-
Tech NewsApple Opens Up Siri to Work With Third-Party Smart Home Devices [Updated]
As part of its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, Apple announced it’s finally opening up its Siri digital assistant to work with third-party smart home devices. The news came as part of a batch of new features for the smart home, including a new ability to watch TV with friends and a way to use an … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsGadgetsNanoleaf’s New Smart Lights Are Less Sci-Fi, More HGTV
With their vibrant hues and designs inspired by science fiction, it’s often hard to make smart lights fit in with more traditional furniture. That’s exactly what Nanoleaf is trying to fix with its new line of Elements smart lights. Nanoleaf is expanding upon previous products, like its range of Shapes and Canvas light panels, except … Continued
-
Tech NewsGadgets11 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do on Your Amazon Fire TV
The Amazon Fire TV sticks and cubes are some of the best media streaming devices around, and while the basics of selecting and watching content are easy enough to pick up, there’s more advanced functionality that you might not be aware of. These are some of the tricks you can do on a Fire TV … Continued
By David Nield -
ReviewsHeadphonesAmazon’s New Echo Buds Are Annoyingly Good for the Price
Amazon is trying its hand at earbuds again after stumbling out of the gate with its first pair of Echo Buds in 2019. The improvements, I’m mildly irritated to say, are good. Amazon’s hardware is all over the place: Its Kindle lineup is excellent but still sports microUSB ports, its smart displays are very good … Continued
-
Tech NewsCommerceAmazon’s Echo Show 8 Will Now Follow You As You Move
If you’re hooked on Alexa and want a more capable smart display, Amazon just announced a refresh to the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5, with better cameras than their predecessors. There’s also an update to the Echo Show 5 Kids Edition, which includes access to Amazon’s kid-friendly content. The Echo Show 8 and Echo … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsGadgetsMatter Is a New Smart Home Standard to Make Apple, Google, and Amazon Devices Work Together
Apple, Amazon, and Google rarely have a reason to work together, but the companies are teaming up for a new smart home standard, now called Matter, that will make it easier for you to buy devices that work seamlessly together without thinking about it. The Matter branding, which emerged from what was formerly known as … Continued
By Florence Ion -
ReviewsAccessories & WearablesWe’re Not Ready for Smart Glasses Yet
After the original Google Glass crashed and burned, consumer smart glasses were put on the back burner for a while. There’s no shortage of reasons why, which makes it a little baffling that in 2021, high-tech glasses have made a mini-comeback. Facebook, Apple, and even Samsung are all rumored to be working on a pair … Continued
-
Tech NewsGadgetsGoogle’s Nest Hub Is Making Its Way Into Your Hotel Room
This summer, you might want to add “unplugging Google” after checking for bedbugs to the list of tasks to complete when you settle into a hotel room. Two hospitality-focused companies, Guest Supply, which focuses on special amenities for hotels, and Volara, which provides voice assistant options for the same industry, announced they’re partnering up to … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsGadgetsThis DIY Wireless Ball Cap Lets You Control Death Itself
When it comes to facing your own mortality, there are few things better than a grinning skull with creepy eyeballs. And when it comes to really freaking you out, the only way to make a grinning skull worse is to connect it to a computer and make it jerk around and gape like some degloved … Continued
By John Biggs -
Tech NewsCommerceAmazon Reportedly Pressures Small Businesses with Retaliation if They Don’t Hand Over User Data
Amazon reportedly pressured smart-thermostat maker Ecobee to fork over data from its voice-enabled devices even when customers weren’t actively using them. When Ecobee pushed back, the e-commerce giant threatened to box the company out of high-profile selling events like Prime Day or refuse Alexa certification for future devices, according to a Wall Street Journal report … Continued
-
Tech NewsApple, Combining a TV Box and Smart Speakers Isn’t Going to Fix Your Smart Home Woes
Listen, Apple’s great at a lot of things, but building smart home gadgets ain’t one of them. In fact, its dismal offerings in that space are a glaring weakness—especially when you look at the strides Google and Amazon have made in recent years. Apple is well aware of that, and it looks like it might … Continued
-
The Sonos Roam Packs a Powerful Punch in a Petite Package
One of the first times I ever came across a Sonos speaker was at a swanky outdoor barbecue on a Brooklyn rooftop. I remember it vividly, because the host stopped grilling to spew expletives at his two Sonos speakers. He’d created a specific playlist for the party but Sonos speakers at the time were wifi … Continued
