Smart Home
The latest smart home news and reviews.
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Philips Hue's new outdoor Dymera wall lights beam up and down
Philips Hue is expanding its outdoor smart lighting lineup with a new model called Dymera that beams both up and down, allowing dramatic effects for your home's exterior.
Steve Dent01.23.2024Amazon and BMW are replacing the driver's manual with AI
Amazon and BMW announced a partnership at CES 2024 to combine an LLM with Alexa and the contents of a driver’s manual. This allows users to ask the bot anything about their car that would be in the manual.
Lawrence Bonk01.10.2024Lockly's Visage smart lock can unlock doors by scanning your face
It will retail for $350 when it launches this summer.
Sarah Fielding01.09.2024Nanoleaf does smart outdoor lights now
Nanoleaf, the company best known for its modular wall lighting tiles, is now moving on to the outside of your house.
Steve Dent01.09.2024Samsung intros a new interface at CES 2024 that turns its TVs into smart home control hubs
Samsung unveils a software platform that can turn your TV into a control hub for your smart home.
Cherlynn Low01.09.2024Mui's whimsical wooden smart home controller hits Kickstarter tomorrow as CES 2024 kicks off
Mui's second-generation wooden smart home controller will be up on Kickstarter on January 8.
Nathan Ingraham01.08.2024Samsung is teaming up with Tesla and Hyundai to offer deeper smart home and EV controls
Samsung is partnering with Tesla and Hyundai to expand SmartThings into the areas of home energy and vehicle/home automation.
Steve Dent01.05.2024IKEA's new smart home sensors focus on safety and avoiding water damage
They're compatible with IKEA's Dirigera Hub.
Sarah Fielding11.28.2023iRobot's Roomba Combo j7+ is $305 off for Black Friday
The deal is an Engadget exclusive.
Sarah Fielding11.25.2023Amazon is laying off several hundred employees working on Alexa
The company has so far laid off more than 27,000 employees since last year.
Pranav Dixit11.18.2023Amazon's Echo Show smart displays fall back to all-time lows
Both devices are over 50 percent off.
Sarah Fielding10.30.2023Google Nest cameras are up to 33 percent off in early October Prime Day sale
Just ahead of Google's October "Bid Deal Days" Prime Day sale, multiple Nest products are on sale, some back to all-time low prices.
Steve Dent10.09.2023Amazon will start charging for formerly free Alexa Guard smoke and security alerts
Amazon will soon start charging extra for some Alexa Guard home security features. You'll need an Alexa Emergency Assist plan if you want your Echo speakers to listen out for intruders and home alarms.
Kris Holt09.26.2023Everything Amazon announced at its 2023 Devices and Services event
Amazon’s annual fall product launch was full of new devices — and a fresh take on Alexa using generative AI for more natural conversations.
Will Shanklin09.21.2023Amazon Echo Frames (3rd-gen) hands-on: Refined look, better sound, faster Alexa
We wore the new Echo Frames to try the updated audio and faster Alexa responses.
Billy Steele09.21.2023Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd-gen) hands-on: The screen that adjusts as you move around the house
Our first look at the all-new Echo Show 8.
Billy Steele09.21.2023Amazon's $180 Echo Hub is a smart home control panel for your wall
Wednesday, during a press event at its HQ2 in Arlington, VA, Amazon announced a new way to control smart home devices using the upcoming Echo Hub.
Sam Rutherford09.21.2023Amazon's Map View puts your smart home devices on a digital floor plan
Amazon has revealed a Map View for controlling your smart home devices. Via a digital floor plan, you can (for instance) tap on lights to switch them on or off or an Echo speaker to change the volume.
Kris Holt09.21.2023Kids will soon be able to have natural conversations with Alexa
Amazon just announced Explore with Alexa, a kid-friendly conversational chatbot. The company also unveiled new Fire tablets and a child-friendly Echo Pop.
Lawrence Bonk09.21.2023Alexa Emergency Assist can call first responders from your Echo speaker
Alexa Emergency Assist is an upcoming paid feature that lets people in need call first responders by saying, "Alexa, call for help."
Will Shanklin09.20.2023