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An image of the unannounced Bilresa Dual Button was spotted by homewithapple. According to a post on Threads, it’s an upcoming smart switch with two individually programmable keys that use the Thread protocol over the Matter smart home standard.
Most Ikea products use Zigbee and work through its Matter-enabled hub, the Dirigera. The Bilresa (which translates to Drive) is the second rumored Ikea device to use Thread; the company recently registered the Timmerflotte, a Matter-over-Thread temperature sensor.
Now, instead of having to go to every platform individually to ensure their product works with each platform, manufacturers can submit their Matter-certified devices to the Connectivity Standards Alliance Interop Lab and get approved for all four smart home platforms in one go.
This should hopefully speed up the process of getting Matter devices onto shelves.
[developer.amazon.com]
On March 28th, Amazon will disable an optional privacy setting that kept your voice recordings local on some Alexa-powered smart speakers.
Here’s a rundown on the changes and what you can do about it if you own an Echo Dot (4th gen) speaker, Echo Show 10, or Echo Show 15 smart display.
Panos Panay told Bloomberg they’re re-engineering Alexa devices for Alexa Plus with new designs and materials, new silicon with edge processing, and better sound. There will also be a new “signature” tier, with the first devices arriving this fall.
He confirmed upgrades to Echo Frames and Echo Buds are coming and hinted at AR glasses and a new “wrist-worn device.” He didn’t rule out a home robot or a smartphone but said they’re focusing on gadgets “that matter the most.”
[bloomberg.com]
After supporting Matter in beta since 2023, the open-source smart home platform is now officially certified as a Matter Controller. This won’t make a jot of difference for users, says founder Paulus Schoutsen, but it’s “the cherry on the cake.”
He added that certification has been a lengthy and expensive process; to certify a controller, you have to test every device type it’s compatible with. And, unlike Apple, Amazon, and Google, Home Assistant supports most Matter devices.
[home-assistant.io]
The DIY home security company launched the new app today and expanded its Android TV app. Users can now arm and disarm their Abode system from their TV, view live video feeds from up to four cameras, see recorded clips, and control devices through “quick actions.”
Some Abode systems and cameras are Apple Home compatible, so they could already be controlled on Apple TV via the Home app, but this dedicated app expands the functionality to all Abode systems.
The new voice assistant has been a long time coming, but it won’t get here all at once.
I grabbed a few minutes with the new Alexa at Amazon’s event and was impressed. Gone is the need for “Alexa speak.” Instead, I created a morning wake-up routine just by talking about what I wanted, and controlled several smart home devices without knowing their names or locations.
Of all the new features Amazon announced for the voice assistant, talking to Alexa and having it reliably understand you is easily the biggest improvement.
The smart home company that’s all in on the new wireless protocol has announced its much-anticipated dimmer switch.
The hardwired switch will ship in mid-March for $49.95 and works with single-pole and 3-way configurations. Matter over Thread support means it works with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings over a local mesh network, but requires a Thread border router.
A smarter Alexa, new Echo hardware, and a lot of Panos Panay. We’re pumped!
Right after I published this review, the price increased to $79 from $39. That’s a big jump. While optional, the subscription adds the Sidekick feature, which I found very useful, so I’ve updated the review with my thoughts.
The company says it will honor the old price for current users, that the new price “reflects the full suite of new features” it has added to Plus, and that it will “continue investing in Plus through new features and expanding Sidekick.”
Skylight Calendar’s new AI tool helped tame my family’s busy schedules
7
Verge Score
An AI-powered Sidekick kicks this smart calendar display up a gear.
We just got the first glimpse of the TM7, the next generation of my favorite robotic sous chef, the Thermomix TM6. The smart multi-cooker debuted in an Instagram story and sports an all-new streamlined design, possibly some RGB lighting, and definitely a much bigger screen. And is that a drawer handle I see?
It’s launching in Europe first and coming to the US in late 2025. I’m hoping for voice control and some better smart kitchen integrations.
If you were hoping its rumored home robotics foray might bring us a Rosey the Robot, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has bad news. In a post on X, he said sources indicate Apple is focused on developing a bot we’ll bond with over creating a humanoid assistant, as “...supply chain checks indicate Apple cares more about how users build perception with robots than their physical appearance.”
The good news is that means we might get that adorable lamp-droid Apple after all.
