Jennifer Pattison Tuohy (aka Jen) writes about all things smart home, home automation, and connected tech for The Verge. A journalist for three decades, she has covered the smart home since 2013, writing for The New York Times: Wirecutter, Dwell, Wired, The Ambient, BBC Science Focus, and US News & World Report, among others. She joined The Verge in 2021, and now tests everything from robot vacuums, video doorbells, and smart locks to connected chicken coops and smart ovens. She’s an expert on the Matter smart home standard and is passionate about the connected kitchen and home energy management. She started her career on London’s Fleet Street with The Daily Telegraph newspaper before moving to Sun Valley, Idaho, where she worked in local news for ten years. She now lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, two children, a dog, two cats, a rabbit, and several chickens.
The new Mini is faster, quieter, and gorgeous in green, but its upgraded Mac speaker feature didn’t work for me.
Apple’s and Amazon’s new smart displays might make smart displays actually useful.
The Echo Time is cute, has great clock faces, and is designed for the bedroom — no cameras allowed. I’m hoping it will fill the Echo Dot-with-clock-shaped hole in my life, and its design is a fun throwback to the 2017 OG spot.
But $200?? Here’s my hands-on video and first impressions:
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And one thing I really don’t like.
Watch my hands-on with Amazon’s newest smart display in this video, and catch my full first impressions here.
The company’s low-key product launch was designed to give each device more attention, according to Panos Panay.
Amazon’s $200 smart alarm clock is angling for a spot on your bedside table.
It’s Amazon’s most ambitious smart display to date, but has it priced itself out of the game?
Launching today, this companion robot-slash-lamp resembles a mushroom, with a glowing head and eyes that emerge from the base. It’s designed to proactively help you relax and connect with nature.
It’s cute, stylish even. But I’m deeply skeptical about a robot connecting me with nature, and even more so of one whose company, OKA, claims is alive. Mori is available to order now for $649, in four colors.
Updated Oct. 22: OKA sent a replacement video because the original had unlicensed music.
The Nook and Home are cheaper, faster, and sleeker smart bird feeders — but the new camera might be a deal-breaker for diehard birders.