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IKEA's AR furniture app now lets you preview an entire room
IKEA's augmented reality Place app can be helpful for gauging how furniture will look in your abode, but you've been limited to trying items one at a time -- not much help if you're trying to furnish a new home. Now, though, it's much more practical as a home decor tool. An updated iOS app (the Android equivalent is coming in the "near future") lets you place multiple items at once, whether they're handpicked or part of pre-defined Room Sets. You'll know if that lounge chair and lamp combo fits in with your living room, for instance.
IKEA will produce more energy than it consumes by 2020
Many companies are pouring money into renewable energy, but how many can say they're producing more than they need? IKEA thinks it will, at least. Its holding company Ingka revealed that IKEA will generate more renewable energy before the end of 2019 than the energy its stores use. The firm only expected to draw even by 2020. The furniture chain added that it had invested about $2.8 billion in solar and wind energy over the past decade, and told Reuters that it intended to continue funding that renewable tech, including two stakes in American solar farms this week.
IKEA's remote for its Sonos-powered speakers ships October 1st
When IKEA launched a line of Sonos-powered SYMFONISK speakers last month, the Swedish furniture giant promised an accompanying remote. Spotted by Tweakers, the product page for the puck-shaped controller is now live. The SYMFONISK remote will launch at €14.99 in black and white color options. It will hit the UK and Europe on October 1st, with a North American release likely to follow shortly after.
IKEA creates a business unit devoted to smart home tech
It's clear by now that IKEA is serious about smart home tech between its Sonos-powered speakers and connected lights, but the home furniture giant wants to formalize that commitment. It just established a full-fledged Home Smart business unit that, as you might guess, will be dedicated to smart home products. It's the "biggest" new unit since the Children's IKEA division, the company's Peter van der Poel said.
IKEA's Sonos-powered speakers are available now
After a months-long wait, IKEA's Sonos-powered SYMFONISK speakers are finally available. They're sitting in the furniture giant's stores as of today (August 1st) and should be available online "soon." As before, what you choose depends both on the audio quality you expect and how you'll use them to furnish your home. The $99 bookshelf speaker is both the most affordable option and can double as a shelf of its own if you buy the $20 wall bracket. The $179 table lamp, meanwhile, is both a handy light source and a more powerful speaker comparable to Sonos' Play:1.
UC Santa Barbara sues Amazon and IKEA over LED lighting
UC Santa Barbara has had enough of retailers selling its patented LED light bulb technology without authorization. This week, the university filed a lawsuit charging Amazon, IKEA, Walmart, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond with infringing its patents. According to Nixon Peabody, the law firm representing UC Santa Barbara, this is the "first-of-its-kind direct patent enforcement campaign against an entire industry."
IKEA SYMFONISK review: Sonos speakers at IKEA prices
Although IKEA is mostly known as a purveyor of flatpack furniture and Swedish meatballs, it has dabbled in electronics as well. In years past, it's launched its own line of smart bulbs, Bluetooth speakers and a lamp with a built-in wireless charger. This year, it's upping the pedigree of its electronics offerings thanks to a partnership with Sonos. The new line of Sonos-powered speakers is called SYMFONISK -- apparently Swedish for "symphonics" -- and will feature two debut models: a bookshelf speaker and a 2-in-1 lamp-speaker combo. At just $99 and $179 respectively, the idea here is that they're able to offer Sonos-level quality without the Sonos-level price.
IKEA is working on robotic furniture for small apartments
IKEA wants to "empower people to have big dreams for small homes." To do so, it's creating a line of robotic furniture. Today, the company announced that it's partnering with Ori, an American startup that develops robotic furniture meant to address the challenges of small apartment living. IKEA and Ori will introduce their new line, dubbed ROGNAN, in 2020.
IKEA launches gaming products focused on accessibility and esports
IKEA is partnering with medical wearables company UNYQ to release a line of gaming accessibility products.
IKEA will finally offer online shopping through mobile apps
IKEA's mobile apps have so far been focused on enhancing the retail experience, not replacing it. You can preview furniture in your home, but you'll have to either visit the web or travel to the store to make a purchase. That's poised to change, digital chief Barbara Martin Coppola told Reuters in an interview. The big-box store is prepping an app that would let you shop remotely for that couch or desk while still visualizing how it appeared in your home. The new app would allow you to enter your room dimensions to ensure a good fit, and choose from different styles and "life stages" to narrow down the selection.
