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Amazon Echo starts talking to your thermostat
Amazon's voice-guided Echo speaker can serve as everything from an exercise coach to a game machine, but its latest addition could be particularly helpful if you're shivering as you read this. The Echo now offers voice control over thermostats, starting with the Ecobee3 -- you can ask it to set a specific temperature, or give it vague directions to warm things up or cool them down. This won't do much if you have a rival smart thermostat (more support is coming, Amazon says) or are willing to use your phone. Look at it this way, though: if you dread getting out of bed on a cold day, this will let you warm things up without lifting a finger.
You'll soon track Bluetooth devices directly over the internet
There are plenty of Bluetooth-based sensors and smart household items, but they have one big gotcha: they typically need an intermediary device to get internet access and offer control away from home. The Bluetooth standards group has unveiled an architecture that gives those devices an internet gateway without requiring a phone, tablet or another in-between gadget. Your internet-connected thermostat could control temperature sensors around the house and send that information online, letting you track them from wherever you happen to be.
Smart cube lamp shows emoji and sets the mood
LED cube lamps have been around for a while, but they tend to either be make-it-yourself affairs or limited in what they can do. However, Spin-R might finally bring that lighting tech to your living room. It's crowdfunding Tittle (yes, we know), a 512-light lamp that you can program to do your bidding. You can customize its patterns and colors to set the mood for a movie or house party, but the real fun starts when it talks to the outside world. It can pulse in sync with your music -- conversation starter, anyone? -- and you can send 3D emoji to other Tittle owners to share what you're thinking.
SYNEK's countertop draft system will soon put growlers on tap
SYNEK's countertop draft beer system is one of many Kickstarter success stories. However, due to alcohol laws in states like North Carolina and Virginia, breweries and retailers couldn't fill the company's cartridges. In those two states (and others), containers must be rigid and hold 64 oz. max. SYNEK's first solution is a bag-like container that holds 128 oz. which meant eager drinkers in a few locales haven't been able to use the device. That's about to change, though, as the company is working on an adapter that will allow you to connect a glass growler to the compact draft system.
Princeton researchers find security flaws in IoT devices
One of the main concerns about the so-called Internet of Things is security, and the recent findings of researchers at Princeton won't help ease the anxiety. Researchers at the university's Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) took a close look at how information is transmitted between the connected devices in your home and the cloud to gauge just how secure they really are. The list of devices researched included the Belkin WeMo Switch, Nest Thermostat, Ubi Smart Speaker, Sharx Security Camera, PixStar Digital Photoframe and a SmartThings Hub. As it turns out, a few gadgets the group examined sent information out in the open.
You can order groceries from the door of Samsung's new fridge
When Samsung announced its latest smart refrigerator earlier this week, we were intrigued. After the company demoed the appliance during its CES press conference, we had to stop and take a look. If you missed the initial news, the new Family Hub fridge is packed with tech. The first thing you notice is the 21.5-inch display in the door, and that screen is the centerpiece of the Tizen-based system. As you might expect, you can mirror what's on your TV or stream music from the likes of Pandora, but entertainment options are actually the less exciting features.
LG home automation hub gives you pro-level security
It's no longer difficult to find both home automation and security in a single package, but LG thinks it can one-up its rivals with something special... if a bit odd-looking. Its previously previewed Smart Security device may look like an upscale colander, but it serves as both a smart home hub (for Bluetooth, WiFi, Z-Wave and Zigbee) and a wide-angle security camera backed by ADT. It's already equipped to notify you when there's unusual movement or changes in temperature, but a $20 ADT Canopy subscription will get you all-day monitoring with a dedicated response team. In theory, you won't have to bend over backwards to get help if there's a break-in.
Comcast home security exploit could let burglars in (updated)
Comcast's Xfinity Home system is supposed to keep your whole house secure, but a recently published vulnerability could leave things wide open. Researchers at Rapid7 report that you can use a quirk in the 2.4GHz wireless frequency to break communications with security sensors, forcing them to fail open and take a long time (several minutes to 3 hours) to reconnect. As the system doesn't even recognize the lost connection, that gives intruders free rein -- you might not know that anything's wrong until it's too late.
AT&T voice assistant helps you control your smart home
AT&T's Digital Life home automation service is supposed to make your life easier, but it's been lagging a bit in the control department. While Apple and Google let you command your home through your voice, Digital Life has required that you tap buttons... like an animal. Thankfully, the carrier is catching up: it's prepping a Digital Life Voice Assistant that controls some parts of the system through voice. You can ask if your security system is armed, for instance, or turn on the lights when you walk in. Optionally, the app can provide voice feedback if you want audible confirmation of what you've done. Just be prepared to wait, as the app won't be ready until sometime in the first half of this year. [Image credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Valve's Gabe Newell is backing a smart sous vide cooking tool
Valve founder Gabe Newell isn't just interested in gaming technology, like living room computers and virtual reality -- he also appreciates the science behind a well-prepared meal, too. The legendary game developer has poured money into ChefSteps to help them make Joule, a smart immersion circulator for sous vide cooking. Instead of fiddling with buttons on the wand to heat your water bath, you use a mobile app to set and monitor temperatures. It has presets for particular food types, and you can even have it change temperatures at different times -- if one guest prefers rare steak while another likes it well-done, you can make that happen. The hardware is small yet powerful, too, packing a 1100W heater into an 11-inch cylinder that can fit into your kitchen drawers.
Security system watches over your home without cameras
You don't have many great choices for home security systems right now. Conventional systems are expensive and effectively fixed in place, while connected cameras are conspicuous and carry the risk (however small) that someone might spy on you. Xandem thinks it has a better way, however. It's crowdfunding a security system that uses motion-detecting wireless mesh networking (previously the stuff of research) to alert you to intruders. It only requires plug-in nodes to work, and the resulting radio frequency web can both travel through objects and follow subjects. If all goes well, you're getting more complete coverage that stays hidden and reduces the chance of a false positive -- you can even track motion in apps or the web to see if it's a burglar or just a family member who got home early.
