Instant Pot saw massive success with its electric pressure cooker on Amazon, but now it's eyeing a different retailer: Walmart. The company has announced a new cooking blender product that it'll make available exclusively through the retailer, requiring brand fans to order one from the retailer's online shop. As with other cooking blenders, the Instant Pot Ace 60 can do more than just blend food.
Amazon plans to release a slew of devices with its personal assistant Alexa by the end of this year, at least according to a new report leaking the alleged plan. Amazon reportedly has a minimum of 8 Alexa-based hardware devices in the pipeline, all of them currently unannounced, that will potentially be available to purchase for the holidays.
Appliance brand Haier has taken the wraps off a new smart appliance called InstaSwitch, a freezer that can transform into a refrigerator when necessary. The company showcased its new offering at IFA 2018 this week, introducing a single-door freezer model with multiple divided storage compartments that can be individually controlled based on need.
Breakfast is often the meal that gets thrown out the windows in the name of productivity. And if it’s taken at all, it’s often in a rush. That’s a trend anywhere in the world that even Japan has a trope for rushing off to school or work with a toast hanging off one’s mouth. When it comes to rushing off, however, no one’s better than Sonic the Hedgehog. That’s why SEGA of America came up with the perfect device to remind you to take breakfast even when you’re in a hurry. Introducing the Sonic Toaster.
In early 2017, word surfaced that Samsung and LG were both looking into opening manufacturing facilities in the US over concerns about potential steep import taxes threatened by the Trump administration. Samsung eventually confirmed plans to open a facility in South Carolina, and more recently the Trump administration announced those feared steep tariffs against both imported solar panels and washing machines. Now price increases are coming.
Many homes contain only two people, making the typical dishwasher you find at appliance stores unnecessarily large. Rather than having a large dishwasher that takes up a bunch of space, Heatworks presents Tetra as a compact solution; it sits on a countertop and plugs into a regular wall outlet, no plumbing necessary. Tetra doesn't just wash dishes, though, also being adequate for sanitizing certain products and even cooking seafood.
Samsung wants to make everything smart and, in doing so, pull everyone into its ecosystem. From smartphones to smart TVs to smart refrigerators, Samsung is putting the Internet and, now, even artificial intelligence into previously “dumb” home appliances. At CES 2018, Samsung is showing off the next gen Family Hub that will now integrate one of Samsung’s most controversial new feature: the Bixby smart personal assistant. Fortunately, that’s not the only thing going for the smart refrigerator.
HiSense has announced a new Alexa integration for its HiSmart Portable Air Conditioner and HiSmart Dehumidifier. Both products are designed for home owners (or apartment dwellers) who want an element of smart control over their home appliances. The new Alexa integration takes that ability to new levels, making it possible to control the two appliances using an Alexa device like an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot.
We've been using a set of WiZ smart LED lights for the past week to see how they stood up to their closest competitors. In the world of smart bulbs - especially when we're talking about SIMPLE smart home lighting systems, there's one stand out brand: Phillips hue. Today we're going to run down the reasons why the new-to-America brand WiZ is more than a fly-by-night smart lighting competitor - they might just have hue beat.
Earlier this year, we heard that LG had plans to bring Google Assistant to its range of smart appliances. It appears that today is the day for that functionality to go live. LG revealed this morning that its roster of 87 WiFi-connected smart appliances can now talk to Google Assistant through Android, iOS, and Google Home.
If the appearance of voice assistant Alexa on new devices wasn't your thing, and the slew of new gadgets and phones didn't get your attention, then the big trend of IFA 2017 was which products can successfully integrate artificial intelligence. This year Samsung decided to go with the washing machine, moving beyond their previous WiFi-enabled home appliances, and introducing the WW8800M with AI and QuickDrive technology.
On the same day that we learn about a Cortana and Alexa team up, Google has also announced big things for Google Assistant. The number of devices that support Google Assistant will soon be expanding, giving you more options for interacting with it. The list of new devices includes both speakers and appliances, and it sounds like what's being announced today is just the tip of the iceberg.