Dave Hamilton and John F Braun join host Kelly Guimont to wrap up coverage of CES 2019 including the show floor and new uses for AR/VR.
The Mac Observer's CES 2019 coverage sponsored by:
New Priorities led to Amazon and Apple's new Partnerships, but the Peace won't Last Forever
Apple and Amazon have taken a more collaborative approach recently, does not amount to a full-blown, long-term partnership.
New Version of HomePass Introduced Apple Watch Support and PDF Backups
HomePass kicked off 2019 with a significant upgrade that brought in fully scannable text and QR codes, Apple Watch support and PDF backups.
Apple Unveils New HomeKit Products From CES Partners
More HomeKit products mean a more integrated home, with products that aren’t competing against each other.
The Cosmic Bit Flip - Mac Geek Gab 743
In the calm before the CES storm, John F. Braun and Dave Hamilton come to you from Las Vegas to share their thoughts and answer your questions. Plus, John mentions Cosmic Bit Flips and everything goes sideways. Listen, enjoy, and learn. Just press play!
Wemo Smart Light Switch Adds HomeKit Support
The Wi-Fi Smart Dimmer can be controlled via Siri and the Home app.
Eve Room Air Sensor gets New Design with E-Ink Display, More
Eve Room from Eve Systems now sports an E-ink display and rechargeable battery for tracking indoor air quality and temperature, plus it supports Apple’s HomeKit.
Philips Hue Adds Play, Signe Lamps to its Smart Light Lineup
Signify just announced two new additions to its Philips Hue smart light family: Philips Play and Philips Signe. Both are light strip-style lamps that add colored accent light to your rooms by trowing light on the walls. The Play sits on tables or TV stands, and the Signe sits on the floor and are designed to look good in places where the Philips Lightstrip isn’t a good fit. The Play will be available in October for US$69.95, or $129.95 for a two-pack. The Signe will be available in September for $169.99 or $269.99 for a two-pack.
Apple Updates iOS 12 Shortcuts to Beta 2 for Developers
Apple released Shortcuts beta 2 for iOS 12 just before the weekend. The update adds in HomeKit support, but right now it’s very limited.
Philips Adds Outdoor LightStrip to its Philips Hue Smart Light Family
Philips is adding more to its outdoor smart light product line with the weatherproof Hue LightStrip. The outdoor LightStrip is HomeKit compatible and can be seen on the Philips Netherlands website in 2 meter and 5 meter lengths. It can withstand rain and puddles, according to the HomeKit News translation. The kit uses clips instead of adhesive backing to hold the LightStrip in place, and Philips is offering multi-color and white-only versions. There isn’t any word yet on when the weatherproof LightStrip will ship, or how much it’ll cost.
Wemo Mini Smart Plug Gets Hub-free HomeKit Support
HomeKit support without a bridge device is coming to Belkin’s Wemo Mini Smart Plug thanks to a free firmware update rolling out on Thursday. The change comes thanks to the HomeKit software authentication feature Apple introduced with iOS 11.3. That means once the firmware update is installed you can start using your Mini Smart Plugs with Siri and the Home app. For your other Wemo devices, including the discontinued—and much bigger—Wemo Smart Plug, you’ll still need the Wemo Bridge. You can get the Wemo Mini Smart Plug on Amazon for US$29.99.
Elgato Renames to Eve, Focusing on Just Smarthome
Elgato is getting out of the gaming accessory business to focus on HomeKit smarthome technology and is changing its name to Eve Systems.
AirPort Express Shows Up in iOS 12 as AirPlay 2 Accessory
Apple officially killed off its AirPort product line, yet AirPort Express is showing up as a streaming speaker option in AirPlay 2 in the iOS 12 developer beta.
Elgato Releases HomeKit Summer Products With Eve Aqua, Eve Flare
The first, called Eve Aqua, is a smart water controller. The second, called Eve Flare, is a portable LED lamp.
The Voice Assistant War: Alexa and Google Assistant Versus Siri
We’re still in the early stages of voice assistant technology so we can’t declare a winner yet, regardless of which you prefer. Based on what we’re seeing, however, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are putting Apple’s Siri in a serious catch up position.
Mark Zuckerberg vs. Tim Cook, Apple's New AI Chief, and Making HomeKit Great - ACM 456
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook have been trading public barbs on privacy, and Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet discuss the public tiff. They also discuss Apple’s hiring of Google’s former head of artificial intelligence and what it might mean for Siri (hint: good things!). They cap the show with a look at what it would take to make HomeKit the premier home automation platform.
Windows versus Mac Security, Listener Comments - TMO Daily Observations 2018-04-04
John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to look at the state of Windows 10 security versus macOS, plus they respond to listener comments on Jeff’s HomeKit fail.
Proprietary Mac Processors, HomeKit's Big Fail - TMO Daily Observations 2018-04-03
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on the possibility of Apple designing its own Mac processors, plus Jeff explains how HomeKit failed for him.
Here’s How I Finally Accepted HomeKit is a Raging S*#t Storm
HomeKit has some great features, but some of its problems are big enough to push me back to Amazon’s Alexa for my smart home control.
Jumping into Home Automation with Smart Lights - TMO Daily Observations 2018-03-29
Dave Hamilton and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to talk about getting started with smart lights now that Dave has some Philips Hue bulbs. They also share some smart home automation tips.
