smart home - page 2

Google smart displays will takeover homes in July

By

Google smart displays
Google Assistant can bring show and tell with smart displays, like this one from Lenovo.
Photo: Lenovo

Smart speakers are about to get upstaged at home by an arguably smarter device – smart displays.

During its I/O developers conference Tuesday, Google announced smart displays with Google Assistant would hit store shelves in July, adding yet another screen to vie for our already fractured attention.

Bizarre HomeKit remote looks like a D&D die

By

Nanoleaf HomeKit Remote
Can you find the HomeKit remote on this table?
Photo: Nanoleaf

CES 2018 bug The device is called The Remote, but those familiar with the company behind it probably could have predicted it would not look anything like a remote control.

Nanoleaf, creators of smart light-panels that give any room a futuristic glow, unveiled a 12-side geometric table-top object at CES Tuesday that will work with Apple HomeKit-enabled smart home devices.

Get a sneak preview to Cult of Mac Deals Cyber Monday exclusives

By

LithiumCard Wallet Battery
Stay charged with this ultra-thin power bank
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Skip out on the usual online rabbit hole that ends up being Cyber Monday shopping — the Internet is vast, and your time is precious. That’s why we’ve already found a roundup of deals floating around on the web — and it’s not all big screen televisions or massagers (don’t worry): we’ve scoured and searched for the everyday carry itmes, software, VPNs and tools to keep you extra productive as you head into the new year.

Don’t miss out on these Black Friday specials from Cult of Mac Deals

By

This handheld scanner can provide ultra precise color readings for your digital or paint-based needs.
This handheld scanner can provide ultra precise color readings for your digital or paint-based needs.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s that wonderful time of the year, Black Friday! What is a better day than the day after spending time with the family and devouring a huge Thanksgiving meal? Whether you are shopping around for yourself or a family member, it is always nice to score a cool piece of tech at a deal.

Aircraft Pilot Max robovac is a dirt-busting dream machine [Review]

By

AirCraft Pilot Max review
Mixing tech and housework should always be this easy.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Housework is by far my least favorite thing to do. So when I was recently asked to do a bit more around the house, I started thinking: Could I mix my love of tech with housework?

Thankfully there are tons of products, but the one that caught my eye was the Aircraft Pilot Max — a robot vacuum to take the effort out of my most hated chore. Its features, build quality and convenience make it a dirt-busting dream machine. Check out my video review, along with a full write-up below.

Samsung nearly tops Apple in J.D. Power smartphone rankings

By

Samsung
The exploding Note 7 didn't hurt Samsung's status.
Photo: Jim Merithew / Cult of Mac

The gap between Apple and Samsung is narrower than it has ever been, according to J.D. Power’s 2017 smartphone satisfaction rankings that have the iPhone-maker in the lead by just one point.

Apple took the number one spot with a total score of 840. Meanwhile Samsung somehow crept up to the second spot with 839 points, even though it had a disastrous last half of 2016 with the exploding Note 7 fiasco.

iOS 10 review: It’s the little things that matter

By

iPhone
Don’t miss out on iOS 13. Ditch your old iPhone now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s iOS 10 update for iPhones and iPads is the biggest software refresh the iPhone-maker has launched in years, adding a host of major and minor new features that completely change the iOS experience.

I’ve been using beta versions of iOS 10 on my iPhone 6s and iPad Pro since June. While some of the high-profile additions to Messages, Photos, Apple Music and Apple News aren’t totally mind-blowing, the smaller tweaks make all the difference. With iOS 10, using Apple’s devices is easier, faster and far more enjoyable than ever.

This is the big iOS update you’ve been waiting for, but not for all the reasons Apple thinks.

Elgato’s latest smartplug is a super-cool energy watchdog [Review]

By

Elgato's Eve Energy Switch and Power Meter will track and control all your pluggable devices.
Smarten up your house with Elgato's newest energy switch.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Eve Energy Switch and Power Meter by Elgato

Thanks to this cool little HomeKit gadget from Elgato, I know exactly how much energy my PlayStation 4 uses (79 watts). I also know how much energy is sucked away by my living room lamp (40 watts), my big HDTV (143 watts) and my Apple TV (8 watts).

All I did was plug each of these devices into Elgato’s new Eve Energy Switch and Power Meter, and then pull up the associated app on my iPhone to get instant information on the power being pulled through whatever I’ve plugged in.

The smartplug is also voice-activated, letting me turn on and off whatever device is attached to it.

Neat, huh?

Bluetooth wall plug makes any outlet smart

By

This smart outlet will make any plug in your house more intelligent.
This smart outlet will make any plug in your house more intelligent.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Smart Outlet by Nyrius

I just walked into my living room and the lamp came on, welcoming me in from a cold, dark morning at the gym.

