Here’s what smart home security looks like for the super rich
If you think smart home security is getting high-tech for the average person, just wait until you see what the ultra-rich folks are up to. From personal bat caves to bulletproof shutters and laser curtains, there are security solutions for every possible doomsday scenario — if you have the money.
A whole new world: New Google Home games let kids play as Disney characters
Even though school is back in session, it's important to get a little playtime in to break up the homework and stimulate the brain. Luckily, the Google Home smart speaker now is capable of playing a variety of kid-friendly games provided by Disney that will be sure to keep them entertained and engaged.
Control4 assures customers that its products will still work with Nest
Google is ending the "Works with Nest" program that allows third-party companies to build products that integrate with the Nest ecosystem. Smart home product maker Control4 is promising that its products will continue to work with Nest and Google devices through the "Works with Google Assistant" program.
Judge says landlord must provide physical alternatives to smart locks
A landlord in New York who added smart locks to apartments will have to provide physical keys. A judge ruled this week that an apartment building using smart home technology has to provide physical alternatives to tenants who don't want to use devices like smart locks that they didn't agree to use.
Google’s Nest Hub Max smart display hopes to to take on the Echo Show
Google introduced its Amazon Echo Show competitor during Google I/O 2019. The company revealed the Google Nest Hub Max, a smart display that is powered by the Google Assistant. The device with a 10-inch screen with a built-in video camera and facial recognition will retail for $229.
Alexa, stop recording me: Bill would limit eavesdropping by smart speaker makers
Alexa and other voice assistants are listening and recording what you say. California wants to control what they can hear. A new proposed bill would prohibit companies that make smart home speakers -- including Amazon, Google, and Apple -- from storing recordings without a user's content.
Let the Landroid M robot lawnmower do your yardwork for you
Yardwork is one of those things that you don't realize how much work it is until you have to do it. Luckily, you can farm out that work to a robot. The Landroid M is a robotic lawnmower from Worx that you let cut your yard all on its own or program and monitor its every move from a mobile app.
Survey says Siri and Google Assistant are the most used voice assistants
Alexa might be extremely popular because of smart speakers, but it still has a way to go to catch up to voice assistants the are built into smartphones. A recent survey conducted by Microsoft found that Apple's Siri and Google Assistant tied for the most used voice assistants on the market.
Hola, Alexa. Voice assistant will soon add support for Spanish speakers
Amazon's voice assistant is getting support for Spanish. The company announcedthat its Amazon Skills Kit development program will allow apps and skills creators to build support for Spanish into their services. Alexa devices will have Spanish support enabled later this year.
Family sues Instant Pot after daughter is reportedly scalded by appliance
A Colorado family is filing a lawsuit against Instant Pot over an incident that resulted in their daughter receiving third-degree burns. According to the family, they were making soup in the appliance and attempted to de-pressurize it when the Instant Pot exploded in front of the 9-year-old girl.
Can new laws protect you from smart home security breaches?
Smart home devices might be convenient, but they also can put users at risk when a data breach occurs. To help combat those situations, state and federal lawmakers are exploring ways to protect consumers. California, Oregon, and members of the U.S. Senate all have proposals to protect people's data.
Apple’s interest in self-driving cars reported to be revving up
Let the rumors of Apple's interest in self-driving cars start up again. After it seemed like the company was backing off entering the autonomous vehicle competition, a new report suggests that Apple is in talks with a number of suppliers to purchase lidar sensors, an essential tool for self-driving cars.
Toyota leads $1 billion investment in Uber’s self-driving tech division
In a move that has been a long time coming, Uber filed its S-1 documents, which sets the stage for the company to finally go public with an initial public offering. Despite still losing more than $1 billion last year, the company is looking to sell stock while being valued at up to $100 billion.
Watch: Police responding to an alleged burglary find a Roomba, not a robber
Police officers in Washington County, Oregon, responded to a call of a potential burglary and were surprised to find the perpetrator was actually just a Roomba. Body camera footage from the response effort shows the police, guns drawn, walking in on the robovac robber cleaning the bathroom floor.
J.D. Power finds voice assistants are becoming important for new car buyers
What matters most when buying a new car? For some car buyers, it is increasingly becoming the inclusion of a voice assistant. A new study conducted by J.D. Power found that car buyers — especially younger ones — are increasingly interested in having a familiar voice assistant inside their vehicle.
Ring home security system now works as a hub for smart home devices
One of the problems with smart home devices is most of the time, you have to stay within the same ecosystem to make sure everything plays nicely. Ring is helping to fix that with its Works With Ring program. It lets thousands of smart home devices built on Z-Wave connect to Ring's Alarm Base Station.
Wink Hub has been out of stock almost everywhere for the past few months
The Wink Hub is one of the best reviewed smart home hubs around. There's just one problem: It hasn't been available for months. The Wink website lists the Wink Hub and other products as out of stock and no new product integrations have been added, leaving some to wonder if the company is still operating.
Tiny red stickers managed to trick Tesla’s Autopilot software
Tesla's Autopilot is a long way off from taking over driving duties entirely. New research published by Tencent Keen Security Lab found that it was possible to trick the autonomous vehicle software by placing small stickers on the ground that fooled the car into changing lanes when it didn't need to.
Use this tool to see where your smart home devices are sending data
Your smart home devices may only work inside your home, but they might be sending data your data all over the world. A tool developed by researchers at Princeton University can help you track the data being sent from your smart home devices to see where it is being sent and who is using it.
