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Nest's smart thermostat now comes in a range of colors (updated)
Nest's third-generation Learning Thermostat wasn't exactly a design revolution -- surprise, it's another metal puck with a display -- but the company is doing something to jazz things up. It's introducing versions of the smart temperature controller that come in black, white and an especially attention-grabbing copper. If you've ever thought that the regular steel thermostat was too gauche (or not gauche enough), you now have the option of a model that better matches your decor.
Neato's latest robot vacuums are much more affordable
If you like the concept of Neato's WiFi-linked robot vacuum but feel that $699 is too rich for your blood, you're in luck. Neato is unveiling two more affordable Botvac models, the $399/£399 D3 Connected (above) and $599/£549 D5 Connected, that promise WiFi and the core cleaning features at better prices. The D3 still has mobile app access and laser-guided navigation, but trims costs through a lower-capacity battery, a basic filter and fewer features -- you won't get the high-end model's boundary markers, eco/turbo modes, manual drive, spiral and side brushes or on-robot scheduling. Move up to the D5 and you'll get the battery, brush and filter upgrades as well as boundary markers. Also, only the D5 has in-app cleaning stats and a Find Me locator right now. Those are coming to the Botvac Connected flagship later, but won't be available at all for the D3.
Bosch and Drop team up on smarter kitchen tech
Many appliance makers are forming partnerships to drag their lineups into the smart home era, but Bosch's alliance may be something special. It's teaming up with Drop (of smart scale fame) to add intelligence to kitchen devices. The two are starting modestly: if you have a Series 8 oven with Home Connect support, you can already use Drop to control the appliance as well as monitor the temperature and time. However, the companies have grander things in store.
Airbnb rentals can play havoc with your mortgage
Renting out your home on a service like Airbnb is supposed to be good for your bottom line, but it's now clear that it can create some headaches if you're a homeowner. The Wall Street Journal is warning that banks may turn down your attempt to refinance your mortgage if they learn that you've rented your home on Airbnb. Simply speaking, banks tend to see homes as either personal residences or investments and don't like the risk associated with the latter. While some banks may allow a gray area between the two, others won't be so kind -- Bank of America, for example, won't give you a home equity line of credit if there's a "material amount" of commerce in your home.
Amazon Echo now controls your August Smart Lock
Amazon's Echo is about to become much more useful if you've ever worried about leaving the door unlocked. August Home is introducing an Alexa skill that gives you voice control over its Smart Lock system. If you have a first- or second-generation lock with an August Connect bridge, you can ask Alexa to both check a lock's status and lock the door. It's a simple addition, but it beats having to pull out your phone or walk across the house simply because you didn't remember to lock up when you got home.
Whirlpool washer and dryer can order refills with Amazon Dash
If you hate having to swing by the store to get washing detergent and dryer sheets, Whirlpool has you covered. The appliance maker's Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer can now use the Amazon Dash Replenishment Service to automatically re-order supplies. Once you've synced your Amazon account, you don't have to lift a finger -- the machines will estimate when you're running low and ship accordingly. This is just one part of a smarter design (they already talk to your smartphone and Nest thermostat), but it could make the biggest difference.
Does your sous vide gear really need WiFi?
If you spend a considerable amount of time reading J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's writings on better cooking through science, you'll come across his sous vide steak guide. I've read what Lopez-Alt and others have to say about the culinary method for preparing a slab of beef, or, more specifically, that cooking a thick steak in a low-temperature water bath before searing produces stellar results. But that process can take a couple of hours for a thicker ribeye or New York strip. Also, keeping watch for that long sounds like an awful way to spend an evening.
Samsung pours $1.2 billion into the Internet of Things
Samsung is willing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to the Internet of Things. The electronics giant is spending $1.2 billion on IoT development in the US over the next 4 years, sharing it between startups and its own work. This isn't just about getting into a young field, if you ask Samsung. The company pitches this as crucial to dealing with an aging population -- connected gadgets could help an older generation maintain its independence.
Your iPad can double as a smart home hub with iOS 10
No inclination to get the latest Apple TV just to give yourself a hub for your HomeKit devices? If you have a reasonably recent iPad hanging around, you won't have to. Apple tells SlashGear that iOS 10 can use your iPad as a smart home hub as long as the tablet is both plugged in and connected to your network. It seems like an odd move, but Apple says it's all about increasing HomeKit's reach -- you can't buy the new Apple TV in countries like China, so the iPad offers that remote home automation instead. Either way, you probably won't want to try this in a multi-person household. You don't want to lose out-of-home control over your thermostat just because Junior decided to play Hearthstone.
Keurig pulls the plug on its pod-based soda maker
Keurig may have locked up the rights to let you make your own Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Snapple and more, but it wasn't enough to get the company's Kold machine into homes. Keurig Green Mountain announced today that the counter-top device was being discontinued after being on sale for less than a year. What's more, current customers can ask for a refund of the purchase price. For those willing to ride it out, the single-serving Kold pods are now available at a discount.
HomeKit does indeed make the August Smart Lock more useful
The August Smart Lock is not new. We reviewed it way back in 2014, and for the most part, everything we mentioned then still applies. The lock is still super easy to install, and it still works with deadbolts, not knobs. Most importantly, using an app instead of physical keys can still be an adjustment, but being able to control your lock remotely really is an interesting convenience. So why bother revisiting, then? Because two years post-launch, it's finally been upgraded with HomeKit integration. Since Engadget hasn't actually tested many HomeKit devices yet, we thought this one was worth a second look.
Barisieur's coffee-brewing alarm clock might actually happen
When we first spotted the Barisieur coffee-brewing alarm clock back in 2014, it was a pet project for designer Joshua Renouf. The plan was always to turn it into a gadget for the masses, and in the months that have passed since, the overall design and the tech that drives the bedside system were refined for production. To help make waking up to a freshly brewed cup of pour over coffee or loose leaf tea a reality, Renouf and his team are looking to Kickstarter to get them over the hump.
Nest's thermostat now talks to WeMo smart home switches
Want Nest's smart thermostat to do a lot more than change the temperature when you're out? Belkin is about to make your day. The gadget maker has introduced Works with Nest support to its WeMo switches and the WeMo Maker, giving you an easy way to toggle devices when you're home or away. You can switch on the lights when you get home, for example, or turn on a fan to cool down your home while you're out. The WeMo app has control over the Nest thermostat's target temperature, too, in case you'd rather not switch apps. All the integration support will be live the moment the latest WeMo app update arrives (no later than 3PM today, the 17th), so you don't have to wait long to automate more of your household.
Yelp gives you quotes for home services
Yelp is normally the service you use when you want to escape the home, but now it's aiming to be your go-to source for help in the home. It just launched a feature that gives you price quotes for all kinds of services, ranging from car repairs to event planning to plumbers. The option highlights those businesses that are most likely to respond quickly, and you can even bulk-message companies to quickly find out who has the best deal. Quotes are available now on the web and in the iOS app, and they'll be accessible within the Android app very soon.
Smart purifier tells you what's in the air
With certain exceptions, air purifiers aren't especially smart or powerful. They'll remove some of the nastiness, but it's anyone's guess as to how much there actually is. Sprimo thinks it can change that: it's crowdfunding a purifier that's not only more effective than conventional rivals (reportedly up to 50 times more efficient), but designed from the ground up with intelligence in mind. It'll tell you the basic contents of the air and give you a quality rating to give you a sense how clean that air really is. The device will also give you a sense of what filters to use (say, one geared towards pollen) and tell you when you're likely to need a replacement.
Cooking app maker wants a standard for smart kitchen devices
There are plenty of smart cooking devices to help you bring masterpieces to the table. However, they don't usually talk to each other -- your sous vide tool doesn't know the weight of the ingredients you measured on a scale just a couple of feet away. SideChef wants to fix that. The cooking app developer is building a platform that lets kitchen gadgets work in unison. Once you pick a recipe, every device would know what to do. Your oven would start pre-heating, for instance, while your mixer would run at just the right speed to blend everything together.
Ring's Video Doorbell Pro is a sleeker, more powerful home portal
Ring's Video Doorbell is helpful if you want to know who's gracing your door, but it has its limitations: it streams in 720p, its motion detection isn't fine-grained, and its boxy design can stick out like a sore thumb. That's where the just-announced Video Doorbell Pro might save the day. The upgraded ringer not only captures footage in 1080p (helping you read that salesperson's name tag), but lets you specify motion zones that alert you when there's activity in a specific area, like your front porch or the mailbox. And as you may have noticed, the Pro is much smaller and slicker than its precursor -- it won't look quite so out of place at the front of a vintage home.
Philips' latest Hue lights help you sleep
Philips has smart Hue light bulbs that produce flashy colors, but what about bulbs that change just enough to give you a good night's rest? You're set after today. The lighting firm is trotting out Hue white ambiance lights that offer color temperatures which mimic natural light, helping you sleep naturally. Combined with new "routines" in an upcoming version of the Hue app, they can shift gradually to reflect day and night cycles -- a sleep mode can use dimming light to replicate the sunset, for example, while "wake up" brightens the area. There's even a nightlight mode to help kids get back to sleep after wandering the hallway. Logically, the new Hue offering should also be useful for creating different moods. You could have cool, crisp lighting in a workspace, or warmer temperatures in the living room.
Acaia's Bluetooth scale tracks your morning coffee ritual
I'll admit it: I'm a coffee snob. I wasn't even that invested until I became friends with two roasters. Fast forward a few years and I have equipment in my kitchen for six different brewing methods. Yes, it's a bit much. However, that still didn't stop me from being enticed by the Acaia Pearl Bluetooth-equipped scale, which aims to make the daily ritual as consistent and accurate as possible. Do you really need a $129 gadget to help you make better coffee, though? Or will a cheap kitchen scale and timer do the job just fine? After a few weeks with the priciest "Pearl Black" model, which sells for $150, I'm not ready to give up my budget gear just yet.
Brita's smart water pitcher orders its filters from Amazon
Amazon's automatic Dash refills are reaching all kinds of devices... and now, that includes the gadgets in your fridge. Brita has launched the Infinity water pitcher, a WiFi-equipped container that automatically orders replacement filters whenever your current purifier is near its limit. It's not cheap at $45, and that's not including the $6 you'll pay every time you need a new filter. However, it might be just the ticket if you can't imagine drinking from the tap (or heading to the store) for even a brief moment.
