Staples entered the home automation space with an inspired, bold plan (and hardware hub). But sustaining the smart home movement required more resolve (in the form of time and money) than they’re obviously willing to commit. From the Friday (of course) email blast: Staples will discontinue selling Staples Connect in our stores and online, but the Staples Connect service and … Read more
Those who follow me on Twitter know how much I dig my Arlo webcams. In fact, the 4-pack was one of my top 2015 gadget purchases. Beyond the original, compelling selling points of being entirely wireless (from both network and power) and providing a generous free tier of network capabilities (vs Nestcam), the service has seen quite a few updates that further improve and refine the experience. However, none are bigger than the two features introduced last month.
A periodic roundup of relevant news… Live television headed to Amazon Fire TV. Microsoft prepping a Roku-fighting Xbox streamer? Xiaomi to launch 4K Android TV in US as Google discontinues Nexus Player and Nvidia Shield sees nice updates. Both Apple and Google are developing Amazon Echo voice control home companion competitors. DISH HopperGO sidecar now available to offload Hopper DVR recordings … Read more
By way of the FCC, we learn Philips plans to soon expand their Sonicare line with yet another Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush. The technology had originally been released in a kids brush, as little ones presumably need more coaching as to when and where the cleaning gets done. As it turns out, Philips joins competitor Oral B in determining we … Read more
Amazon's Alexa is what Apple's HomeKit was supposed to be… https://t.co/EZRZYVUI86
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) April 6, 2016
Amazon has passed what looks to be a second generation Dash button thru the FCC — based on filing approach, device profile, and model number. But, given the very limited information, the only obvious enhancement is Bluetooth LE joining the existing 802.11 WiFi variants, potentially allowing smartphone or home automation interaction beyond what’s currently available in merely … Read more
Woot’s offering up a new, not refurb, 3rd generation Nest learning thermostat for $50 off retail at $200. I much prefer ecobee3, but this is a decent value if you happen to be in the market…
Philips just released firmware for the Philips Hue bridge that may permanently sever access to any “non-approved” ZigBee bulbs. We previously covered third party support in January 2015, when Philips indicated it was not blocked – and have since benefited.
The recent change seems to suggest any non-Philips bulbs from manufacturers such as Cree, GE, and Osram will not be supported in many situations, whereas “Friends of Hue” branded product are. At the time of publication, it’s unclear whether 3rd party bulbs will stop working immediately after the firmware update or if they may only become inaccessible after the bridge is reset. We’re also not sure if being “reset” means rebooted or factory reset. This appears to apply to both the round v1 bridge and square v2 HomeKit-compatible bridge after the latest firmware update is applied.