Shopping for a sofa? This app will let you see it in 3D inside your house
When shopping for new furniture, one of the most difficult things is picturing how an unwieldily object will fit into your space. Loft's new app, Rooomy, lets you upload a photo of your room and get a 3D view of the furniture in your living room.
16 of the coolest smart home devices from 2014
It's been quite the year for smart homes and Internet-connected devices. So much cool stuff came out or launched on Kickstarter and Indiegogo this year, so we rounded up 10 of our favorites.
A Festivus for the rest of us! How to decorate for fictional holidays
There are so many made-up-for-TV holidays, from Chrismukkah to Festivus. Many of them fall around this time of year, so in case you feel the need to erect an unadorned aluminum pole, we'll tell you how to decorate for them.
Do you hear that? Startup wants to make silent fridges and air conditioners
A startup just received $44 million in funding; Phononic uses semiconductors for refrigerators and wants to use them for air conditioners, too; this would make them much quieter.
I can see clearly now: Transparent home gadgets that give you an inside-look
Transparent home appliances you can see through are mostly limited to blenders or food processors, but there are a few options that go beyond the typical materials you find on vacuums, toasters, and bathtubs.
Don’t remember the milk: In five years, a third of people will have smart fridges
Adoption of smart home devices is growing, and by 2019, most people expect to have at least one Internet-connected device in the house. This data comes from a recent survey of 2,000 people.
They’re clear, but these glass roof tiles could make your next home greener
SolTech glass roof tiles generate heat, but they aren't see-through. However, Oxford Photovoltaics wants to create buildings out colored glass that also generate energy. Would you want a transparent roof?
Finally, drinking in the shower has gotten easier with this glass holder
SipCaddy holds your beer or wine for you in the shower. It attaches to a bunch of surfaces, so it works in other places besides the bathroom, but it truly was designed so you can drink in the shower.
Gin and juicers: All the barware you need to make sure guests sip in style
If you want to invest in a home bar, this guide will tell you what accessories and essentials you need, just in time for all that holiday entertaining that’s about to happen.
LoTR Litter: Two cats are the proud owners of a Hobbit-hole poop box
AWE me's Super Fan Builds made a Lord of the Rings litter box. Two cats will now be pooping in a gorgeous Hobbit-hole. Personally, we wouldn't let them wreck the Tower of Sauron scratching post, either.
Rock out to this neighborhood’s amazing synchronized Christmas light display
A neighborhood in Yucaipa, California synchronized all their Christmas lights to flash in time to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Wizards of Winter." The video was taken by a drone, so... bonus points?
Use voice commands to boss this robotic personal assistant around
Cubic is a voice-activated personal assistant robot that can turn on lights, send emails, interact with smart home devices, and transition to an on-the-go device, interacting with your smartphone.
EVA watches you shower (to throttle the water when you need less)
The Eva Smart Shower Device could save you 9.5 gallons of water a day by restricting the flow before you get in the shower and while you soap up or shave. The shower head only goes full blast when you need it to.
This building will soon house New York’s most expensive apartment
A tower at 520 Park Avenue will have New York’s most expensive apartment; the penthouse will cost $130 million and boast over 12,000 square feet, while its smaller apartments still cost $62 million.
No need for the sniff test with this sensor that detects spoiled food
MIT chemists have created sensors that detect spoiled food and many types of gas; the sensors don't use much power and can communicate with smartphones.
Has Intel’s chip come in with its IoT platform?
Intel launches its IoT platform, hoping it will bring simple, secure IoT-based solutions to a variety of industries, including wearables and smart homes. The chip-maker wants to be ahead of the game when it comes to the Internet of Things.
The NuBryte console wants to be the center of your smart home
With features like a camera, intercom, weather alerts, lighting controls, energy monitoring, and a calendar, the NuBryte console wants its touchscreen to be the center of your smart home.
Use this device and stop killing your plants, you mur-diddly-urdler
The Daisy Sensor sends smartphone reminders to water your plants; using temperature, light, and moisture sensors, it keeps track of the health of your plants, which could help stop you from killing them.
Need to sell your house ASAP? Opendoor will buy it from you in minutes
Want to sell your home quickly? Opendoor, a new service, promises to do it within minutes. Just pick when you want to move out and you'll receive an offer.
