Even in the days of water-resistant iPhones, taking a shower with Siri sounds risky. But bathroom fixtures company Moen wants to make it possible, useful and, well, less dangerous with its new smart shower system.
Unveiled at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, the new U by Moen shower system allows users to control the water temperature and other features with voice control, either using Apple’s AI assistant or Amazon’s Alexa via an in-shower control panel.
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.
The once-infamous Black Friday is no longer a one-day event. It has turned into an entire weekend dedicated to sales. The long Thanksgiving weekend is a tempting time. Who can pass up the wave of savings?
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.
Traveling and even going to work means leaving your home vulnerable to theft. In an age when our devices can peer into our lives like never before, why not give yourself the same power for your own home?
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.
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.
You can’t buy smarts, except when it comes to your smart house. Right now at the Cult of Mac Store, we’ve got a bunch of accessories that are sure to make your abode more like the smart home of your dreams.
From an HD home monitoring camera to a Bluetooth power outlet, smart LED lightbulbs and a dual-stream Bluetooth audio transmitter, you can teach any old house some new tricks with this gear. Everything’s available at a significant discount, too!
The jury’s still out on whether HomeKit will really take over our homes and all the smart devices in them, but new HomeKit-compatible devices continue to pop up all the time. At CES 2017 in Las Vegas this week, vendors showed off a bunch of them, from light switches to security cameras.
Here’s our roundup of the best.
Accessory maker Elgato unveiled its new Thunderbolt 3 Dock at CES, offering a way for users to connect a pair of 4K displays to their new MacBook Pro, in addition to plenty of other legacy connection options.
Costing $299, it promises to stand in for the plethora of dongles you’ll need as the tech world makes the jump to Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C.
We’ve heard for years that the internet of things™ would imbue everything in our lives with the power of the web, all accessible by voice. If you’ve been waiting for something that isn’t a computer or smartphone or smart home hub to ask for driving directions or movie times, here’s your dream device at last: It’s a lamp that gets its smarts from Alexa.
This post is brought to you by Withings.
Don’t let shopping stress you out and spoil the holiday spirit. Gifts that are useful and beautiful are always a safe bet, and these Black Friday deals on health and fitness products from Withings — one of our favorite purveyors of quality gear — mean you can save up to 70 percent on the perfect gifts for 2016.
But don’t delay: These excellent deals on Withings fitness trackers, home health gadgets and smart scales won’t last forever. Prices go back up Tuesday!
So much of science fiction has been driven by an interest in things that we imagine would make our lives better, and sometime the real world delivers. The KlikR, a sleek and small Bluetooth module that makes any infrared-controlled device accessible from a smartphone, instantly brings a bit of that feeling of futurism into the home.
This coin-size gadget is an instant upgrade for your most-used electronics, and right now you can get one for just $19.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
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.
This post is brought to you by Elgato, makers of Eve Energy.
We’ve been told for a long time to expect the Internet of Things to give us a new relationship with our homes. By releasing HomeKit, Apple took a big step toward turning that prediction into reality, offering a platform for apps to interact with your home right through your iPhone.
Revolv smart hubs will no longer be supported as of May 15. Even though subscribers have known this was coming since February, there wasn’t a lot of attention until an author’s highly critical piece was published on Medium.
That story has spurred conversations questioning investment in the Internet of Things, or IoT, and prompted Nest to consider compensating users who were early investors in the Revolv hub.
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?
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.
Consumer electronics company Netatmo has made a camera that is easily overlooked as it keeps a lookout outside your door.
The outdoor surveillance camera Netatmo named Presence uses an algorithm to detect whether something in its view is a person, car or animal. It then immediately sends a notification through a companion iPhone or Android app along with an option to see what the camera recorded.
You’ve spared no expense in creating a smart home. You bought smart lightbulbs, a smart TV and smart appliances. All that’s missing is a device that makes you look smart when the electric bill comes in the mail.
The Agustsson brothers of Iceland may have figured out that part. They are the creators of Trinity, an affordable line of portable wind turbines, some of which can power the entire home.
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.
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.
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.
Google might have the Nest Learning Thermostat, but Tim Cook’s got a smart shower, thanks to a recent investment by the Apple CEO in a new, environmentally friendly shower company.
And what kind of boss would he be if he didn’t test the next-gen washing solution as an option for Apple employees?
Amazon’s Echo — an odd voice-activated domestic hub — just went on sale to the general public. If you’ve got $200 to burn, I recommend it. It’s oddly great — and it gives you a glimpse of the future.
If Apple’s Siri-controlled HomeKit comes close, controlling your home by voice is going to be a lot of fun.