Home Tech

Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod: Everything you need to know

From Amazon Echo to Google Home and Apple HomeKit, home tech is taking over. Here’s what you need to know.

by Asad Syrkett October 6

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Smart lighting: A beginner’s guide

Smart lighting is an easy way to start building a smart home, and here are the best products for doing just that.

by Jenny Xie October 6

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Google announces Home Max and Mini, new smart speakers

These Google Home developments offer competition to Amazon and Sonos, each of which has recently announced something shiny and new in the last week.

by Asad Syrkett October 4

New Sonos smart speaker comes with Alexa voice control

Wireless speaker maker Sonos is finally stepping into the era of all things voice-controlled.

by Jenny Xie October 4

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Smart planter waters itself and teaches you how to garden

The battery-operated planter comes with an app that alerts to necessary tasks such as adding nutrients, pruning, and harvesting.

by Jenny Xie October 3

Amazon just introduced a bunch of new smart home devices

The company just announced a slew of new products, including a $99 redesigned Echo and a smart alarm clock.

by Jenny Xie September 27

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Walmart wants to put your groceries in the fridge for you

Partnering with August Home, Walmart will begin testing an "in-fridge delivery" service that not only does grocery shopping for customers but also puts the food away for them if no one is home.

by Lauren Ro September 22

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August Home refreshes smart lock range with three new products

This latest round of smart locks from August introduces "DoorSense," a feature that lets users make sure their door is truly locked properly.

by Emily Nonko September 19

Anthropologie launches augmented reality feature for its smartphone app

Hot on the heels of Ikea announcing its augmented reality app, Anthropologie has launched AR technology in an update to its existing iOS app.

by Asad Syrkett September 19

Samsung collabs with designers to expand Frame TV customization options

Dutch duo Scholten & Baijings and French designer Inga Sempé have contributed new artworks and frame options.

by Emily Nonko September 12

Panasonic unveils a moving fridge and a wash-and-fold machine

Presented under the category "Better Living Tomorrow," these products are meant to represent a "lifestyle enriched with Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and robotics technologies."

by Lauren Ro September 7

High-tech umbrella follows the sun to give you shade

Home tech aficionados here’s your next big product: A solar-powered, 7-square-foot umbrella that rotates and tilts as the sun moves across the sky.

by Megan Barber August 22

New motion sensor kit makes gesture control simple, fun

The latest releases from Kano, maker of DIY gadgets, offer a taste of gesture control magic—made friendly to kids and adults alike.

by Jenny Xie August 18

8 home tech gadgets for your furry friend

Though your pets likely don’t care how technologically advanced their toys are, this pet tech may make life easier for their humans.

by Kayla Matthews August 14

Ikea smart lighting compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit coming this fall

The smart lighting’s compatibility with Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit is another step in the direction of smart homes for the masses.

by Asad Syrkett and Jenny Xie August 10

What’s making our homes and cities more green? Better batteries

Plummeting battery costs make sustainable residential and commercial power a much better deal

by Patrick Sisson August 3

Here’s what the first Tesla solar roofs look like in the wild

The solar tiles are being installed on the homes of Tesla employees, including Musk’s own house.

by Alissa Walker August 3

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The wireless speaker that made my apartment feel like home

Listening to whatever music whenever I wanted was a game-changer, and made my apartment feel more like my home than it had before.

by Asad Syrkett August 3

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The smart salt shaker you didn’t ask for is here

This smart salt shaker plays music and changes color. And it’s now taking preorders on Indiegogo.

by Barbara Eldredge August 2

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3 home tech ideas for your tiny space

"Home tech? how’s that going to help?" you say. Well, we’ll tell you.

by Asad Syrkett July 21

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Our fridges, ourselves

After moving in with an expat, writer Jessica Furseth learns how much of what we do, think, and prefer in our homes is culture, not nature.

by Jessica Furseth July 19

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Wimbledon tennis balls upcycled into cool portable speakers

Each wireless speaker retains the shell of the original tennis ball as a protective skin that also absorbs vibration.

by Jenny Xie July 3

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How a smart plug sparked my love of home tech

I never considered myself one for smart-home technology—until I discovered the magic of a Wi-Fi-enabled plug that can be switched on or off from anywhere.

by Robert Khederian July 3

Herman Miller furniture goes smart with an app and sensors

Herman Miller has joined the office tech surveillance movement by unveiling Live OS, a line of fancy Yves Béhar-designed furniture sensors connected to the cloud.

by Barbara Eldredge June 13

Retro turntable combines vintage style, wireless flexibility

A new turntable aims to make music aficionados swoon with a high-tech features and the awesomeness—and aesthetic—of vinyl.

by Megan Barber June 12

4 all-in-one security systems for your smart home

The dawn of the Internet of Things has made keeping an eye on your home that much easier.

by Kayla Matthews June 7

Apple's HomePod offers home tech hub and smart speaker

Apple’s comin’ for the competition with the HomePod, a voice-controlled smart speaker and home tech hub.

by Asad Syrkett June 6

Samsung's new smart home hub is an all-in-one Wi-Fi router

The company’s latest release, the Samsung Connect Home, is billed as the industry’s first smart Wi-fi system to incorporate a smart devices hub as well.

by Jenny Xie June 1

What the smart home of 1895 was like

It seems like every day, a new piece of smart home tech is released—but these innovations are situated in a centuries-old tradition of making our lives at home easier.

by Robert Khederian June 1

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This robotic furniture system is the coolest ‘all-in-one’ design we’ve seen yet

Ori, controlled by a physical module, mobile app, or voice commands, turns studio apartments into so much more.

by Jenny Xie May 31

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This tiny house comes tricked out with smart home features

You’ve read about tiny homes. You’ve read about smart homes. Now, Oregon’s Covo Tiny House Co has mashed them together in the Covo Mio.

by Barbara Eldredge May 16

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This smart home security camera tells you exactly who’s there and what they’re doing

Lighthouse is a smartphone-connected camera outfitted with 3D sensors for identifying faces and activity, as well as voice-controlled search.

by Barbara Eldredge May 16

These renter-friendly solar panel blinds are pretty clever

The blinds can be installed on either the inside or outside of the home, and the installation process is supposed to be easy enough for a customers to do it themselves.

by Barbara Eldredge May 12

Innovative wallpaper transforms ugly wires into art

Using conductive inks and small strips of metal, this wallpaper creates circuitry that is both beautiful and functional.

by Megan Barber May 9

Danish-designed wireless speaker doubles as a piece of art

The new Speakarts speaker hailing from Denmark turns the speaker surface into a customizable canvas.

by Barbara Eldredge April 20

David Adjaye’s take on the home speaker is sculptural and concrete

Created for New York audio brand Master & Dynamic, the architect’s design uses a concrete composite that allowed him to take the home speaker to sculptural new heights.

by Jenny Xie April 19

Robot lawn mowers are like Roombas for grass

Cordless electric robot mowers autonomously travel around your yard with a set of sharp spinning blades.

by Megan Barber April 18

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Design's tech-forward future is already here

As Milan’s Design Week diverges from its origins as a furniture fair, transforming into a full-fledged platform for innovation, technological advancements increasingly play an important role.

by Sarah Hucal April 17

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Smart TVs 101: Everything you need to know

Unlike conventional television sets, smart TVs let users stream internet content, check social media, and more. Here are the pros and cons you need to know.

by Kayla Matthews April 14

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