Wink Relay, Another Flawed Quirky Product

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Back in September, Wink announced the addition of Relay to their ever growing lineup of home automation products. The Relay is a wall mounted touch screen device that connects to your Wink home automation system and is powered by an Android variant. It features Wifi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth communication protocols, but missing are the Z-Wave and Lutron ClearConnect capabilities included in the original Wink Hub. For $300, you might reasonably expect that that the Relay could replace the Wink Hub. Alas, not.

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Kevo Bluetooth Smartlock Review

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Back in 2013, Kwikset released Kevo ($219), a deadbolt created by Unikey that let users lock and unlock their doors with just their phone. This process utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE 4.0) to determine the location of your phone or a keyfob and whether or not it’s inside or outside the door. So far, the release of Kevo has only been compatible with the iPhone 4s and later because of the BTLE requirement. But according to their support page, Android development is currently underway.

Now connected door locks have been around for a while in one form or another, but Kevo was the first to incorporate Bluetooth into a standard looking door lock. There have been others such as Lockitron and Jawbone’s August, but these are still not fully released. I had originally backed Lockitron, but after waiting a year and a half for the thing to ship, I cancelled my order. The August lock is set to ship later this year.

As for Kevo, they have just released a substantial update. These new features include:

  • New Guest and Scheduled eKeys
  • Faster Lock / Unlock Speeds
  • Improved User Interface

Let’s take a look at the Kevo itself, then go into each feature listed above.

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LightSpeaker 2: The Imaginary Sonos & Nest Lovechild

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Within the last week, both Sonos and Nest released new products. And, while each is somewhat compelling in its own right, I can’t say I’m in the market for either.

First, Nest has beautified and modernized another mundane home appliance. But the connected Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector runs a lofty $129 and, with 5 existing detectors, I don’t care enough to spend the kind of money needed to outfit my house. Further, unlike the Nest Thermostat, there’s no potential energy savings to offset and perhaps mentally justify the cost. Lastly, for reasons unknown, my Nest Thermostat has a tendency to reboot and the motion sensor hasn’t been very responsive — neither of which motivates me to entrust my safety to Nest, despite the Protect’s imminent UL endorsement.

Sonos, by comparison, has released a $199 speaker… which almost makes the multi-sensor Nest Protect appear a reasonable proposition. But Sonos has never been inexpensive and the connected speaker market has featured outrageous pricing across the board these last few years. But ya gotta pay to play, and like my TiVo Mini, I’ve been willing to drop the cash on the best solution irrespective of a company’s profit margins. If I hadn’t recently outfit a couple more rooms with the $299 Play:3, I’d have saved some coin and went with the new and more attractive Play:1.

But what if these two companies hooked up…

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Moto X Camera: Is Better Good Enough?

Late last week, AT&T Moto X owners were treated to a software update largely focused on improving camera performance. And, having had a unit in the house the last couple weeks, I can tell you its 10 megapixel camera is now more consistent, shot-to-shot, and white balance is more accurate. However, at the end of … Read more

Why Do I Have to Compromise for a “Mini” Phone?

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I am past due for a smartphone upgrade, and my HTC Thunderbolt shows it. But after going big (as in screen size) two years ago to get a phone with Verizon LTE, I’m more determined than ever to find a model this time around that fits a little more snugly in my pocket.

The good news is there are a couple of “mini” Android smartphone models to choose from. The bad news is none of them come with top-of-the-line specs. I don’t need an incredible camera or tons of storage space, but there are other bells and whistles I’d really like to have.

NFC support, for example. Do I need NFC?

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HTC Media Link HD Launching Soon, Under $100

After Pandora and DISH but before Sony, Team ZNF visited HTC last night at CES on the Hill. In addition to face time with the new HTC One line of Android smartphones, we were briefed of HTC’s upcoming Media Link HD — a television dongle that seems to replicate the AirPlay experience the iPhone and … Read more

A Smartphone So Epic, It Needs Six Names

Saturday Night Live ran an amusing advertisement that lampoons Verizon’s copious use of jargon and perplexing product branding, spotlighting 4G LTE and concluding with the tagline: It’s an old person’s nightmare. But don’t take my word for it, play the embedded skit above.

When asked if I found the bit entertaining, I was reminded of MadTV’s “iPad” prognostication and (the very real) Sprint Samsung Galaxy S II EPIC 4G Touch television commercial – a smartphone so impressive, it requires six names!

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