It's six years since the first Amazon Echo arrived, igniting a whole new category of smart speakers and making the idea of talking to a disembodied voice a little less weird, and now Alexa is getting some new, spherical digs. The fourth-generation Echo frees Amazon's chatty assistant from her cylindrical tower, transplanting her in a new, ball-like speaker instead. For 2020, though, there's a lot more to recommend.
Google is one of the companies offering some fun digital treats for Halloween this year, ones that you can enjoy using your phone and, for Nest owners, your smart doorbell. The content includes new AR experiences involving ghosts and skeletons, as well as special spooky doorbell ringtones for Halloween, and even new Google Assistant fun.
Smart home company Wyze has released the third version of its cube-shaped Wyze Cam, keeping the same $20 price tag but adding some notable features to the mix, including a weather-resistant design that makes it suitable for outdoor use. The camera competes with some of the latest and greatest on the market, promising advanced features that make this a notable upgrade over the previous (and likewise $20) security camera.
Amazon is making it easier to control smart home devices from its Fire tablets, with the new Device Dashboard pulling together all of your connected lights, cameras, and appliances in a more seamless interface. The new update condenses all Alexa-linked smart home devices into a single page, rather than sending you hunting through individual apps (or, for that matter, controlling everything by voice).
What's old is new again, and the Philips Hue Iris table lamp returns with a welcome 2020 upgrade. Brighter, more flexible, and more competitively priced, the new Iris taps all of the features Signify has added to the Hue platform in the six years since the original table lamp launched, now with a $99.99 price tag.
Amazon announced today that it's expanding Alexa hands-free support on Fire TV devices. Fire TV has offered Alexa compatibility for a number of years now, but today, Alexa users are getting a few new tricks. Not only are they getting more options for voice navigation, but Amazon says they'll be getting an "Echo Show-like experience" as well.
Most of Acer's announcements today centered around laptops and PC gaming in some form, but one surprising reveal was that of the Halo smart speaker. Halo is powered by Google Assistant, and it almost seems like it's bringing the PC gaming treatment to smart home speakers through its RGB lighting. There's also an optional LED display, which might make the Halo stand out in a sea of other smart speakers.
If you're a Sonos user with a kitchen full of GE smart appliances, then you've got some new integration heading your way. GE Appliances announced today that it's launching compatibility with Sonos speakers for many of its smart home products. This team-up will start somewhat small and expand from here, with GE boasting that it's the first appliance company to join forces with Sonos.
Apple has wasted little time getting to the big announcements during its iPhone reveal event today, and it led the show with the confirmation we've all been waiting for: HomePod mini. As the name suggests, the HomePod mini is a smaller version of the HomePod, with Apple promising "amazing sound," from the speaker despite its tiny size.
On the eve of Apple's big iPhone reveal event for 2020, a new leak is claiming that the rumored HomePod mini and Apple TV will be host to some impressive tech. Specifically, the leak tells us that both of these products will act as Ultra Wideband (UWB) base-stations. When used in tandem with other devices using Apple's U1 chip, the HomePod mini and the new Apple TV will be able to track where those devices are.
Nest has a new, entry-level smart thermostat, under $130 but still packing remote app control, a new motion sensor, and a slick mirror-finish. The new Nest Thermostat also introduces a different interface, doing away with the physically-rotating casing of the existing models and replacing them with a touch-sensitive scroll strip on one side.
The latest connected home product from Wyze, the Wyze Thermostat, has arrived. Consumers can now preorder the device, which is currently listed as shipping in December. As with other devices previously introduced and released by Wyze, the new Thermostat has a budget-friendly price, making it an inexpensive way to start automating one's home. The Wyze Thermostat joins the company's security cameras, headphones, and more.