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CES - Yale Assure Lever Lock and EMPowered Smart Lock Support HomeKit

· · Cool Stuff Found

Two new smartlocks with HomeKit support were announced at CES this week, the Yale Assure Lever Lock  and EMPowered Smart Lock from Emtek and August. All three companies are owned by Swedish conglomerate Assa Abloy, and both will be welcome additions to the HomeKit market. The Yale Assure Lever Lock comes with a keypad and works with a smartphone app, too. Pricing is between $149 and $299. The Emtek lock features that company’s locking mechanism, while the smartlock technology inside is provided by August. A keyed version is priced at $370, while a version with a keypad is priced at $440. The Emtek locks haven’t been added to its website yet.

CES – Yale Assure Lever Lock and EMPowered Smart Lock Support HomeKit

Apple's Chinese iCloud Occupation, HomeKit Miss, Apple Parenting, Oak Island - Pop.0 ep.28

· · Cool Stuff Found

In this TMO video podcast, Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit look at Apple’s Chinese iCloud occupation and what it says about Apple. They also think Apple is just plain missing the smarthome boat, judging by what we’re seeing at CES. John goes off on a tangent rant about parenting and Apple, and for the pop portion of the show, they talk about recent developments in The Curse of Oak Island. (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)

Sylvania Announces Apple HomeKit Smartbulbs and Flexstrip

· · Cool Stuff Found

Sylvania announced two lighting products for Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem. The Sylvania Smart+ A19 Soft White LED Bulb puts out 800 lumens, the equivalent of a 60 watt incandescent lightbulb. It’s dimmable, and joins the full color A19 already on the market. The Sylvania Smart+ Full Color LED Flex Strip supports both full color and dimming. It puts out 400 lumens, or roughly the equivalent of a 30 watt incandescent bulb. Neither light requires a hub for on-off functionality, but work in Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem with hubs like an Apple TV, HomePod, or an iPad. Using a hub, users can automate the lights and access them remotely. I’m stoked to see new HomeKit products hit the market, and these ship on October 23rd. They’re on Amazon now, listed as out-of-stock. The Smart+ A19 Soft White LED Bulb is $25.99, while the Smart+ Full Color LED Flex Strip is $59.99.

Sylvania Announces Apple HomeKit Smartbulbs and Flexstrip

Smartduvet Breeze: Dual-Zone Climate Control Duvet THAT MAKES ITSELF UP!

· · Cool Stuff Found

I don’t use exclamation points in titles, but come on, Smartduvet Breeze MAKES ITSELF UP! I mean, IT MAKES ITSELF UP! I can’t even type it without going all capslock with a bang. OK, it’s also offers dual-zone climate control, but IT MAKES ITSELF UP! Watch the video. You’ll see it. I love a made bed, but being an overgrown boy at heart, I hate making the bed up. And so do a lot of other people, it seems, because Smartduvet has raised $579,533 on Indiegogo out of an original goal of just $20,000 (4 days left as of this writing). The Breeze part of this product is a system of air passages that delivers climate-controlled air through Smartduvet Breeze. Each side can be controlled through a smartphone app. The self-making part is done through a different set of air passages that essentially inflates to its made state when activated. There are funding options starting at $199 that get a Smartduvet Breeze, with shipping estimated for September.

Amazon's Echo Show, FBI's iPhone Hack Price Tag - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-09

· · The Mac Observer's Daily Observations Podcast

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Amazon unveiled its Echo Show, and it has a display. Bryan Chaffin and the Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to share their reactions to Amazon’s newest Alexa device. They also have some thoughts on the unintended confirmation that the FBI paid $900,000 for the San Bernardino iPhone hack, plus Bryan coins “I’m gonna up that up.”

Apple and Worker Visas, HomeKit Falls Behind in the Smarthome Game - TMO Daily Observations 2017-01-31

· · The Mac Observer's Daily Observations Podcast

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Work Visas for the tech industry may be changing thanks to an executive order that’s said to be coming from the White House. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at the draft order and the impact it could have on Apple and other Silicon Valley companies. They also have some thoughts on the rapidly changing smart home market and Apple’s apparent lagging position.

How Can We Tell if Our Love for Apple is Logical or Biased?

· · Particle Debris

Apple is our most favored company for perfectly good reasons. Or so we think. And yet there are people who despise the company. How can both attitudes be right?  The reason for this duality may depend on a particular kind of thinking called cognitive bias. John Martellaro explains. Or, at least, he thinks he’s explaining.