Ikea Smartshades are here! Well “here” as in some European stores with broader availability expected February 2nd — hopefully that includes the US, although prior reports indicated our availability would come later in the spring. In any event, we now know sizes, prices, and mechanics. There are two lines of grey Ikea smart shades, one … Read more
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
Garmin is poised to take the Vivoactive 3 Music fitness watch, introduced last summer, to the next level with Verizon LTE. According to the FCC-published user manual, you’ll be able to connect to Verizon for data transfer and text messaging. Data transfer is a nice addition for those that want to sideload music without having to … 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
