25 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Senior Reviewer, Smart Home

Senior Reviewer, Smart Home

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    Kwikset’s newest smart lock gets almost everything right

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    It automatically unlocks as I approach, looks great on my front door, and works locally with every smart home platform. But thanks to Matter, I have to pick between its two best features.

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    This smart pizza oven improved my pie-making skills

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    But not quite enough for me to consider ditching my local pizzeria.

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    More than a million people now have Alexa PlusMore than a million people now have Alexa Plus
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    Amazon Key is coming to apartment buildings.

    Amazon Key Access Control system is a new building intercom solution that uses the Ring app to let apartment dwellers answer their building door and buzz people in on their phones.

    The intercoms need to be installed by a property manager, and the system includes virtual keys for communal spaces; keys for individual apartments aren’t mentioned. Interestingly, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff left Amazon to run a smart building access solution, but he’s now back at Amazon.

    <em>The new system offers four options: Intercom Boost can be added to an existing call box to show a resident directory on a smartphone, allow visitors to call through the Ring app, and allow residents to unlock the door.</em>
    <em>Intercom Lite does the same thing but fully replaces the call box, or can be added to an existing one.</em>
    <em>Intercom Plus is a touchscreen version that also shows a resident directory and acts as a keypad for building access.</em>
    <em>Virtual Key can be added to an existing intercom, allowing users to unlock the building door and grant visitors access through the Ring app without the video intercom capability.</em>
    1/4
    The new system offers four options: Intercom Boost can be added to an existing call box to show a resident directory on a smartphone, allow visitors to call through the Ring app, and allow residents to unlock the door.
    Image: Amazon
    How to move a smart homeHow to move a smart home
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    Wyze’s latest smart bulb is also a cameraWyze’s latest smart bulb is also a camera
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    Sunny and Gizmo are the best thing on YouTube right now.

    ICYMI, the livestream of a bald eagle nest in California’s Big Bear Valley is mesmerizing. Eagle-eyed viewers are anxiously waiting for the two twelve-week-old eaglets to fledge the nest, where they’ve been carefully raised by parents Jackie and Shadow since hatching in March.

    The nest is perched about 145 feet above Big Bear Lake, so it’s a hair-raising prospect. But just yesterday, Sunny caught some serious air. Will this weekend bring the big day?

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