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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Senior Reviewer, Smart Home

Senior Reviewer, Smart Home

    More From Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    KitchenAid’s new walnut stand mixer is indeed as impractical as it is beautiful.

    The $700 Evergreen edition of the iconic kitchen appliance is apparently not recommended for whipping eggs, as Ellen Cushing discovered in this delightful takedown of the gadget where she compares it to an engagement ring:

    “Both are expensive status symbols generally acquired in the spring of one’s life; both are of limited use and enduring popularity; both are signifiers of domestic attainment; both are things people excitedly post to Instagram.”

    The new KitchenAid adds a gorgeous wooden bowl to the classic appliance, cementing its role as more status symbol than stand mixer.
    The new KitchenAid adds a gorgeous wooden bowl to the classic appliance, cementing its role as more status symbol than stand mixer.
    Image: KitchenAid
    LG finally gets serious about the smart homeLG finally gets serious about the smart home
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Samsung is putting a ring on your smart home.

    An upcoming Galaxy Ring and SmartThings integration enables the smart ring to trigger smart home automations.

    A giant super-sized model of the wearable was at IFA this week to demo how your home can respond to biometric signals.

    It showed the ring sensing the wearer had fallen asleep or woken up and then starting a sleep routine or a good morning routine. Now that’s an effortless interface.

    This super-sized Galaxy Ring demoed a new integration coming to SmartThings that can trigger smart devices like this connected air purifier and robot vacuum based on biometrics.
    This super-sized Galaxy Ring demoed a new integration coming to SmartThings that can trigger smart devices like this connected air purifier and robot vacuum based on biometrics.
    Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Dreame’s concept robovac can climb (small) steps.

    At IFA this week, Roborock and SharkNinja showed off robot vacuums that can lift themselves up to get over high room transitions, but Dreame went “a step” further.

    It demoed its new ProLeap system, which uses retractable legs to navigate very low steps, as this video from The Ambient shows.

    The tech is still in development but the company says it should arrive on its product line soon.

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Aqara’s new touchscreen smart home controls are super slick.

    I love a good tactile dial and a sleek touchscreen for controlling my smart home gadgets, so Aqara’s new Panel Hub S1 Plus and Touchscreen Dial V1 caught my eye.

    Both hardwire to existing light fixtures and can control other devices wirelessly — and that physical dial is so nice!

    They’re launching in Europe and Aqara says U.S. versions could arrive next year.

    <em>The Touchscreen Dial V1 is a touchscreen device with a tactile dial for dimming lights and controlling heating/cooling or shades. It uses mmWave radar for proximity sensing and works over Zigbee and Wi-Fi.</em>
    <em>The Panel Hub S1 Plus is a 6.9 inch touchscreen smart home control panel that can stream your video doorbell feed, control lights and scenes, and act as a Zigbee hub and Matter bridge. It can be hardwired to light switches or powered by USB-C</em>
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    The Touchscreen Dial V1 is a touchscreen device with a tactile dial for dimming lights and controlling heating/cooling or shades. It uses mmWave radar for proximity sensing and works over Zigbee and Wi-Fi.
    Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    I found a Matter-compatible fridge at IFA. And it’s extra.

    The Siemens/Bosch XXL built-in fridge freezer was launched last year, and Eelco Lammertink of BSH tells me it will be upgraded to Matter in early 2025.

    “Our ambition is to have our entire product line be connectable via Matter,” he said. BSH is also upgrading its Smart Kitchen Dock to be a Matter bridge, which will allow existing appliances to work with Matter.

    <em>The Siemens XXL Fridge Freezer showing off its Matter cred at IFA. (Siemens is Bosch’s sister brand).</em>
    <em>This is the Bosch version. It’s the same fridge, different brand name, Bosch is available in the U.S., Siemens is not.</em>
    <a href="https://www.bosch-home.com/de/skd?srsltid=AfmBOore4Ibeg7yCTkCvD129yNzqnOwX3epZejYYnCvM2q0Gm7Dans2j"><em>The Smart Kitchen Dock</em></a><em> (which isn’t available in the U.S.) will be able to bridge existing Bosch and Siemens fridges, dishwashers, and washing machines to Matter. </em>
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    The Siemens XXL Fridge Freezer showing off its Matter cred at IFA. (Siemens is Bosch’s sister brand).
    Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge