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Google and ADT team up for new Nest-integrated security tools
Google and ADT have officially teamed up to launch a suite of ADT security sensors and products that integrate neatly with Nest products. You can control all of your ADT gadgets and Google Nest components via the same ADT+ app. Additionally, ADT is offering a keychain remote and a control hub.
Uber now offers assistance from a live safety agent via call or text in the US
The company is also rolling out its text-to-911 feature more broadly.
ADT sues Amazon’s Ring over lookalike blue octagon signs
ADT has filed a lawsuit against Ring for using blue octagon signs that look similar to its own.
Home security technician admits hacking customers' security cameras
A former ADT security company employee has admitted to breaking into the cameras he installed in users’ homes in the Dallas area to watch their private moments. Telesforo Aviles has pleaded guilty to computer fraud and now faces up to five years in federal prison. According to the Department of Justice, Aviles has admitted that he would take note of the homes of women he deemed attractive to log into their accounts and view feed from their cameras for sexual gratification.
Lyft extends its Emergency Help feature to drivers and riders across the US
The rideshare company and ADT started testing the safety measure earlier this year.
Google’s Nest devices will be the ‘cornerstone’ of ADT smart home security
Google has announced that it will invest $450 million in security firm ADT, forming a partnership that will allow ADT’s technicians to sell and install Google’s Nest family of products. At the same time, Google’s Nest devices and AI technology will eventually expand ADT’s home security product range and become the “cornerstone of ADT’s smart home offering,” Google wrote.
ADT’s DIY smart home cameras won’t require a hub or long-term contract
Home security company ADT is creating a new smart home security brand called Blue by ADT. Today, the company is unveiling the brand's first three products: smart indoor, outdoor and doorbell cameras. Each of the new DIY devices can be used on its own or configured with others as you wish, and you won't need a smart home hub to operate them.
Lyft will help you contact ADT if you feel unsafe during a ride
Lyft plans to extend its in-app emergency tools beyond the option to call 911. The ridesharing firm is partnering with the security company ADT on safety features, starting with a US pilot program that will let you contact ADT if you need help. Thankfully, it's not just an alternative phone call. You can text if you're worried that talking will put you in danger, and ADT will still get in touch with relevant authorities if they don't hear a response.
ADT's Command tablet is the new center of its home security system
The rise of smart home technology has opened up plenty of ways to build a home security system. ADT, a company that's been doing home monitoring for decades, is unveiling a new version of its security products that can tie in to a variety of other connected devices around your house. The center of the system is the new ADT Command panel, a 7-inch tablet that serves as the hub for your home security.
Alexa can control your home security system
It's now decidedly easier to control your home security system if you have an Echo speaker or another Alexa-powered gadget. Amazon has enabled a Security Panel Controller framework that lets you control security systems with your voice. You can arm or disarm them, specify certain modes (home, away and night) and simply check in. And yes, Amazon is well aware of the security implications. You have to manually enable disarming by voice, and you can specify an Alexa-specific voice code instead of shouting your PIN code to everyone within earshot.
Nanoleaf wants you to control your smart home with a dodecahedron
A few months ago, Nanoleaf revealed a "Rhythm Starter Kit" that let you synchronize its colorful Aurora light panels with music. At CES, the company released a product designed to control it and more: the Nanoleaf Remote. But unlike a typical handheld remote control, the Nanoleaf Remote is in the shape of a 12-sided polygon -- a dodecahedron, if you will -- which changes the lights depending on which side it's on. And the beauty of it is that you don't have to use it with just Nanoleaf products -- it'll work with compatible Apple HomeKit products as well.
Judge blocks Ring's home security sales over trade secret dispute
The Ring Protect DIY home security system might not make it under anybody's tree this Christmas. A judge in Delaware has temporarily blocked Protect's sales due to a lawsuit filed by rival electronic security provider ADT. The bigger home security company is accusing Ring of stealing and using the platform originally developed for its products.
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.
ADT partners with LG and Nest to pair home automation with security
ADT already dipped its toe in the home automation waters, but the company plans to make an even bigger splash in the months to come. It announced today that it'll leverage tech from LG and Nest to add to its connected home tool set. First, ADT and LG are working on a so-called all-in-one "Smart Security" device (pictured above) that'll offer not only video monitoring, but it will act as a hub for connecting other gadgets as well. As you might expect, this means you'll be able to control the whole lot from ADT's app; however, the device isn't schedule to launch until this fall.
