The Ring Alarm DIY home security system is available for pre-order now and ships at the beginning of July.
Sync Your Hue Smart Lights with Videos, Music, and Games with the Philips Hue Sync App for the Mac
Signify released its Philips Hue Sync app for Mac and Windows on Thursday, giving Philips Hue smart light users a new way to control their lighting experience. The app uses Hue bulbs to add lighting and color effects in real time to music, videos, and games playing on your computer. It also works with televisions if you use AirPlay or connect via HDMI, which is great if your computer and TV aren’t in the same room. The Philips Hue Sync app is free and available for download at the Philips Hue website.
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.
Philips Hue Smart Light App Gets New Interface, More
Philips Hue smart light users got a nice surprise Tuesday morning with a big update to the Hue controller app for the iPhone. Hue 3.0 sports a new interface that’s easier to use, controls for individual lights instead of just groups, an improved color picker, new scenes, the ability to use the art in a room to create light scenes, and more. The Hue 3.0 app is a free download at Apple’s App Store.
The Charm of the Chime – Mac Geek Gab 709
You have questions, Dave and John have answers. Today’s topics include malfunctioning AirPods, setting Apple Pay addresses, restoring a Recovery Partition, email and iMessage encryption, and much, much more. Download, press play, enjoy, and learn!
This Amazon Doorbell Let a Man Spy on His Ex-Boyfriend [Update]
Ring—which Amazon acquired in February—makes a smart doorbell that has a camera connected to Wi-Fi.
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.
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.
Migrating Your Data, Home Automation, and macOS 10.13.4 – Mac Geek Gab 703
Apple released macOS 10.13.4 this week and, well, it changes some things. No worries, your two favorite geeks talk through it all. Then it’s on to managing duplicate contacts and properly migrating your data. There are other questions, too, as well as a few other Quick Tips and some Cool Stuff(s) Found. Press play and enjoy!
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.
Philips Hue Outdoor Smart Lights Coming in July
Philips is taking its Hue smart lights outside with its new HomeKit compatible luminary, spot, and pillar post products.
Everything You Need to Know about HomePod as a HomeKit Hub
Your HomePod is also a HomeKit hub, so what does that mean, especially if you already have an Apple TV. Read on to learn what that means for your smart home setup.
CES - Xfinity Bringing Smart Home Automation to the Masses
LAS VEGAS – Xfinity wants to be at the center of your smart home and is using its xFi platform to that—along with voice control—simple for home automation newbies.
CES 2018 Xfinity's Smart Home Strategy, Cool Product Finds - TMO Daily Observations 2018-01-11
Dave Hamilton joins Jeff Gamet at CES 2018 in Las Vegas to discuss Xfinity’s plan to make smart home tech more accessible to the average person, plus they share more cool products they’ve found.
Smart Kitchen Gadget: Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
Dr. Mac got a smart kitchen appliance for Chanukah and he’s pretty impressed with it.
CES - Kuri is the Cutest Smart Home Robot Around
LAS VEGAS – Kuri is an amazingly sophisticated and cute smart home robot that’s ready to roll into your house. Mayfield Robotics shows off their cool personal robot to Jeff Gamet at CES 2018.
CES - Schlage Smart Locks with HomeKit and Alexa Support
LAS VEGAS – Schlage showed off their smart deadbolt locks at CES 2018 with HomeKit and Alexa support to Jeff Gamet. Coming soon: Google Home support. Check out TMO’s video interview.
CES - Guardian Automatically Shuts off Your Water System to Prevent Leaks
LAS VEGAS – Homeowners (and probably insurance carriers!) can rejoice at the Guardian automated leak prevention system, shipping today. The system is entirely do-it-yourself and requires no plumbing to be done at all. Simply clamp the main unit onto the pipe where your water main control valve is, and then set the Wi-Fi-connected sensors in strategic locations around the house. When one of the sensors detects a leak, the system’s automated motor closes the valve to prevent water damage from a constantly-fed open pipe. Each sensor has a 15-year battery inside it. We think that’s long enough to get your money out of the system and move on to something else cool in 10 years! Guardian also includes a temperature sensor to help prevent against water damage from frozen pipes. At 45F the system starts sending alerts to your iPhone; at 40F it shuts off your water. The iOS app can also be used to control and monitor the system remotely. A kit with the battery-backed base unit and three Wi-Fi sensors is priced at US$399, and you can add more sensors whenever you like.
C by GE Smart Lights Getting HomeKit Support in Early 2018
GE says its C by GE C-Life and C-Sleep bulbs, along with the C-Reach hub, are getting HomeKit support some time before the end of the first quarter of 2018.