When I leave for lunch later, it’ll turn itself off.

The home of the future is here, and it’s easier than ever to create with the Nyrius Smart Outlet, a Bluetooth wall plug that lets you turn any device with a plug into a smart device.

Smart bulb colors your world without breaking the bank

By

You can control the Nyrius smart bulb with your smartphone.
You can control the Nyrius smart bulb with your smartphone.
Photo: Nyrius

If you found the transition from incandescent to fluorescent painful, you will be relieved to know you are in the midst of a lightbulb moment. This is the year when the price of LED-based smart bulbs, with the color and quality of light controlled by mobile apps, falls far enough to go mainstream.

Entering the highly competitive space is Ontario-based Nyrius, which today rolls out a light bulb for $39.99.

Ex-Apple exec’s $35 million mansion is smart home of our dreams

By

Heading
If the house of the future looks like this, I can't wait to get there.
Photo: Suzanne Perkins

Former Apple exec Michael Barnick is selling his $35 million California mansion, and all we can say is … wow!

Not only is the home the epitome of iPod minimalist modernism, but it’s (perhaps unsurprisingly) pretty high-tech, too. Controllable entirely via iPhone or iPad, the list of automated features includes lighting, music, TV, air conditioning, window blinds, fireplaces and door locks — with Barnick himself designing the home-automation setup.

Check out some of the gorgeous pictures below.

Fancy new smart lock can see who’s at your door

By

nucli smart lock by westinghouse
The Nucli smart lock by Westinghouse.
Photo: Westinghouse

Electrics giant Westinghouse is getting into the connected-home game, and its first offering is a smart lock that looks like it should be seeing if it can’t lock down a stabilizer in a Star Wars X-Wing.

The Nucli (which is pronounced “new-klee” and not “nuck-lee,” regardless of how your brain sees it) will offer a wealth of features to help you secure your domain.

Samsung’s smart home platform beats HomeKit to Apple Watch

By

Control your smart home from your Apple Watch, courtesy of... Samsung? Photo: SmartThings
Control your smart home from your Apple Watch, courtesy of... Samsung? Photo: SmartThings

Although it’s poised to win the smart home war eventually, Apple’s HomeKit is still half-baked. Case in point: hardly any smart home accessories officially integrate with it yet, let alone Apple’s own products.

Despite its parent company’s rivalry with Apple in the smartphone race, the SmartThings platform has beat HomeKit to the Apple Watch, and it makes the idea of controlling your home from your wrist look pretty useful.

Smart home war heats up as Nest adds new partners

By

Sorry Tony Fadell. Better turn up the temperature if you want to win customers!
Sorry Tony Fadell. Better turn up the temperature if you want to win customers!
Photo: Nest

LAS VEGAS — When it comes to the smart home, there are two key players right now: Apple and Nest, the latter of which is owned by Google. While plenty of smart lock and thermostat makers are starting to support Apple’s HomeKit, the “Works with Nest” family is also growing.

Apple TV-HomeKit integration will create hub for smart home

By

Adobe reports breaks down why refreshed Apple TV is going to be the biggest thing since sliced bread.
Apple TV could finally become the digital hub your home's been awaiting. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Will the Apple TV become a hub for controlling your smart home in the near future? Signs are pointing to yes.

Apple is quietly testing HomeKit support for its TV set-top box with developers. The functionality can turn an Apple TV into an always-conntected bridge device for communicating between hardware peripherals that support Apple’s HomeKit framework.

Link is a smart LED light bulb you control with your iPhone

By

GE-Link

It’s all about home automation here in 2014, and General Electric are taking full advantage. More than a century after General Electric founder Thomas Edison created his version of the light bulb, the company has introduced a new smart LED light bulb called Link.

What’s neat about Link light bulbs is that they can be remotely controlled by iPhone users from anywhere in the world, being Internet-connected and operated using the so-called Wink app which allows for the control of its settings and syncing with associated devices.

Things you wish Apple designed

By

Puppies

We showed you ours. Now it’s your turn. Here are the items big and small that Cult of Mac readers most want to see designed and produced by the mothership. We’ve got Apple solar pens, food packaging and yes, puppies — because even pets could use the Sir Jony treatment.

Forget Smart Phones, Apple Patent Signals The Age Of The Smart Home

By

Apple tracking patent 660

Remember those old “home of the future” TV episodes from the 1970s, which invariably ended up with something going wrong and an automated voice yelling warning messages?

Well, someone at Apple does too (hopefully minus the “something going wrong” part), since Apple’s latest patent — issued by the U.S. Patent Office — describes a wireless communication system able to predict when to turn on devices such as your lighting or air conditioning based on your current location as opposed to a pre-programmed routine.