Smart Home Archive

Andrew LiszewskiApr 28

Hue’s SpatialAware feature is here to adapt colorful lighting scenes to your room’s layout.

First announced and demonstrated at CES 2026, Philips Hue’s new SpatialAware feature that better distributes the colored lighting in a preset scene around a room is now available through the mobile app. The feature requires the Hue Bridge Pro and you’ll need to scan each room using your smartphone’s camera first.

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A room illuminated by various Philips Hue products using its new SpatialAware feature.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Google Home makes it easier to understand why devices aren’t working

Stevie BonifieldApr 28

Dominic PrestonApr 28

A question of taste.

Is a multicolor smart ceiling light / LED screen a fun way to liven up your living room, or an all-out assault on good taste? Every household has to make that choice for themselves.

stable_genius_hatter:

It’s too bad my wife has such refined taste, because I love this stuff.

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The Philips Hue Sync Box 8K is 30 percent off

Cameron FaulknerApr 27

Govee’s multicolor ceiling light doubles as a low-res screen

Andrew LiszewskiApr 27

The Govee smart lamp brightened up my room, and then my life

Sheena VasaniApr 25

Ikea’s new inflatable chair doesn’t look like an inflatable chair

Andrew LiszewskiApr 23

Govee’s new colorful outdoor lights are its first with solar power

Andrew LiszewskiApr 23

Will a new CEO help realize Apple’s smart home potential?

Jennifer Pattison TuohyApr 22

First vacuums — then the world

Dreame plans to build everything from hypercars and hair dryers to China’s Elon Musk. It’ll either win big or go down in flames.

Jennifer Pattison TuohyApr 22

Govee’s new rechargeable table lamp is less than half the price of Hue’s

Andrew LiszewskiApr 21

Dyson’s newest floor scrubber is already on sale for 20 percent off

Brandon WidderApr 21

Jennifer Pattison TuohyApr 21

You can now talk to Google Home again without saying “Hey Google” every time.

When Google launched Gemini for Home, it put one key feature behind a paywall. Continued Conversation became available only on Gemini Live, which required Google Home Premium.

Starting today, users in Early Access can once again ask follow-up questions to Google’s voice assistant on their Google Home devices without saying “Hey Google” every time, and without paying. Another bonus is that the feature now works with all supported languages and in all regions.

Talk Naturally, Get Things Done Faster: Continued Conversation arrives on Gemini for Home

[Google Nest Community Blog]

Jennifer Pattison TuohyApr 21

There’s finally an easy way to see your Thread network.

The Thread Group has released a new Thread Network Diagnostic app that lets you “explore, monitor, and visualize your Thread network.” It displays network topology, connection status, and device roles to help troubleshoot issues. It’s Android only for now, but an iOS version is in the works.

Thread connectivity problems have been one of Matter’s biggest pain points — most recently with Ikea’s Matter-over-Thread rollout. There are some apps that let you see your network, but a dedicated tool like this could be very useful. I’ll report back after testing it out.

Thread Network Diagnostics

[Google Play Store]

Dominic PrestonApr 21

Bird is the word.

High tech bird feeder manufacturer Birdfy is doubling down on its AI-powered subscription model, which feels inevitable.

Huxley:

Of course techbros are turning feeding the birds into an AI-powered recurring revenue generation scheme

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Smart Home Archive

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