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Take a quick look at the signal area of your phone. Have you noticed a new icon in the signal area? That's the 5G signal replacing the old LTE. Nowadays, it doesn't matter if you have the latest smartphone or a budget-friendly Android. You're probably in the 5G club.
This tiny translucent box can help you manage smart home devices on a budget
The software centralizes your devices in one go-to hub
Even if you didn’t intend on becoming reliant on a Ring doorbell or Google Nest Hub, these devices likely snuck their way into your home over time. Companies like Amazon and Google continue to give away these products as a part of promotions, and it’s hard to say no to the convenience of home automation. However, these devices rarely play well together, making them difficult to manage across an entire home. Worst of all, it can be a nightmare to track them across different apps on your mobile device. Home Assistant has resolved many of these pain points with its open-source home automation software, but people are often intimidated by its tech. This is where Home Assistant Green comes in, a new piece of hardware that can streamline device management without punishing your wallet.
Nest's server problems will matter less with its latest cameras
The new cams can record offline and upload when service resumes
Oh, Google, you so sly. In today's announcement of the new generation of Nest cameras, the company highlighted all of the improvements that make these cams more powerful than ever, to a point where you could use them without a paid subscription. What caught our attention, though, was an unadmitted truth: Google has kind of fixed Nest servers' frequent downtime issues without really saying it did that.
The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag helps you find your misplaced keys, wallet, and more
It only fully functions with Galaxy smartphones or tablets
Samsung hasn't only announced the S21 series and the Galaxy Buds Pro at Unpacked today, it also took the time to introduce the Galaxy SmartTag. It's a concept that should feel familiar if you've ever heard of Tile. Like the products from the hugely successful competitor, the Galaxy SmartTag will help you find misplaced items via Bluetooth Low Energy. It also has a button that lets you activate a pre-defined smart home routine. It's controlled via the new SmartThings Find service.
Samsung's Galaxy Upcycling at Home initiative aims to turn old phones into useful smart home devices
Using a phone as a noise detection monitor for your baby, for instance
Most of us probably have an old phone or two lying around in a drawer somewhere that could be put to better use. At CES 2021, Samsung announced an extension of its Upcycling sustainability program, called Galaxy Upcycling at Home, that will allow older Galaxy phones to be repurposed as useful tools for your home.
Dyson is one of the most popular household appliance makers in the world — its air purifiers and robot vacuums are among the best on the market. Until recently, they were only compatible with Alexa and Siri, but these devices can now also be integrated with Google Assistant.
Google shares the shutdown timeline for Android Things
Winding down Android Things is such a Google thing to do
Google launched Android Things back in 2016 as a simple operating system for use on a variety of smart appliances. It never actually found its way onto any Google hardware products, though, and last year the company announced it was narrowing its focus to smart speakers and displays. Now Android Things OS is hitting another obstacle on its way out the door, as non-commercial use starts being cut early next year.
Samsung SmartThings update adds UWB device tracking, Zigbee QR scanner, and more
Only the Galaxy Note20 Ultra supports the UWB tech so far
SmartThings is the app you use to take control of all your Samsung IoT devices, as the company aims to consolidate its other apps into one. Following all the big announcements it made at the recent Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung is now updating the SmartThings app with a bunch of features, including one that leverages the Note20 Ultra’s UWB (ultra-wideband) support.
Pixel 4, 4 XL, and 4a pick up security certification from ioXt Alliance — required for Android 11's Enterprise Recommendation
Making your smartphone that little bit safer
Pixel phones have always been some of the most secure in the market, which is something Google has always been proud of. Today the Pixel 4 family, including the newly released Pixel 4a, picked up yet another security accolade by becoming the first smartphones to be officially certified by The Internet of Secure Things Alliance.
Amazon announced a slew of new devices and "motherfucking" Echo features during its September event, but it also offered a glimpse at a new concept called Amazon Sidewalk, a low-energy networking standard for IoT devices outside your home. This might be useful to geofence your dog or to monitor your plants' water requirements.
One of the banes of my geeky existence is setting up and using smart home and IoT devices. Every manufacturer figures out one way to let you connect to their product and you have to follow their step-by-step guide to the letter, and even then, it's better to be prepared for frustration and a few retries. That's especially true for WiFi devices, but Android Q is ready to make things easier.
Sonos is a well-established player in the multi-room audio space with a reputation for exceptional sound, but its products haven't always played nice with other services. The walled garden approach doesn't appear to have had much of a negative impact, but even so, the company is starting to get with the times and partner with other platforms to improve the experience for users. This latest integration will be the icing on the cake for many.
August's Smart Lock Pro is a popular option for those looking to add a connected front door lock to their smart home setup, and now it's getting even better thanks to a new partnership. Integrating with the Alarm.com platform opens August's lock up to a wide ecosystem of smart home security solutions including DSC, Interlogix, and Nortek.
Bixby is one of the less popular voice assistants on the market today, with most of its mentions in the news concerning Samsung not allowing Galaxy owners to disable it. In spite of that, the company is on a mission to put it in more and more of its products. Samsung has announced that it'll be putting Bixby in all of its IoT (Internet of Things) products by 2020.
In a press release this morning, Qualcomm announced a new platform "purpose-built for IoT devices" and a couple of new system-on-chips to go along with it. The company is calling the new program the Vision Intelligence Platform, and its new chips will be used in devices like robots and smart cameras.
Kohler, a maker of kitchen and bath products, seems to believe that you should never have to touch their products if at all possible. They're coming to CES with a new voice and motion-control platform so that you can get Alexa in your bathroom mirror, operate your kitchen faucet with gestures, and talk to your toilet. Not kidding!
Samsung is releasing a new type of tracking tag that can be attached to just about anything and offers smart location notifications over cellular. The Connect Tag was announced yesterday and is the first of its kind to use narrowband network technology (NB-IoT, Cat.M1). This means it can connect to the internet without consuming too much power, leading to a battery life of up to 7 days on a single charge.
Coffee is an integral part of so many people's lives, so it makes sense to make the brewing process more convenient. The folks at Behmor thought of this and created the Behmor Connected Coffee Brewer. The MSRP of $299 might have made it a bit out of reach for many consumers, but Groupon currently has this WiFi-toting machine for just $159.99 - a savings of around 46%.The Behmor Connected Coffee Brewer sports a number of noteworthy features, such as a double-walled stainless steel carafe, a stainless steel water reservoir, a flat bottom filter gasket and gold filter, as well as pulsed water flow. You can also control temperatures between 190 and 210 degrees Fahrenheit and pre-soak coffee grounds for up to four minutes. And of course, since it's WiFi-connected, you can use the Behmor app to set the coffee's temperature, pre-soak the grounds, control the number of cups being brewed (up to eight), and more.$159.99 is the lowest price for this brewer we've been able to find online; for reference, Amazon has it for $179.99. Shipping is free, as are returns. The site lists a 'limited time remaining' on this deal, so don't snooze if you want one.Source: Groupon
Fast on the heels of Developer Preview 2, Google has just pushed out their latest Developer Preview for Android Things, the IoT embedded platform based on Android.
Dacor has been selling Android-based smart appliances for years - including the bizarre Dacor Discovery IQ wall oven and the above Discovery Dual-Fuel Range oven. Samsung acquired the company last year, presumably to expand its own smart appliance business. Now Samsung has published a new remote control application for Dacor iQ devices, available on the Play Store.