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Best cheap robot vacuums in 2024
Keep the cost low, while still enjoying a powerful and efficient clean
Robot vacuums are an excellent way to keep your home floors neat and tidy, but some of the best models on the market can cost upwards of $500. Fortunately, though, you don’t need to spend nearly that much dough to score an awesome robot vac. In fact, some of our favorite self-efficient bot sweepers can be had for $250 or less. For our intents and purposes, we’ll call these models “cheap robot vacuums,” with cheap referring exclusively to price and not overall performance.
Best smart sous vides
Use one of these top-rated smart sous vide cookers for at-home, restaurant-quality meals
Bag, vacuum-seal, submerge in a water bath, and cook at a precise temperature for a specific duration, depending on the desired level of doneness. That is what sous vide is all about — a culinary technique that can help you prepare tender, juicy, and flavorful meals every time. The process delivers consistent results and can cook foods such as eggs, chicken, steak, lamb, pork, fish, vegetables, and more.
Best smart coffee makers in 2024
These smart coffee makers are sure to start your mornings off on the right foot
Smart homes are getting bigger and better all the time, bringing in new and exciting smart tech to help make your life easier. With the growing lineup of smart home devices, it was only a matter of time until we started seeing things like smart coffee makers. Of course, they're not all new, and some have been around longer than you'd think. The technology is growing, and products are upgrading.
Google Home's new AI will help you build complex automations
A more approachable script editor for those without prior coding experience
Artificial intelligence seems to be upturning every tech fine print. While a few concepts like Google's AI-infused Allo chat app have fallen flat, the technology has proven to be a real game changer. The pace is cracking, so much that mega tech companies like Google have to rise to the occasion and capitalize on AI's impressive tools. Otherwise, the new technology could change the way of things and wreak havoc on the company's long-standing business. In an effort to stay ahead of the fast-paced AI revolution, Google is introducing automations for its smart home app, Google Home. This, in particular, might throw it ahead of other smart home service vendors.
Amazon is building a smart fridge to judge you for only keeping leftovers and condiments in the house
A self-aware appliance that knows what's inside itself
Every fall, Amazon holds its annual hardware event, where it launches products in such rapid succession, it’s often difficult to keep up. Last week, the company showed off its new Astro robot, a super-sized Echo Show, and a budget smart thermostat, but it’s not done yet. Although it missed this year’s event, Amazon is working on building an internet-connected fridge designed to track your food.
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.
Motorola now thinks it's Samsung or LG, lends its name to home appliances
Customers in India can buy Motorola-branded air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines
Motorola is known for making smartphones that span from budget to flagship range, but in a year with lagging sales, the company is expanding its repertoire. In partnership with Flipkart in India, Motorola is announcing its debut in the home appliance space with a series of smart-home products.
GE's smart appliances have Google Home/Assistant integrations for some time, and today the company has announced that it is expanding that to include its $144 Smart Countertop Microwave, with an update rolling out to enable the functionality on existing models — hopefully taking advantage of the new device types Assistant categories.Compatible "Hey Google" commands include:
Back in 2015, June introduced its smart convection oven powered by the Tegra K1 (which was funny, because the chip was known to run hot). It was expensive, though — like, $3,000 expensive. Now, to the chagrin of its early adopters, June is back at it with another K1-powered smart oven that's considerably less pricey at $600. And right now, you can even get a hundred bucks off.
LG announced its Google Home integration back in May, but at the time only a few models from its Signature line of appliances was compatible with the Assistant. LG is expanding this list now to 87 WiFi-connected refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, vacuums, air purifiers, A/Cs, and more.
Smart appliances are pretty neat, when they're not being used as a botnet to take down the internet. To make matters worse, you usually have to use another app to control everything. But starting later this year, LG's smart home appliances will start working with Google Assistant and Alexa.
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.
There are many ways you could go about filling your home with connected devices. You can pick a standard like ZigBee or Z-Wave and stick to it. You could try looking for anything that mentions SmartThings compatibility on the page. Or you could buy all of your products from a single company. That's the approach LG would like you to take.
I could probably count on one hand the amount of things at CES that are 1, new, and 2, run Android, so we are left with stuff like this.
I went to LG's CES press conference, so I kind of feel obligated to write about it, even though nothing much happened. The biggest news out of the conference is that the translated "Google TV 3.0" press release we came across a few weeks ago is bogus. At the time we thought it meant a new version of GTV was coming, but it turns out it's just the same software that's been out since November, with a new launcher made by LG, which they referred to as their "3rd generation skin."
The Nexus Q: Massive Misstep Or Misunderstood Science Experiment?
When Google unveiled the Nexus Q at I/O on Wednesday, there were cheers. But not until the designers and creators of the hardware came on stage to explain
When Google unveiled the Nexus Q at I/O on Wednesday, there were cheers. But not until the designers and creators of the hardware came on stage to explain what it was for a good 5 minutes. Hell, they even put together a fantastic video showing the process of manufacturing the Q (in the good 'ol US of A!). Seriously, if you haven't watched it - watch it. The production values are outstanding.