Smart Home

On the hunt for a new oven, range, fridge, or dishwasher this year? If so, expect it to do more and look a lot better than models from years past. A host of manufacturers plan to add new abilities like air fryer functions, guided recipes, plus fresh exterior finishes to their 2019 large appliance lineups.Large ovens that air fryTimed with KBIS 2019, both Frigidaire and GE announced that certain oven models within their 2019 product line will boast an air fryer mode. In GE's case, it's the company's Cafe and Profile wall ovens that will have the feature. Frigidaire on the other hand will integrate air frying into one particular free-standing range (30-inch, both gas and electric).It's not a surprising move. Air frying is essentially convection baking, something ovens have done for decades, but ramped up to extreme levels. The popularity of small countertop air fryers has also spiked in recent years. Given all that, it makes perfect sense for big-ticket kitchen cookers to do the same. … [Read more...] about Samsung, LG, and GE appliances get new smarts and slick finishes for 2019

On the hunt for a new oven, range, fridge, or dishwasher this year? If so, expect it to do more and look a lot better than models from years past. A host of manufacturers plan to add new abilities like air fryer functions, guided recipes, plus fresh exterior finishes to their 2019 large appliance lineups.Large ovens that air fryTimed with KBIS 2019, both Frigidaire and GE announced that certain oven models within their 2019 product line will boast an air fryer mode. In GE's case, it's the company's Cafe and Profile wall ovens that will have the feature. Frigidaire on the other hand will integrate air frying into one particular free-standing range (30-inch, both gas and electric).It's not a surprising move. Air frying is essentially convection baking, something ovens have done for decades, but ramped up to extreme levels. The popularity of small countertop air fryers has also spiked in recent years. Given all that, it makes perfect sense for big-ticket kitchen cookers to do the same. … [Read more...] about This year Samsung, LG, GE appliances gain striking finishes, souped-up smarts

In February of 2018, Samsung told us it had a Bixby smart speaker in the works. Initially scheduled to arrive by the end of that year, the new voice-activated device would seek to bring Bixby into your living room -- and to try and play catch-up with Amazon's Alexa and the Google Assistant.Later on, in August, Samsung finally gave us a look at the cauldron-esque device. Dubbing it the Galaxy Home, the Korean conglomerate told us to expect more details in November. Samsung's first Bixby speaker, the Galaxy Home, revealed 12 Photos November arrived, and Samsung offered a few new teases about the device. We learned that it'll "steer" sound towards the listener, for instance, and that Samsung will open its software to outside developers to find new ways of putting it to use.Yes, yes, very good -- but when the heck is this thing coming out, and what will it cost? Samsung didn't say back in November, and it didn't have any Galaxy Home announcements back in January at CES, … [Read more...] about A Galaxy far, far away? Samsung’s Bixby speaker is still a no-show

In February of 2018, Samsung told us it had a Bixby smart speaker in the works. Scheduled to arrive by the end of 2018, the new voice-activated device would seek to bring Bixby into your living room -- and to try and play catch-up with Amazon's Alexa and the Google Assistant.Later on, in August, Samsung finally gave us a look at the cauldron-esque device. Dubbing it the Galaxy Home, the Korean conglomerate told us to expect more details in November. Samsung's first Bixby speaker, the Galaxy Home, revealed 12 Photos November arrived, and Samsung offered a few new teases about the device. We learned that it'll "steer" sound towards the listener, for instance, and that Samsung will open its software to outside developers to find new ways of putting it to use.Yes, yes, very good -- but when the heck is this thing coming out, and what will it cost? See also Samsung's Galaxy Fold is here -- with six cameras and two batteries It's 2019 and we still don't know. Samsung didn't say back … [Read more...] about A Galaxy far, far away? Samsung’s Bixby speaker still a no-show

Google's line of Nest Secure cameras had microphones, but you wouldn't know that from the product's specs or the company itself. It became apparent after Feb. 4, when Google announced that its voice assistant would be coming to Nest Secure. The microphone has never been listed on Nest Secure's technical specifications, and was not publicized from Google.  In a statement first reported by Business Insider, Google said the omission was a mistake. "The on-device microphone was never intended to be a secret and should have been listed in the tech specs. That was an error on our part. The microphone has never been on and is only activated when users specifically enable the option," a Google spokesperson said in an email to CNET. The spokesperson added that Nest Secure had the microphone for future features like detecting the sound of glass breaking. This is a developing story, please continue to check for updates.  Turn your old phone into a home security … [Read more...] about Google calls Nest’s hidden microphone an “error”