Hey Siri, lock my door! How the ‘August’ secured my smart apartment
Cars have keyless entry, but do you want your home to as well? We check out smart locks for the Digital Trends smart apartment.
Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 930 review
We were skeptical about a robot that’s both a vacuum and a mop, but the Ecovac Deebot Ozmo 930 pleasantly surprised us. It’s a bit annoying that the app is practically required for it to function, but it does a decent job of both vacuuming and cleaning with minimal input from a human.
GE JES1097SMSS microwave review
The GE Smart Countertop Microwave can be controlled by Amazon’s Alexa, but it also uses scan-to-cook technology via its app for packaged and frozen food. The list of items is robust, but we’d like to see the app incorporate more fresh food options to really make this connected microwave smart.
Smart mirrors prove to be more beauty than brains
Smart mirrors all have a variety of features and level of intelligence, whether they are connected via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. We tested out three: out the Viio Vezzo smart mirror, SimpleHuman Sensor Mirror Trio, and the HiMirror Plus+. Some are meant for makeup, while others try to keep you entertained during your morning routine.
Electrolux, SideChef to bring customized recipes app to Asia-Pacific market
Electrolux has a diverse market, especially when it comes to the Asia-Pacific region. To meet the needs of Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and other countries, it partnered with SideChef to make a cooking app that offers local as well as international cuisine, with language and techniques that are country specific.
Repainting a room sucks, so I tried to see if tech could make it any easier
To figure out what color to paint our walls, we used a bunch of online tools, from paint company’s sites to Adobe Color Wheel, to get just the right look. Then we tried out a paint sprayer to see if it really was any easier than doing the job by hand. There are some parts of painting that tech hasn’t figured out how to help with yet, though.
Google’s smart home mastermind talks security, A.I., the future of control
Google product lead Mark Spates works on the company’s smart speakers, including Google Home. In an interview with Digital Trends, he talked about the role of voice in the smart home and where the future might lead, including gesture control, proximity sensors, and new smart speaker hardware.
Electrolux Pure i9 review
Robot vacuums are often more for maintenance than for deep cleaning, but we were excited to try the Electrolux Pure i9. Electrolux is known for its vacuums, after all. The bot definitely got our floors clean, but there were a few drawbacks, like a 40-minute battery life, that were hard to get over.
Ready to grill? Here are alternatives to cleaning it with a wire-bristle brush
Wire-bristle grill brushes have fallen out of favor because of safety concerns. Luckily, there are alternative ways to clean your grill.
HomLuv.com tries to match homebuyers with builders using a Pinterest-like board
If an interior decorator looked at your Pinterest board, they might be able to nail down your taste as modern or rustic. That's sort of the idea behind HomLuv, which uses artificial intelligence and crowdsourcing to match homebuyers and homebuilders, based on photos of kitchens, bathrooms, and so on.
Buzzfeed Tasty One Top review
The Buzzfeed Tasty One Top is a smart induction cooktop that works with the Tasty app. Using sensors, including a probe, it’s supposed to precisely control the temperature of your food, from the mundane, like flank steak, to the weird, like strawberry lemonade pancakes.
Anthony Bourdain’s best cooking tips, seasoned with travel wisdom
Anthony Bourdain, chef, author, and host of Parts Unknown, died June 6 at age 61. The food-lover and world-traveler leaves a legacy of embracing the unfamiliar, eating what's put in front of you, and great travel advice.
Delta Wi-Fi Leak Detector review
Update: Delta has discontinued the Wi-Fi Leak Detector and is issuing refunds to owners. Click here to get more information on how to collect your refund.
Apple HomePod vs. Amazon Echo vs. Google Home: Which is best?
So how does the HomePod measure up to the Amazon Echo and Google Home? Here, we examine the similarities and differences. Hint: it's not even close.
Google Home review
Now that it's been out almost a year, we updated our Google Home review to reflect the smart speaker's new features like calling.
Neeo Smart Remote review
The Neeo smart remote is meant to take control of your smart home off your phone and put it in a universal device that works with TVs, speakers, thermostats, lightbulbs, and more. It has promise, but a lot of headaches, and understanding its many functions requires homework that most users won't be willing to do.
Clorox won’t cut it. Volcanologists explain what it takes to clean up after Kilauea
Cleaning up after a volcano is a monumental task. Lava can completely destroy homes, but ash and mudflows can also cause serious damage. If residents are going to rebuild, they have a lot to worry about when it comes to debris and ash removal.
Induction is the best cooking tech you’re not using. $1K range is a game-changer
The Frigidaire Gallery FGIF3036TF Induction Range is the first of its kind for under $1,000. Induction cooking is fast, efficient, safer, and cleaner than radiant and gas stoves. We did a little cooking on the range and watched it boil water in 90 seconds.
Peek inside the outlandish mansions of tech titans, from Musk to Zuckerberg
It pays to be CEO of giant tech companies, and these mansions are proof. Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, and other tech execs have huge homes all over the country. Check out our gallery of some of the biggest, most expensive homes on the planet owned by the tech giants of Silicon Valley and beyond.
Flavor Matrix cookbook proves peanut butter avocado toast is the neo brunch
The Food Matrix is a new cookbook from James Briscione. While it has some recipes, its main focus is aroma wheels that make it easy to pair new and unusual foods together based on shared compounds.
Facebook waits to release smart speaker amid data privacy concerns
With news still trickling out about the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook is reportedly scrapping plans to release Portal and another smart speaker at its F8 developer conference. We know now that the delay is quite significant -- we won't see the speakers until October 2018, five months later than scheduled.