ADT wants to automate your home with the help of IFTTT
Now that home automation is all the rage, household security outfit ADT is looking to dive further into the fray with a hand from If This Then That (IFTTT). Using the home alarm company's Pulse system and the appropriate channel from the recipe-based app, you'll be able to leverage automated chores from IFTTT's library of tasks including disarming the alarm when your wearable switches out of sleep mode. You can also set a coffee maker in your kitchen to start brewing when your phone alarm wakes you and get a real-time video clip when the doorbell rings. ADT Pulse allows for remote control of a home security system from a mobile app, sending alerts and sorting remote video monitoring, too. It can the wrangle the connected thermostat and outlets for lighting and small appliances as well. Right now, the cooperative effort is looking to enter beta testing shortly with plans to open up a channel to the public afterwards that's full of pre-made recipes alongside the ability to create your own.
Ford Sync will soon let you order pizza while on the road
Ever wish you could (safely) order pizza while driving home? You'll have that chance soon. Ford has just announced Sync AppLink support in five apps that could prove handy for many commuters, including Domino's Pizza. An upcoming version of the eatery's software will let you dictate orders without taking your hands off the wheel. New editions of Parkopedia and Parkmobile, meanwhile, will respectively help you find and pay for parking. ADT's Pulse app will verify that your house is safe and sound, and an update to HABU later this month will send mood-setting tunes to the car stereo. It's not clear just when all of the new apps will be AppLink-ready, but it shouldn't be long before you're asking for an extra-large Pacific Veggie while you're stuck in traffic.
Switched On: Extra Sensory Perception
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. At Intel's CES 2012 press conference, the giant chipmaker justified calling thin notebook PCs "ultrabooks" by noting how the devices would increasingly be characterized by more than their thinness. The integration of sensors has become so core to the modern smartphone experience that their absence would make using such devices untenable.Most of that differentiation was based on plans to integrate the kinds of sensors that have become commonplace in smartphones and tablets, sensors that can detect location, motion, orientation and proximity. The integration of sensors has become so core to the modern smartphone experience that their absence would make using such devices untenable. Imagine if we had to manually reorient a display every time we wanted to play a game or take a photo or if we had to avoid activating a button with our cheeks when holding a phone against them.But as Switched On discussed in taking on how screen size affects form factors, what is a limitation of form factor today may not hold true tomorrow. Already, of course, smartphones can tap into remote intelligence for applications such as remote camera viewing or unlocking of doors via services from home security companies such as ADT and Vivint. From around the world, you can even remotely start a vehicle using the Viper SmartStart app. But there are increasing opportunities for smartphones to act on information from sensors that are not embedded into their shells.
Ask Engadget: best DIY wireless home security (and fire) system?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Roger, who is just about tired of hearing "ADT." If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm moving into a new place, and I need a good wireless home security and fire system. But here's the thing -- I only have a broadband internet connection and a cellphone. I can't use one of those traditional ADT systems that require a landline, and moreover, the $40+ per month they charge is outrageous. I need a DIY option that monitors both security and fire, and I'm fine paying up to $25 or $30 a month for UL-certified off-site monitoring. SimpliSafe and Lifeshield seem decent, but the former doesn't monitor fire yet. Support for live feeds and alerts on my smartphone would be a huge plus. Thanks!" Looks like SimpliSafe will be the perfect solution when it adds fire support in 2012, but Roger needs help in the here and now. Any paranoid homeowners out there have any other awesome suggestions? Drop 'em in comments below!
RIM announces PlayBook 2.0 Developer Beta and Runtime, marries Android to BlackBerry
Research in Motion announced the developer beta of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 today at its annual DevCon event. The new beta will be released today, and has a few goodies that we've been waiting a long time for: namely, BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and the BlackBerry Plug-In for Android Development Tools, which will give developers the opportunity to bring their Android apps to the PlayBook. Also coming along for the ride is support for Adobe AIR 3, Flash Player 11 and WebGL, a new tech that enables hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to show in the browser without needing additional software. Needless to say, this changes the ballgame a bit for Waterloo. Sounds great, but is it enough to keep the company's head above water? Remains to be seen, but check out the press release after the break to get the full scoop, and head over to the Runtime site to get started.
Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK now available to all, API level literally cranked to 11
You've heard that it was en route, and you've seen the preview. Now, it's time to enter the wild, wacky world of Android 3.0 for yourself. Honeycomb's SDK is now available for all developers to download, with the API's being deemed final and able to withstand new apps that will target the fresh platform. We'd bother spilling the beans on the added features, but we know you've already torn your left click button off in a frantic race to the source link. Simmer down, son -- the URL ain't going anywhere.