The smart home was once a far-flung pipe dream, but it is now a reality. Wherever you live, your home is ground zero for some of the most interesting tech available right now, and tech that’s yet to come. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get your home up and running with smart hardware and services.
Home security and monitoring solutions can alert you to a burglary, smoke, fire, or just simple motion activity. There are plenty of options with a range of capabilities, from smart doorbells and smart locks to indoor and outdoor cameras that can see in the dark.
Smart speakers, like the Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod each play a big role in helping you out, too. In the kitchen, they can read out recipes, or if you’re cleaning, you can call out to them to change the song on the fly. If you buy smart light bulbs, for instance, you can turn them on and off by using your voice.
Wish you could dry your hair hands-free while sitting on the couch? That’s apparently the concept behind Dreame’s giant blow dryer, which also has LEDs to use it as an actual lamp.
It’s due out by the end of the year, but it wasn’t even plugged in at CES Unveiled. We’ll have to find another chance to try it on some luscious locks during the show.
The DIY blinds cost a flat $429 for any size up to 48 inches wide and 80 inches tall and are available in white or walnut. They join the company’s lower-cost smart shades and feature Natural Light Optimization that automatically tilts blinds throughout the day based on the sun’s position.
Caséta blinds integrate with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, and other platforms and are available now on Caséta’s website.
As the cost of some electronics continues to skyrocket, Ikea has dropped the price of several of its new smart home accessories. The Myggspray motion and Klippbok water sensors are now down to $7.99 from $9.99, and while the three-pack of the colorful two-button Bilresa remotes launched in the US for $19.99, they’re now $14.99.
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The arrival of generative AI assistants in our smart homes held such promise; instead, they struggle to turn on the lights.
Samsung is rolling out the update this month, and it’s working with Aqara, Eve and Ulticam on Matter cameras. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy called it:
SmartThings will probably jump on adoption. Samsung abandoned its first-party camera hardware years ago, and Matter could provide the platform with the opportunity for broader camera support it desperately needs.
The Roomba maker is being sold to its Chinese contract manufacturer, a move CEO Gary Cohen says will keep the company alive and allow it to grow.
Amazon’s AI-powered assistant can use visual context from Ring doorbells to identify visitors, interpret why they’re there, and interact “intelligently” using natural language, according to the company. The feature, first announced in September, launches today and will work with the Ring Video Doorbell Pro (3rd Gen) and the Ring Video Doorbell Plus (2nd Gen) and requires a Ring subscription.
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iRobot’s collapse marks the end of an era. Co-founder Colin Angle calls it a blow for robotics.
Following the release of several of Ikea’s new Matter-compatible smart home sensors earlier this week, the two-button version of the company’s Bilresa Matter remote is now available through Ikea’s US website and several of its stores across the country. It’s listed at $7.99 but is currently discounted to $5.99.
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Doma Home debuts the first motorized door that works with Matter and uses mmWave and UWB tech to automatically open as you approach.
