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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]
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.
How I tried and failed to be social at Coachella
I arrived in Palm Springs, California, with the best of intentions. I was to document -- painstakingly document -- the entire Coachella experience with all of the available mobile social tools at my disposal. I would Meerkat and Periscope and Instagram and Snapchat and tweet from Engadget's official accounts and the folks peering through from the other side of the digital window would watch, fave, like, retweet and comment live. I would use the festival's official app to plan my day and navigate the crowds. I would use an app dedicated to setting up reservations at (and paying for) pop-up dining experiences at the festival. I would Uber to and from the festival with abandon. With technology as my crutch, I would hack my Coachella experience. I would live through this festival as the ultimate millennial. Except I failed miserably at it.
AT&T's connected car tech now works with AT&T's connected home
Controlling your home's temperature from your smartphone is cool, but it'd make your neighbors even more jealous if you could do the same thing from your car's dashboard. That's the thinking behind AT&T's latest move, which is to bring its home automation platform in harmony with AT&T Drive, its connected car offering. Such integration means that users can control their security, door locks, thermostat and even garage doors straight from the navigation panel. Perhaps it won't be long before the company starts warning users not to mess with the A/C while riding down the highway in the same way it currently does for text messaging.
Engadget Daily: Digital life after death, the deal with Google Cardboard and more!
Ever wondered what happens to your digital life when you die? If not, you should give it some thought. Today, we explain how to handle a loved one's online accounts, investigate Google's cardboard-built investment in virtual reality, and more. The best part? It's all just a click away.
AT&T opens latest Foundry facility in Atlanta, focusing on the connected car, home automation and emerging devices
If you haven't been paying attention, here's the skinny: US carriers are doing everything they can to expand their horizons, and in the case of Verizon and AT&T, this sense of urgency has led to the creation of numerous innovation labs. In a nutshell, these facilities serve as incubation centers for startups and well-positioned outfits alike that are looking to add cellular connectivity to whatever it is they're hawking. AT&T's latest facility -- its fourth in total -- will open its doors later today, with the Atlanta-based Foundry focusing on innovation in the connected car and emerging devices sectors. Moreover, it'll be used to further AT&T's own U-verse and Digital Life platforms, though specifics of what exactly engineers will be toiling on remain under wraps. For an idea of what all goes down at places like this, have a look at a tour we took through one of Verizon's Innovation Centers right here; we're hoping to get a similar look at AT&T's lairs when time allows.
AT&T to open Foundries in Atlanta and Dallas that focus on home automation, device-to-device tech
AT&T launched its first Foundries primarily as mobile app incubators, but the carrier is switching focus tonight: it just unveiled plans to open more hardware-oriented Foundries in Atlanta and Dallas. Most Atlanta-based projects will expand AT&T's Digital Life home automation service, with connected cars and U-verse also receiving a boost. The Dallas Foundry complements an existing presence in the city, but will pay attention to the internet of things and other forms of machine-to-machine chatter. In either circumstance, collaboration will be key. The Atlanta location will sit right next to Georgia Tech, while hardware makers at the new Dallas office can get software help at the original Foundry one floor down. The two new locations won't open until a few months from now, but the Foundry program's healthy track record suggests that patience will be a virtue for interested developers.
Mobile Miscellany: week of May 20th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought hints of a revitalized Galaxy Exhibit for T-Mobile, news of two additions to the lineup at Cricket and a peek at the next GoPhone for AT&T. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of May 20th, 2013.
