Dave Zatz 
While Roku freely admits their primary business is advertising, given several significant job openings around the world, the company continues to see audio as viable hardware category with a continued emphasis on platform voice control. The TCL-branded Roku soundbar announced at CES 2018 has reportedly been killed and Roku has taken matters into their own … Read more
As discovered by Variety (and yours truly) Sonos is prepping a new speaker. The paperwork has it labeled as S18 and RM016 — but those designations don’t really mean anything as it’ll surely carry a more natural name like Beam or One (unlike the horror that is Vizio audio naming conventions). And, speaking of the … Read more
Prior to Amazon acquiring Ring, Ring acquired Mr. Beams outdoor lighting… and the promised 2018 lighting solutions never materialized. Enter 2019 and, based on regulatory filings, Ring is back with a Beams vengeance. The company is relaunching the brand as simply Ring “Beams” and includes am impressive array of products — which have just hit the … Read more
When Assa Abloy acquired August Smart Home, I had assumed the consumer brand was dead. And a cobranded Yale August upgrade kit seemed to reinforce that they were moving in that direction. Welp, I totally read that wrong and August is refreshing their line. And what caught my eye is this beautifully designed August View … Read more
Although speaking of CES and Withings, how about I share another unannounced product? ? Withings "Move" tracker/watch with many month battery is coming. Thinking lower-end Activite' but not rechargeable. pic.twitter.com/FigaWPlwHC — Dave Zatz (@davezatz) January 1, 2019
Perennial smart home accessory maker TP-Link will be unveiling several new Kasa products at CES, including the previously disclosed Smart Spot camera and a pair of new connected outlets/plugs. The upcoming WiFi-powered in-wall outlet, with two controllable sockets, obviously requires installation, along with a neutral wire. As such, it may not be a great solution … Read more
Everyone wants a piece of the smart home pie. And it appears connected garage door leader Chamberlain will be next to branch out by imminently expanding their MyQ home automation platform to include a WiFi camera. Like so many these days, MyQ Camera account linkage will be handled via QR scanning and the black camera (which also hopefully … Read more
While Apple continues to drag its feet on the wireless Airpower charging pad, others have filled the void. And next up is the clever, multipurpose AT&T Power Drum that I inadvertently discovered today while trawling the FCC and confirmed with the Qi Wireless Power Consortium. The compact $100 accessory simultaneously, wirelessly charges Apple Watch and iPhone, up to … Read more