Pining for a real Christmas tree? Here’s how to pick the perfect one
Real Christmas trees are beautiful and smell amazing; if you want to pick one that will last the longest but also hold your decades of handmade ornaments, we have some tips on finding the perfect tree.
Make your food last decades with an in-home freeze dryer
Harvest Right’s In-Home Freeze Dryer lets you make your own freeze-died meals, from fruits and vegetables to meat and casseroles. The resulting food has a very long shelf-life, up to three decades, some claim.
The SousVant makes sous vide simple
Newly launched on Kickstarter, the SousVant makes sous vide simple; the machine has a clear, removable carafe and only four buttons. The display shows cooking time and temperature, so it's almost fool-proof.
To Save Money, Shower With This (And a Friend)
Green Starts Here launched ShowerSaver, a device that lets users know how much water they have used in the shower; the hope is that users will take shorter showers and save water once they know their usage.
The smart home of the future will be all about telehealth, so what is that?
As the population ages, smart home trends will reflect this; new devices, falling under the telehealth umbrella, will be designed for the elderly, especially when it comes to their health and independence.
Hook this device up to your water heater and watch your utility bill shrink
Sunnovations Aquanta is a smart device for water heaters; it connects to your existing water heater and learns when it should heat water, saving energy and lowering utility bills.
The last toothbrush you’ll ever need has a reusable handle, compostable heads
The Goodwell Company's compostable toothbrush has a handle that was designed to last a lifetime, while the replaceable attachments are biodegradable; the toolkit includes a flosser and tongue scrapper, too.
This robot can be programmed to fold your laundry or get you a beer
Researchers at UC Berkeley programmed Willow Garage's PR2 robot to recognize and fold laundry. The engineers at Willow Garage have also programmed the robot to fetch beer and play pool.
Bluetooth 4.2 promises a more private and powerful smart home
Bluetooth 4.2 is the new spec that increases speed and privacy for devices; by requiring users to opt in to beacons, retailers won't be able to track bluetooth devices, resulting in more privacy and saving power.
It’s all your default: Is someone spying on you with your security camera?
Home security cameras connected to the Internet can become vulnerable if their default passwords haven't been changed; footage from them can end up on the Web without their owners knowing.
Amazon will send an electrician to your door, along with your new appliance purchase
Amazon Local Services launched in several cities, allowing customers to find local service professionals who can help install appliances, build furniture, repair computers, and other tasks.
This $50 device gives you early warning when an earthquake is about to hit
Grillo is an earthquake alarm that costs $50; the company is also working on a $50 sensor that detects earthquakes and hopes to improve early-warning systems in many countries, including Mexico.
Claustrophobic? The tiniest home in Rome is only 75 square feet of space
The smallest home in Rome is 75 square feet; it packs a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen into that small space but not much else. The architect doesn't live there full-time but rents it out.
New Kickstarter campaign has smart door locks, deadbolts, and padlocks
Quicklock launched a Kickstarter campaign for its keyless door locks, deadbolts, and padlocks, which unlock using smartphones’ Bluetooth or NFC key fobs. It has an app for iPhone and Android, so friends and family can enter your home, too.
Coffeeboxx is a tough caffeine machine that you can literally park a truck on
Oxx’s Coffeeboxx is a coffee maker designed for construction sites and other places where a rugged, dust-proof, crush-proof, water-resistant machine would come in handy. It's designed to be leak- and spill-proof.
15 kitchen gadgets and gizmos to prep for a perfect Thanksgiving dinner
Whether you’re cooking for 5 or 15, these kitchen gadgets and gizmos will help reduce your prep time, perfect your poultry, and enjoy your company more by letting you take your mind off your meal-in-the-making.
Your laundry, sir: A new service grants you your own butler
For $99 a month, Alfred works with on-demand services and a real person to take care of household chores such as laundry, grocery shopping, and house cleaning, giving you more free time.
Smart garden promises homegrown vegetables for lazy urbanites
Grow your urban garden with Plantui Plantation, a smart garden that requires no soil and automatically adjusts light and water for the plants you're growing. From herbs to salad greens to tomatoes, the smart garden grows almost anything.
Make yourself comfortable in homes from around the world with this educational app
Homes is an educational app designed to give children an inside look into homes from around the world; it shows them similarities and differences across cultures as they explore new environments.