AT&T launches Digital Life home automation and security platform
It's been a long time coming. Seriously. AT&T first teased us with Digital Life way back in February of last year. Now the home security and automation platform is finally ready for prime time. Starting today customers in the 15 launch markets (Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, LA, Miami, SF, Seattle, Austin, Philly, Riverside, St. Louis, Denver, Boulder and the New York/New Jersey metro area) can put in their orders, provided they live in a single-family, detached house. There will be two packages to choose from: Simple Security and Smart Security. The former is a pretty standard alarm system with sensors, an HSPA-based base station and a 24-hour backup battery, for $30 a month and a one-time installation fee of $150. Smart Security is where the real fun happens, though. The basic version starts at $40 a month, with a $250 installation fee, and includes your choice of three additional features including a motion sensor, carbon monoxide sensor, glass break sensor, smoke sensor or a takeover kit. From there you can add on additional packages, like energy management or a camera system, for between $5 and $10 a month, plus the cost of installation. Those costs can quickly add up too. Those two add-ons alone could push the price of installation as high as $650. To go along with the launch AT&T is also releasing its remote control app, which will be available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8 and, "eventually," BlackBerry. Through the app you can lock doors, adjust your thermostat, turn on and off lights or appliances and check your security cameras. The most powerful feature, though, is the ability to create programs that can automate tasks, send alerts and trigger events based on data from the sensors. For example, if the glass break sensor on the kitchen window is tripped, the system can be set to turn on the lights in the room and start recording a video. Eventually, AT&T even sees the ability to integrate with the location services on a cellphone for additional automation options. If you're hankering for more details, check out the PR after the break. %Gallery-186857%
AT&T to launch Digital Life in 15 markets, hopes to enter home automation field
AT&T is finally set to launch its Digital Life home automation service, and it's ready to do so in a big way. Initially planned for just eight markets, the telephony giant has expanded its coverage to 15 starting this spring, with the hope of 50 by the end of the year. Essentially a way to monitor your home, Digital Life packages may include live video, the ability to remotely toggle the light on and off, change the thermostat, unlock the door and more. Customers are able to set up programs and alerts via smartphone or tablet applications or the web. AT&T should bring some heavy clout to the home automation party, though it won't be the first big-name communications company to do so. For more information on Digital Life and what it offers, have a peek at the source below.
AT&T to release Digital Life home automation in March
AT&T's mobile-friendly Digital Life home monitoring system has been brewing for nearly a year. At last, it's ready to roll: the service is now expected to launch in eight markets as of this March. While we're still waiting on prices, the company is already dividing its offering up into packages. Those worried about break-ins can get a video package with live video from inside and outside the home. There's also bundles that can control doors, manage energy-based devices or even check for water leaks. The carrier is adamant that Digital Life is a go-between service, not a component of its regular network -- we won't need to have AT&T cellphone or broadband access, and it should work with Android, iOS and Windows platforms. The service is a gamble in a crowded field, but AT&T is betting that its telecom savviness will carry the day over the traditionalists. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
The Engadget interview: AT&T's Glenn Lurie talks Digital Life at CTIA 2012 (video)
We had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Glenn Lurie -- AT&T's President of Emerging Enterprises and Partnerships -- about the company's Digital Life product which was announced back in February and launched today at CTIA 2012 here in New Orleans. Our takeaway? AT&T wants to tag everything in your home with an IP address and tie it all together seamlessly in a blaze of wireless glory. Don't believe us? Watch our video interview and judge for yourself. Brad Molen contributed to this report.
AT&T announces home automation platform, eco-ratings for consumer devices
Today, AT&T revealed that it's working on a new home monitoring and automation platform known as Digital Life. While it'll be marketed toward service providers, the IP-based system will allow business and residential users alike to remotely monitor cameras, lighting, thermostats, motion detectors, window and door sensors, along with a litany of other devices. It'll be demonstrated next week in Barcelona as part of the GSM Association's Connected Home experience. As you'd expect, we'll be there to bring you a peek of AT&T's handiwork.The company has also announced that, later this year, customers will find eco-rating labels on AT&T-branded mobile devices. With this initiative, shoppers may evaluate criteria such as a product's energy efficiency, the percentage of recycled materials used in manufacture, and the inclusion of metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury. These factors and more will be presented as a composite score that evaluates the sustainability attributes of each device -- think of it as an easy way to get your green in gear. You'll find the PR for both announcements after the break.
What 10 years of Apple did to its main product
How time flies! In the year 2000, I was just finishing high school, listening to Bush, and becoming acquainted with Windows 2000. Back then, I knew very little about Apple, and I'd certainly not heard of the Bondi Bubble iMac (the first iMac was released in 1998). In 2010, well...how things have changed for me! And, as illustrated by Brett Jordan in the graphic above, things have also changed at Apple. It's incredible to think that the iPhone has taken center stage at Apple over the last three years. As noted by some of our commentators, there has been a real lack of Mac-centric news recently. Sure, there was the update to the iMac a few months ago, but it's glaringly obvious that the Mac has taken a back seat to the iPhone -- certainly in the limelight department. In fact, I'm reveling in the fact that I'm writing about the iPhone and the iMac at the same time! Today, the Mac is the center of our digital hub, but it's no longer the center of our digital world. When we leave the house / office / room where the Mac lives, it's the iPhone ( iPad / iPod touch) that is constantly in our hands, and Apple knows it! Of course, we have to come back to our Macs eventually (in my case, repeatedly, everyday) because the iPhone can't do everything that we want it to, or even some of the things that we want done well, yet. But just looking at this picture shows how far things have come, and how the direction taken by personal computing is becoming even more personal. The only feature of the iPhone 4 that doesn't beat the iMac of yesteryear is screen real estate. The processor and RAM are double the capacity of the iMac, the iPhone's storage is 2 gigabytes larger, and it's flash-based memory. And of course, it's tiny in comparison. As noted by Obama Pacman, it's Moore's law in effect. But when will it end? In 10 years time, will we have an iPhone that's five times smaller than the current one, but more powerful than the personal computers of today? Who knows? That might be a weird phone, but anything could happen. For now, I'm still stuck with my iPhone 3G, and I think it might still have some Bush on it. In the meantime, I'm just looking forward to getting the iPhone 4!