Watch Philips and Rudimental meld smart lighting with music
If you were making connected lighting, how would you convey the concept to the public? Philips thinks it has a way. It just launched the Living Light Sessions, a series of performances that has musicians putting on a light show with Hue bulbs while they play. The music is great, as an inaugural video from UK outfit Rudimental shows, although the link between music and smart lights is a bit strained -- while Hue is supposed set a "laid-back mood" for the gig, it mostly amounts to a lot of blue and purple in a studio. If nothing else, though, this could serve as a friendly reminder that Philips' technology is good for more than just impressing your friends.
Withings tracks your nutrition thanks to MyFitnessPal
Withings has a connected scale that tracks your weight and activity trackers that help you lose weight, but it doesn't have anything to measure the food contributing to that weight. However, the company just forged a partnership with MyFitnessPal that should fill in this gap. Withings' Health Mate app can now use MyFitnessPal's nutrition data, letting you know whether or not you're exercising enough in relation to your diet. If you lose a few pounds, it'll be clear just how much your meal choices played a part. The collaboration is a bit ironic for Withings given that it's effectively working with Under Armour (which has its own fitness gear), but it's hard to object if it gives you a better sense of your overall health.
App-controlled habitat grows just about anything in your home
You can already get smart gardening gear and smart aquariums, but wouldn't it be nice if you could get one box that handles just about anything you'd care to grow in or around your home? Jared Wolfe thinks so. His crowdfunded, internet-connected Biopod can nurture many kinds of plants and animals in its automatically controlled habitat. All you have to do is pick the kind of environment you want through a mobile app, and the Biopod can do the rest -- it regulates factors like the humidity, light, temperature and even artificial rainfall. While it won't feed your pets, a built-in camera lets you keep track of what your creatures are doing while you're away.
Sensor-equipped plant pods take the guesswork out of indoor gardening
Have you been thinking about trying your hand at gardening, but lack the green thumb to keep those plants alive? There's a new Kickstarter project that may be able to lend a hand. Plug & Plant is a wall-mounted system of pods that not only neatly organizes the indoor plants, but each one is equipped with Bluetooth room, humidity and light sensors. That tech gathers data from the environment and offers tips for optimum plant growth. A Smart Water Tank also uses the collected info to vary the watering regimen as needed for up to 30 days. Details are beamed to a companion app that displays the stats for each senor independently as well as analyzes the data and providing suggestions for care.
Kwikset's latest smart lock lowers the price by ditching the frills
Kwikset is no stranger to connected locks, but the $219 price for its Kevo lock might put you off if you're used to securing your door with cheaper conventional locks. That might not be a stumbling block for much longer, though: the company has trotted out a Traditional Signature Series Deadbolt lock with an easier-to-swallow $150 price tag. It'll still talk to any Z-Wave home automation network that supports locks (such as a Wink hub), giving you a way to remotely unlock the door or get alerts. The cost-cutting mostly comes through the absence of extras you might not need, like a gateway device or a keypad. This won't be the cheapest lock if you're starting fresh, in other words. However, it'll definitely make more sense if you're already living in a smart home and just want the entryway to match.
AT&T's home automation services reach your apartment
AT&T's Digital Life home automation services are tempting if you like the idea of cellular-connected safety and security systems, but you've had to live in a fully detached home to even consider subscribing. Live downtown? Forget about it. Thankfully, your options are expanding. Digital Life is now available in apartments and condos, so you can rely on the carrier to remotely turn on the lights or warn you if someone breaks in. The support is available in all 83 existing Digital Life areas, so the odds are that you can sign up today.
Withings unveils a sleep-savvy clock and more Android support
Like the idea of Withings' Aura improving your sleep cycles, but don't need a $300 gadget tracking every last nuance of your slumber? You're in luck. Withings is rolling out a lower-cost device, the $190 Connected Alarm Clock, that keeps the sleep-regulating light and sound patterns while ditching the biometric sensor. And speaking of audio, both the clock and the Sleep System are getting a Spotify tie-in -- you can now use the streaming service's music catalog to fall asleep or wake up, complete with suggested playlists based on both their effectiveness and your genre tastes.
Amazon reimburses you for Dash Buttons after your first purchase
In late July, Amazon quietly made its Dash Buttons available to all Prime members, without any announcement or fanfare. Today, the company finally made its new program official, and added products from 11 new brands in the process, though it's still limited to Prime subscribers only. The new additions bring the total to 29 brands that tally over 500 products -- all of which can be ordered with the push of a button. What's more, Amazon will also reimburse you for the $5 buttons when you use them to make your first purchase. In other words, you can give it a shot and if you end up not liking it (or even if you do), you'll get your money back. In addition to household items like laundry detergent and food, you can now use the buttons to order mints, gum and protein powder, among other things. For a full list of the available items, take a look here.
LG sensor adds smarts to your 'dumb' home appliances
Sure, it's easy to find connected home appliances, but what if you want to add a dash of intelligence to many of your existing appliances (not just one or two)? LG might come to your rescue before long. It's launching a SmartThinQ Sensor which uses feedback like temperature and vibration to tell you what your devices are doing. It can tell when your washer has finished by waiting for the shaking to stop, for instance, or tell you if someone left the fridge door open while you were out. In some cases, you can even remotely control those older machines. There's no word on when the sensor arrives, but it'll be joined by the smartphone-controlled Smart Lightwave Oven and Smart Air Conditioner at the upcoming IFA trade show.
