Amazon's latest upgrade to Alexa+, its next-generation AI assistant, allows you to order food from popular delivery services Uber Eats and Grubhub in a conversational manner, just as if you were chatting with a waiter at a restaurant or placing an order at a drive-thru.
The U400 one-ups just about every other smart lock available today by using your iPhone or Apple Watch's ultra wideband (UWB) signal for hands-free smart lock unlocking, a new Home Key feature Apple announced in 2024 that's coming to smart locks at long last.
Samsung uses automated content recognition (ACR) technology, which can capture hundreds of images of what's on your TV screen each minute, without first obtaining Texans' expressed, informed consent. As mentioned earlier, the concern is that Samsung would use this information for targeted advertising. Although Samsung has disclosures in place and TV owners can opt out of ACR, Paxton finds that the disclosures are inadequate, vague, and run afoul of state law.
The new feature, called Digital Home Key, will live inside Samsung Wallet and is powered by the Aliro smart home standard. The new standard uses near-field communication (NFC) for its tap-to-unlock technology. It also supports ultra-wideband (UWB), giving users the ability to unlock their door as they approach and without pulling out their phone.
As a company and brand, Apple has placed a great deal of emphasis on privacy over the years-both in its product design and in its advertising. Protecting user data is a major talking point and has driven ads like 2025's "Flock" campaign, in which bird-like cameras fly around tracking people in a dystopian setting. The crux of Apple's pitch is simple: The company says it doesn't sell data to third-party distributors and it doesn't share your data for marketing purposes.
A year and a half later, I disagree: I regret picking the Samsung over the LG. I regret it every time I adjust the volume on my TV, every time I plug in a new device, and especially ever since the Logitech Harmony Amazon Alexa integration shit the bed and I have to fumble a Samsung remote to switch inputs.
All of the appliances and systems are brand-new: the HVAC, the lighting, the entertainment. Touch screens of various shapes and sizes control this, that, and the other. Rows of programmable buttons sit where traditional light switches would normally be. The kitchen even has outlets designed to rise up from the countertop when you need them, and slide away when you don't.
Using the company's SmartVoice technology, the devices react to wake-up words for verbal commands, using built-in microphones. Most of the appliances will also offer a built-in speaker so that they can react audibly to the commands. IAI Smart emphasizes the ease of use that this offers. "Our guiding principle is simple: make smart home technology easier for everyone," said Jason Jiang, CEO of IAI Smart. "Voice control should be effortless, and now it is." And because everything is on-device, personal information never leaves the home.
Say you recently picked up a shiny new TV. You unbox it like a kid at Christmas and prepare to indulge in all its visual glory. You think to yourself, "This is 2025. TV technology is sizzling, and it's going to look amazing no matter what." So you plug it in and don't take one look at the default settings. Big mistake.
Most TVs hide surprisingly handy USB ports on the back. Plugging into them can unlock extra features and convenience. They can even help breathe new life into an older TV. After the initial setup, most people rarely engage directly with their smart TV. With wireless connectivity, phone apps, and remote controls, there's little need to. Tucked next to the essential HDMI ports, a USB 2.0 port -- likely sitting unnoticed on the back or side panel -- offers more potential than you might expect.
CLOiD isn't the first laundry-folding robot we've seen, it's not even the only one at CES this year - SwitchBot's Onero H1 will also be able to tackle your hamper. LG's does seem particularly impressive, at least on paper. While the Onero looks like someone stuck some arms on Stop & Shop's Marty, CLOiD has two fully articulated arms with seven degrees of motion mounted on a torso that can tilt and bend.
Smart calendars can be a boon for busy families that have room for them, but Cozyla's latest concept is pushing that to the limit if you're short on space. The 55-inch Cozyla Calendar Plus Max announced at CES is a Wi-Fi-enabled 4K touchscreen display on a wheeled stand, which Cozyla says is the "largest smart interactive hub in its category."
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