Articles about Smart Home

Amazon goes big with Echo Show 21 for smart home control, organization and entertainment

Amazon is introducing new and improved Echo Show smart displays, going bigger than ever on the devices that can be… Read More

Apple puts Wyze and Ring in its sights with reported plans for new smart home security camera

Seattle-area smart-home device maker Wyze Labs and Amazon-owned Ring, among others, could be set to face new competition in the… Read More

Amazon aims to take Alexa automation to the next level with new ambient home developer kit

When you leave home and arm your security system, shouldn’t your robot vacuum know, without being told, that it’s time… Read More

As hoops star Sue Bird chases fifth Olympic gold, here’s the latest fitness tech gadget she’s backing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuEyQGlX_ng Sue Bird is plenty busy these days, trying to guide the Seattle Storm to their fifth WNBA championship and… Read More

Seattle smart home startup Wyze releases new floor lamp and shines light on busy year

New product: The spotlight is once again shining on Seattle-based smart home products maker Wyze Labs, which announced Tuesday that… Read More

Amazon releases surprise Alexa app for Microsoft Xbox, with voice controls and video features

Amazon is bringing new voice control capabilities to Microsoft’s gaming consoles with the surprise release of a new “Alexa for… Read More

Wyze continues flood of new products, releasing smart sprinkler controller for yard care

A week after launching a smart vacuum to clean up around the house, Seattle-based Wyze Labs is unveiling another new… Read More

Wyze releasing a $199 ‘Robot Vacuum’ to clean up on competitors in the evolving smart home

Wyze Labs’ vision of a smarter home, full of its cameras and other products, is also going to be a… Read More

Amazon launches ‘Alexa for Residential’ to help property managers add voice to smart apartments

Amazon is launching a new service for property managers called “Alexa for Residential” that makes it easier to deploy and… Read More

Amazon’s Ring unveils updated video doorbell with improved security features and new solar charger

Six years after the launch of the original Ring video doorbell, the Amazon-owned company announced the next generation of its… Read More

Parcel Guard smart mailbox launches in Seattle to deliver peace of mind against ‘porch pirates’

“Porch pirates” take pause. A smart appliance designed to guard against the theft of packages is making its U.S. debut… Read More

Podcast

Meet the hacker professor who’s saving lives with smart devices and sonar

Shyam Gollakota has come a long way since his first day as a university undergraduate. “I didn’t know how to… Read More

IOTAS lands $8.5M to help apartment landlords install and manage smart home devices

IOTAS, a Portland, Ore.-based startup that helps landlords install and manage smart home devices, has raised $8.5 million. The Series… Read More

Wyze expands low-cost smart home lineup with new $15/pair connected wall plugs

Wyze, the Kirkland, Wash.-based maker of a popular low-cost smart home camera, is expanding its product line with a new… Read More

Smart light switch startup Deako lands $3.5M to speed up production for homebuilders

Seattle startup Deako raised $3.5 million to kick production of its “plug and play” smart light switches into high gear.… Read More

Ex-Amazon Alexa exec lays out Control4’s vision of an operating system for smart homes

Smart home devices are everywhere, but getting them to work together smoothly remains a headache to even the most tech-savvy… Read More

Podcast

Geared Up podcast: Here’s why Apple canceled AirPower, and our Top 5 HomeKit smart devices

Apple has cancelled the long-awaited AirPower wireless charging mat. For our newest Geared Up podcast, I go over what went… Read More

Building energy monitoring company Buddy to acquire smart light startup LIFX

Buddy, a Seattle-based company that manages building energy, today announced its intention to acquire LIFX, a smart light maker based… Read More

Time’s up, Alexa: After one lukewarm leftover too many, we pulled the plug on Amazon’s microwave

Instead of using our fingers to push the buttons on a microwave keypad over the past couple months, we here… Read More

Seattle startup Lubn wins CES Innovation Award for smart key box

LAS VEGAS — From a laundry-folding robot to Alexa-enabled mirrors, smart home technology is all the rage at the 2019… Read More

With millions in funding and a U.S. expansion in the works, Deako’s ‘plug-and-play’ smart lighting casts a bright future

With $15 million in funding and a “laser focus” on customers, Deako is ready for serious growth in the smart lighting market.… Read More

In a tiny Seattle apartment, the bed is on the ceiling, and that’s part of what makes it a smart home

In a small apartment just a couple blocks from the waterfront in downtown Seattle, windows looking south over the Alaskan… Read More

Plug-and-pray no more: Amazon’s new smart plug for Alexa is a gift from the smart-home gods

“New plug named First plug found. To control it, say ‘Alexa, turn on First plug.’ “ My jaw dropped when… Read More

Amazon invests in homebuilding startup, continues foray into the smart home

Amazon’s march into the smart home continued this week with an investment in Plant Prefab, a Rialto, Calif.-based startup that… Read More

Commentary: Alexa, stop! Amazon’s smart home just sounds more and more like a lazy home

I have three Amazon Echo Dot devices in my home, which is kind of an ironic admission to make at… Read More

Batcave on lockdown? Man’s smart doorbell locks him out of house when it thinks he’s Batman

It’d be one thing to not recognize Batman, since the famed superhero has been played by so many different actors.… Read More

Alexa, play this ad for the Sonos Beam, which makes all other smart speakers just look dumb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ2eUw6dG60 You might not need another smart speaker in your house, but a smart-aleck commercial about not-so-smart speakers is worth… Read More

In first move since Amazon acquisition, Ring launches Neighbors app to help users fight crime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRna48aO6gg&feature=youtu.be Ring, the smart-home security company that was acquired by Amazon a month ago, is harnessing the power of its… Read More

Podcast

Geared Up podcast: Hands-on with Samsung’s Galaxy S9, and why Apple bought the ‘Netflix of magazines’

Samsung’s newest smartphone, the Galaxy S9, is set to launch this Friday, but Geared Up podcast co-host Andru Edwards already… Read More

Amazon’s $1B Ring deal ‘probably the biggest miss’ in Shark Tank history

Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, aka “Mr. Wonderful,” was blown away when he saw Amazon’s agreement to acquire video doorbell… Read More