The Sonos One is the first Sonos speaker you can control with your voice, whether or not you have an Amazon Echo or other voice-controlled home automation hub at home. That’s because the One comes with Alexa built in, along with a six-mic array, multiroom audio capabilities and — coming soon — Google Assistant and […]
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Maybe your media room is bathed in lots of natural light. Then again, it also gets really dark when you draw the shades and turn off the light fixtures. Sometimes you like to watch movies in a widescreen format; other times, consume video in a more squarish HDTV format. If you find yourself bouncing back […]
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Last year Microsoft said it wanted to open its Alexa-style voice assistant Cortana up to third parties, and one of its first iterations is here; Microsoft and Johnson Controls have partnered to create a Cortana-powered smart thermostat called GLAS. Similar to Nest and Ecobee, GLAS will monitor the temperature in a room, raising or lowering […]
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The wired vs. wireless debate always gets pretty intense. Some argue wireless is better for future-proofing a house (and homebuilder Lennar agrees) and others argue that no network will ever be as reliable as structured wiring. The founders of Swidget, a modular electrical outlet launching on Kickstarter, want to bridge the gap and create a […]
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Turns out Roomba robo vacs have been sucking up more than dirt. Roomba is everyone’s favorite little robo vacuum cleaner that shuffles around the house all on its own. What you might not know is that Roomba maker iRobot Corp has been mapping out rooms and collecting spatial mapping data since 2015. Now, the company […]
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August Home has announced new features for its August Smart Home Access Solution, the company’s line of products that includes its smart lock, doorbell cam and smart keypad. The new features include contextual alerts, temporary entry codes for guests, and image preview alerts for the front door. August says its updates aim to give homeowners […]
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Lee Westwood is one of the only golfers in the world to have won tournaments in five different continents. He’s a PGA Tour icon and a Ryder Cup mainstay. But when he’s off the course and in relaxation mode, he enjoys kicking back, putting a movie on and listening to music. When designing his new […]
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Vivint is making it possible for renters to enjoy the same smart home benefits as people who own their own homes. The Vivint Smart Properties is a new smart home platform designed for expressly for rental properties. Property developers and managers can select from a suite of professionally installed smart home products for their units, […]
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The owners of the new Cast Iron Lofts in Jersey City recognized how important it is to provide residents with a strong sense of community and security. That’s why they hired integration firm Serious Audio Video to install an advanced Elan Entertainment & Control System with audio, video, lighting and security to create an unmatched […]
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U.K. smart home brand Hive has launched Hive Welcome Home, a set of subscription-based smart home service plans that will be available direct to consumers in the U.S. and the U.K. beginning June 7, with Canada and Ireland to follow in the coming months. Hive combines software and products to enable users to adjust temperature, […]
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