NYC's game-focused DigitalLife 2008 Expo canceled
Ziff-Davis Media's annual DigitalLife Expo – held each fall in New York City's Javits Center – is canceled this year thanks to "poor economic conditions." The last two years had a significant gaming presence (2006 and 2007) and, facing a lack of interest in the show in 2007, Ziff's "apparent strategy was to put more of a focus on gaming for the 2008 edition" according to CNET. DigitalLife Vice President Paul O'Reilly said in an e-mailed statement, "Hopefully, a bigger and stronger DigitalLife will return in 2009."So, if you had September 25-28 circled in your 2008 Hot Men of Ziff-Davis calendar, we'd recommend you spend that time with some of this fall's bigger games. Seriously, what were you thinking anyway? September has Rock Band 2, Spore, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Mercenaries 2 (on August 31). You'll be quite busy.
HP's DigitalLife booth tour
HP had a lot of new product at DigitalLife, what with the refreshed iPaq line, brand new notebooks and those Blackbird behemoths. Even Voodoo got in on the action. Such happy times. But don't take our word for it, check out all the gallery action below.%Gallery-7877%
Hands-on with iRobot's new ConnectR and Looj bots
There's not much to see and feel with these two -- iRobots are all about the action -- but we got a quick look at the new ConnectR and Looj today. The Looj seems well enough suited to its purpose, with solid construction and a powerful thwap. We saw it running through a gutter earlier, and it certainly seems like it can clean as advertised. The ConnectR seems less well polished, but that's to be expected, since iRobot seems to be pretty flexible on what the finished product will be like when it ships in 2008, with changes based on customer feedback from trial sales. One feature in the works is an IR emitter, for controlling home automation and AV products, and hopefully iRobot can clean this one up and add another "killer" feature or two before unleashing it on the public.%Gallery-7873%
Hands-on with Dell's M1730 "Beast"
Beast is right, this thing is just a monster. We're fairly certain we've held laptop before that are lighter than the Dell M1730's LCD alone. That said, it can certainly pump out the graphics, and the amBX-esque lighting functions are kind of growing on us. An extra perk to the AGEIA PhysX systems is an exclusive Unreal Tournament 3 level with extra explosion fodder, which is possibly one of the best selling points we've heard for the physics card.%Gallery-7869%
Hands-on with the Palm Centro
Well, here's the shiny little Centro, in all its slightly-less-than-breathtaking beauty. Truth be told, the phone doesn't look or feel too bad -- we still don't get the gray stripe through the middle, but what can you do? The keyboard is unbelievably tiny, but we'll take it where we can get it. The surface of the cherry red or metallic black phone is quite slick, and we suspect will go tumbling out of sweaty hands like gang busters. Of course, the EV-DO connection was snappy, but the thing we're most stoked about is the fact that Palm has finally eliminated that 2-pixel border around the screen. Hey, no new OS... but that border is gone. The Centro is due mid-October for the shockingly low price of $99.99, which should help push more than a couple of these out the door. Hit the gallery and check out all the hot photos.%Gallery-7863%
Live from the Palm press conference at DigitalLife
Well folks -- we're here at the Palm / Sprint press event at DigitalLife, so get ready to have your heads go popping off your neck in a matter of moments. We're going to be liveblogging the whole nasty affair -- so keep your browser tuned in for the action.12:34PM EST - Ed Colligan is about to take the stage, and we get a video! Very emotional video being played -- quite a few people in tears. Just kidding. 12:36PM EST - Ed Colligan is talking about the video. Blogging and emailing from a Treo he says. Colligan just said he didn't know what Twittering was until today.Ed is talking about the market, says a billion phones will be sold this year. Says the market will grow 56 percent over the next few years.12:39PM EST - Now he's talking about the size of smartphones and how they're too big and too complex.12:40PM EST - Here it goes -- the Centro!
