuting a wide range of low-cost to high-end laptops at IFA 2018 but the biggest news for smart home users is the launch of a new "Smart Home Essentials" line of products that will initially include a smart bulb, plug, and a surveillance camera with remote access.
Nest launches an investigation into its own smart doorbell glitches
Nest's new smart door bell the Nest Hello has gotten rave reviews and achieved wide popularity among users but now the company has launched an investigation into widespread reports of delayed and false notifications, random disconnects, and outages.
Yale’s refreshed Sync security system set to launch in Europe
A refreshed security system from Yale is making its way to Europe, the company announced at IFA 2018 this week. The security systems and lock manufacturer is bringing the new Yale Sync Alarm, its next-generation home security system, to European customers starting October 1.
Best Buy is bundling the new Lenovo Smart Display with the Google Home Mini
Best Buy is the latest enthusiast to help Google win the smart speaker war as it's now being reported that the retailer is giving away a free $49 Google Home Mini with every purchase of the $199 8-inch Lenovo Smart Display, striking yet another blow in Google's mortal combat with Amazon.
White-hat Chinese hackers turn Alexa into a spy, briefly
It's a hack that's more akin to boosting a car than cracking a code but researchers at Chinese firm Tencent Holdings were able to use a modified Echo to crack the security and recording functions of other Amazon Echos running on the same network. Amazon has already released a fix.
Swann is arming its 4K Ultra HD security cams with Google Assistant
Today the DIY security cam manufacturer Swann became the first in its market to roll out Google Assistant voice commands for its wired 4K Ultra HD video surveillance system, giving customers the ability to control, record, and receive alerts from their 1080p resolution security cameras.
VAVA expands into home security with a new wireless home cam
VAVA, based in Fargo, North Dakota, makes a wide variety of electronics, accessories and other gizmos but it's following up on one of its most successful products, the VAVA Dash Cam for automobiles, with a new weather-resistant, wireless security camera designed for homeowners.
Amazon’s Whole Foods is stealing customers from Trader Joe’s, analysts say
New reports from two separate data analysis firms indicate that a year after Amazon bought Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion, the boutique grocery chain is starting to attract customers from Trader Joe's and other grocers with discounts on popular foodstuffs and new delivery methods.
Gjemeni’s transformer furniture lets you power up or down with a click
A new Bay Area startup named Gjemeni is hitting the furniture-in-a-box market with a transforming new line of furniture that includes a couch that folds down to a bed, a chair, and an ottoman, with features like USB and traditional socket power, memory foam, and temperature-controlling technology.
Zap! A new portable sterilizer called Klistem uses UV light to kill bacteria
A new portable, USB-charged sterilizer called Klistem uses 253.7nm wavelength UV-C light, the most potent germicidal wavelength on the spectrum, to kill 99.9% of germs that are harmful to the human body within 90 seconds.
Amazon still hasn’t figured out how to sell more stuff via Alexa
It's a $2 billion market that is expected to expand to $40 million by 2022, so why does a new report reveal that only 2 percent of Alexa-enabled Amazon device owners use them to shop? Out of a reported 50 million devices on the market, it's a widely untapped opportunity that Amazon has yet to figure out.
Despite privacy concerns, music lovers are still grooving to smart speakers
Consumer research firm MusicWatch has been digging into the habits of 5,000 smart speaker owners to see how they're using devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home and the research indicates that users still have concerns about privacy while streaming music.
Philips shines a light on a new lineup of minimalist light fixtures
Philips has introduced a new range of Hue lights and fixtures that are designed to go all over the home including water-resistant outdoor fixture, new lighting for inside the home, and new bathroom fixtures including a smart mirror with a built-in dimmer.
Hilton doubles down on construction trends with a San Francisco hotel
Modular construction is a booming trends in the hotel industry and Hilton is embracing with construction strategy, recently breaking ground on a new Home2 Suites by Hilton build in South San Francisco that will use modular construction to cut costs and retain quality.
Fraudulent sales of home alarm systems are on the rise nationwide
Some home alarm companies are accused of making false claims about safety in order to get people to sign up, according to a new report from the Consumer Federation of America that says many consumer advocates and law enforcement agencies are receiving complaints about sales of alarm systems.
Amazon Dash-powered WePlenish smart pantry device orders snacks, coffee, more
A Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based startup is moving beyond its original Kickstarter goals to sell directly to customers a new smart pantry, the WePlenish Java Smart Container, which connects with Amazon Dash via Wi Fi to automatically keep a smart home stocked with snacks and coffee.