Alexa becomes more of a newscaster by giving you more in-depth information
Amazon wants Alexa to be your own personal newscaster right in your home. A new report suggests Alexa will soon be able to read long-form news stories to you from major publications including CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, and others. The in-depth reporting will be available in audio and video form.
Class-action lawsuit claims LG refrigerators fail after just a few years
Do you ever get the feeling that your refrigerator isn't lasting as long as it should? You aren't alone. A class-action lawsuit filed against LG claims that many of the company's refrigerators only last a few years. The issue appears to stem from an issue with compressors, which can be costly to replace.
Bosch plans to harness the power of Blockchain for its next refrigerator
Here's a gimmick: a refrigerator powered by blockchain. German electronics company Bosch is teaming up with Austrian energy firm Wien Energie to create a refrigerator that runs on blockchain. The appliance will give users more control over where their power comes from and how much their fridge consumes.
Across the U.S., popular video doorbells are recording their own thefts
Video doorbells are supposed to keep your house safe and let you see who is at your front door. But what happens if someone swipes the whole device, camera and all? There has been an uptick in instances of video doorbells being stolen right from people's houses, leaving homeowners looking for answers.
Students reportedly scam Apple out of nearly $1 million with fake iPhones
Chinese students living in the United States managed to scam Apple out of nearly $1 million by exchanging counterfeit iPhones for real ones. Apple's replacement policy allowed the scammers to trade-in devices that didn't start up for new phones, which were then sold for a profit in China.
Wolf, Sub-Zero, and Cove have new luxury appliances for your home
If you're in the market for some new kitchen appliances, you're in luck. Sub-Zero and Wolf have a whole new line of kitchen appliances planned for this year. Sub-Zero has a new refrigerator, Wolf has two different ovens for kitchens of any size, and new brand Cove has a premium dishwasher available.
Thor Kitchen promises affordability with its new pro-style induction cooktops
Cooktops have all sorts of benefits over standard gas or electric stoves. They are energy-efficient, won't heat up your whole house, and warm up quickly so you can get right to cooking. Thor Kitchen is promising its new line of pro-style induction cooktops will be one-third the price of premium brands.
Google Assistant may not be disclosing search results as paid ads
When you ask Google Assistant a question, it might be responding with an advertisement. A recent report found that Google's voice assistant was delivering results from paid partners without clearly disclosing any financial interests. The results appear to be a part of Google's Local Services program.
Apple permanently drops the price of its HomePod to $299
After getting into the smart speaker market late and with a premium price tag, Apple is finally cutting the cost of its HomePod. The company is dropping $50 off the retail price for the smart speaker. It now retails for $299, which is still considerably more than most of its competition.
Hyundai’s virtual cockpit limits distractions on the road, study finds
The idea of having digital displays in front of you while you drive may sound distracting, but it might actually help you navigate the roads. A new study testing Hyundai's virtual cockpit concept found that drivers weren't overly distracted while using the dashboard and found it intuitive to use.
Burger King goes meatless with new Impossible Whopper option
Burger King is adding a meatless version of the Whopper to its menu. Starting with a test run in the St. Louis area, Burger King is introducing the new Impossible Whopper, a version of the classic Whopper that features the plant-based Impossible burger patty that has become a popular meat alternative.
More hidden cameras have reportedly been found in Airbnb rentals
There are few things more disturbing than discovering that you're being watched. Airbnb renters are running into issues with hidden cameras in units, including a recent case in Garden Grove, California, where a couple found a camera in a smoke detector placed directly above the bed.
Future Jaguar Land Rover models could help stop the spread of superbugs
Cars could go from harming the environment to saving it. A concept put forward by Jaguar Land Rover proposes using the ventilation systems in its future vehicles to neutralize pathogens and stop the spread of bacteria and harmful viruses including the cold, flu, and potential superbugs.
Alexa’s chief scientist wants to give the voice assistant a robot body
Voice assistants live in our tabletop devices, but they might not for long. Rohit Prasad, the chief scientist behind Amazon's Alexa, recently said that he believes the voice assistant needs a robot body to explore and experience the world. That experience could help it better answer human questions.
Lyft trails Uber in popularity, but it just beat its rival to Wall Street
While Lyft is not as popular as Uber, it just beat its rival to Wall Street by becoming a publicly traded company. It started trading on March 29, and it's worth approximately $24 billion, which is more than investors expected. The same investors predict Uber will be worth about $120 billion when it holds its own IPO.
Intel claims Nvidia copied its self-driving car strategy
Intel recently railed against competitor Nvidia for allegedly copying its self-driving technology. In particular, Intel's senior vice president Amnon Shashua says Nvidia's recently revealed “Safety Force Field” is cribbed from Intel's "Responsibility Sensitive Safety" paper published in 2017.
Alexa is more popular, but Google Home users are more satisfied, survey finds
Amazon Alexa may be the most popular smart speaker on the market, but Google Home owners are more satisfied. That's according to a recent study that examined the use of the leading smart speakers. According to the study, Google Home was better at answering questions and controlling other devices.
Trump administration might undo Obama-era LED light rules
The Bush administration made incandescent light bulbs a thing of the past, and the Obama administration attempted to extend it. But the Trump administration wants to roll back a Department of Energy rule that would require specialty light fixtures to move away from wasteful incandescent lightbulbs.