The Cosmic Bit Flip - Mac Geek Gab 743

· John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · Mac Geek Gab Podcast

Sun Rays blasting earth – 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!

Philips Hue Adds Play, Signe Lamps to its Smart Light Lineup

· Jeff Gamet · Cool Stuff Found

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.

Philips Hue Adds Play, Signe Lamps to its Smart Light Lineup

Philips Adds Outdoor LightStrip to its Philips Hue Smart Light Family

· Jeff Gamet · Cool Stuff Found

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.

Philips Adds Outdoor LightStrip to its Philips Hue Smart Light Family

Wemo Mini Smart Plug Gets Hub-free HomeKit Support

· Jeff Gamet · Cool Stuff Found

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.

Wemo Mini Smart Plug Gets Hub-free HomeKit Support

The Voice Assistant War: Alexa and Google Assistant Versus Siri

· Jeff Gamet · Analysis

Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo, Google Home smart speakers

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

· Bryan Chaffin · Apple Context Machine Podcast

Apple Context Machine Logo

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.