The smart home was once a far-flung pipe dream, but it is now a reality. Wherever you live, your home is ground zero for some of the most interesting tech available right now, and tech that’s yet to come. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get your home up and running with smart hardware and services.
Home security and monitoring solutions can alert you to a burglary, smoke, fire, or just simple motion activity. There are plenty of options with a range of capabilities, from smart doorbells and smart locks to indoor and outdoor cameras that can see in the dark.
Smart speakers, like the Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod each play a big role in helping you out, too. In the kitchen, they can read out recipes, or if you’re cleaning, you can call out to them to change the song on the fly. If you buy smart light bulbs, for instance, you can turn them on and off by using your voice.
Apple supposedly set its rumored HomePod with screen for launch in March before delaying it to Q3 2025. Now supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says it will come after WWDC (and the expected reveal of iOS 19) so that the new smart home device’s interface “aligns with new OS updates.”
That’s according to 9to5Mac, which spotted code in the latest iOS 18.4 developer beta suggesting the Home app is dropping support for the older version.
The updated HomeKit, which Apple rolled out in 2023, is required if you want to use Matter devices. If you’re not sure how to upgrade, check out our handy guide for doing so.
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.
MacRumors spotted code in the latest iOS 18.4 beta that adds the ChatKit framework to tvOS. This is how Apple devices handle SMS, MMS, and iMessage. However, tvOS is the operating system for HomePods and Apple TVs, neither of which run the Messages app.
So, this could be an indication that the Messages app is coming to a new device that runs on tvOS, such as the long-rumored Apple smart display.
After nearly 20 years at Microsoft, Panay was ready to dive in.
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 show is set to start at 10AM ET. We’re in a (chilly) line outside, waiting to get live blogging. Follow along for all the big announcements.
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!
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.
One of a new breed of robot vacuums that incorporates a manual stick vac, the Switchbot K10 Plus Pro Combo launched this week for $799 (with a $200 discount at launch).
An upgrade to the K10 Plus, my pick for the best robot vacuum for small spaces, the Combo adds a stick vacuum that empties into the base station, bumps up the suction power of the robot vacuum to 3,000 PA, and brings better obstacle avoidance.
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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.
We have several clever gift ideas for anyone needing a modern home makeover in 2025.
Powered by ultra-wideband, the next generation of smart locks will turn your phone into a key — that you never have to use.