IKEA's Sonos-powered lamp and bookshelf are speakers in disguise
After enough teasing, IKEA saved the full reveal for Italy's premier design show, Salone del Mobile, unveiling not only the $99 SYMFONISK bookshelf with WiFi speaker but also what the furniture maker calls its "loudest table lamp ever" -- yep, an on-trend lamp ($179) that hides a substantial Sonos speaker inside. IKEA has form in combining or hiding technology into its products, like its wireless charging mats built into tables and, again, lamps. According to the company, these products have been well received, so it's going one step further and getting into smart-speaker territory.
IKEA offers a peek at its Sonos-based speaker
IKEA isn't officially unveiling its first Sonos-powered speaker until April, but that isn't stopping the furniture store from offering a look in the meantime. As you can see here, the SYMFONISK looks like... well, a Sonos speaker with IKEA design cues. Its boxy, fabric-covered style appears to be a fitting complement to your plywood tables and cabinets. The company even suggests that it could serve as a wall-mounted shelf (below), although that would make it an awfully expensive part of your decor.
IKEA makes furniture more accessible with 3D printing
If you live with disabilities, shopping for furniture can be difficult. Many common furniture items aren't designed with accessibility in mind, and those that are can be rare or non-existent. IKEA Israel has a technological solution: 3D print pieces that make them easier to use. The store has collaborated with Milbat on ThisAbles, a project that provides 3D-printed add-ons for furniture that can be tough to use with certain conditions. Among the 13 initial items are easier-to-grab handles, bumpers to protect cabinets and lifts to raise couches.
IKEA will officially reveal its first Sonos-powered speakers next month
IKEA will reveal the first of its Sonos connected smart speakers at an exhibit in Milan next month. This isn't the first we've seen or heard of the speaker, and we knew IKEA had plans to start selling it in the US and Europe this August. An unveiling next month seems to follow the original timeline, which is good considering IKEA just delayed the launch of its smart blinds.
IKEA delays its smart blinds until later this year
IKEA is delaying the launch of its smart blinds until later in 2019 in order to work on a firmware update. The Verge reports that the Swedish furniture maker pushed back the release date for the smart blinds, which were expected in Europe last month and in the US in April, because it found an opportunity for "improved functionality". What kind of functionality, exactly? Mainly, the smart part.
The best portable induction cooktop
By Sharon Franke, Michael Sullivan This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full portable induction cooktop guide here.
IKEA's super-sized bath toys collect trash on the water
IKEA's latest effort to improve its environmental footprint has taken a decidedly aquatic bent. The company has designed a remote-controlled boat, the Good Ship IKEA, that clears trash from the water. It may look cutesy (it's modeled after the SMÅKRYP bath toy), but it's very much functional. They use environmental cleanup boat technology that can collect up to 44lbs of debris at a time -- a small fleet could keep a river relatively pristine. Like some aerial drones, the remote control provides a first-person view thanks to a camera.
IKEA will start selling its Sonos-powered smart speakers in August
IKEA and Sonos have been working together on audio devices for some time, and this year, we'll start to see the fruits of that labor. Following the release of its smart window blinds in April, the Swedish retail giant will start selling Sonos-powered smart speakers in August.
IKEA’s smart window blinds hit the US April 1st
IKEA is adding to its collection of smart home products, introducing a line of smart window blinds to go along with its range of intelligent lighting products. But while the company's German website had already listed two versions of its smart blinds earlier this week, it was unclear when or if US stores would carry them. Now, the company has confirmed that IKEA stores in the US will start carrying one of the new products on April 1st.
IKEA is launching low-cost smart window blinds
Almost a year ago, Swedish furniture giant IKEA signalled its intention to make people's homes smarter with the launch of its own intelligent lighting range. TRÅDFRI -- as we now know it -- has grown to include a variety of LED bulbs, motion sensor kits, dimming lights and a selection of LED light panels and doors that can be built into kitchen and bedroom cabinets. With its low-cost lighting now in stores all over the world, IKEA has decided it wants to further automate people's homes and has confirmed the launch of a new product: smart window blinds.
