Google is adding four new Assistant features, aiming to streamline how its AI interacts with the smart home, helps with takeout orders, and even helps hunt down a lost device. A new "Hey Google, find my phone" feature works with all Nest smart speakers and smart displays - including the most recent Nest Hub 2nd Generation - to track iPhones and Android devices.
We call some products "smart" mostly due to the abilities they have that sometimes go beyond our own skills, at least when it comes to getting information from the Internet. There are times, however, when smart assistants and smart devices don't actually behave that smartly, like things we take for granted because of human behavior or common sense. It is only recently, for example, that these smart speakers and displays have started to adjust their behavior depending on whether there's anyone around in the first place, like ringing them only when you're around to actually answer a call.
Wyze has revealed its latest product, and the company continues its spread through the smart home with the new Wyze Floor Lamp. Up for pre-order now, the new lamp comes what a Bluetooth remote control to adjust brightness though, Wyze promises, after a few uses you won't need to do that manually.
Crestron has added a new smart thermostat to its connected home range, with the Crestron Horizon Thermostat promising touchscreen convenience along with remote sensors as it takes on Nest and others. Although designed to integrate with a Crestron Home smart home system, the Horizon will also work as a standalone WiFi thermostat.
Smart lighting may be the easiest route into home automation, but nothing quite wows like motorized shades. Arguably the king of the category is Hunter Douglas, with a range of shades, blinds, rollers, shutters and more so wide, you'd be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed. If you've got an unusual window, though, that flexibility really pays off.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to become more painfully aware of the environments they live and work in. Many, in particular, have become more conscious of the air they breathe, especially considering it is how the dreaded coronavirus is primarily transmitted. In other words, appliances and gadgets that advertise cleaner air and sanitized surfaces are unsurprisingly on the rise and, in perfect timing, Proscenic just launched the new A9 Air Purifier which we take for a spin, almost literally, to see if it is as good as it sounds.
Microsoft has been slowly removing Cortana from devices and platforms but this latest bit of news might be the most damning move it has done. While other devices or platforms only had Cortana as an added feature, Microsoft smart assistant is the very essence of the Harman Karon Invoke smart speaker. With Cortana's upcoming departure, it will downgrade the speaker into just a Bluetooth audio accessory, presuming you get it updated before the end of June, that is.
There are a growing number of cameras connected to the Internet in our homes these days. There are, of course, the cameras on smartphones, tablets, and laptops that we use to communicate but there are also the dedicated cameras that are meant to protect our homes. These smart security cameras all come with promises of safeguarding our privacy as well but some find it hard to trust promises they can't see. That why at CES 2021, Arlo introduced its Essential Indoor Camera that, in addition to some upgrades, also introduces a real and physical privacy shield for peace of mind.
A smart home hub is only as useful as the number of languages it can speak. Given the number of disparate smart home platforms available today, it pays to either understand all those or at least have the ability to learn to communicate with other smart home products. That was practically what the SmartThings Link USB dongle did for the NVIDIA SHIELD TV but that dongle itself will lose its ability to speak the SmartThings language when Samsung upgrades its ecosystem in June.
Although it is still mired in privacy controversy, Amazon's Ring video doorbells remain one of the most popular brands in that specific market. It's so popular that there are almost a dozen models just for the video doorbell alone. Of course, there's always room for one more and Best Buy accidentally revealed one that's coming in over a month, bringing a much-needed upgrade to the Ring Video Doorbell Pro with features that seem to be opportune for today's health situation.
The Internet has definitely made the world a smaller place and the Internet of Things has made our houses even smaller. Of course, there are risks involved in putting all or even most of your smart home eggs in one basket, be it an Internet basket or some smart home platform, especially when that basket suddenly breaks. That's the reality that some smart homeowners are now finding themselves in when Google Assistant suddenly turned their smart appliances a tad hard of hearing.
Smart doorbells are convenient not just because they connect to the Internet but because they can also take photos and videos of who's at the door. Many of these rely on motion sensors to trigger their cameras which, in turn, can often have a wider and farther view than just what's immediately in front of your door. That has made these smart video doorbells interesting for law enforcers and almost 2,000 of these are now enlisted as partners that can request a copy of what the Amazon Ring may or may not have seen.