Wireless speaker company Sonos recently debuted voice support in two forms: pairing their speakers with an Amazon Alexa-enabled device like an Echo or Dot, and with Sonos’s first voice-enabled speaker, the Sonos One. We put the new speaker through its paces.
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![Sonos Announces Sonos One, a Smart, Voice-Enabled Speaker [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sonos-one-voice-speaker.jpg)
Sonos Announces Sonos One, a Smart, Voice-Enabled Speaker [Update]
NEW YORK CITY – Similar in size and form to Sonos’s popular PLAY:1, the Sonos One adds a six-microphone array to give it far-field voice recognition capability, and will ship on October 24th with support for Alexa baked right in.
Philips Hue Dimmer Switch, Motion Sensor, Tap, Get HomeKit Support
Philips just added HomeKit support to its Hue dimmer switch, motion sensor, and tap with a software update to the Philips Hue iPhone app.
Elgato Intros HomeKit Door Lock, Smoke Detector, More
Elgato is expanding its Eve HomeKit-compatible smart home product lineup with a new door lock, smoke detector, window sensor, and lawn watering controller.
Smartphones and Teenage Depression, Wireless Mesh Networks - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-04
Dave Hamilton, Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to discuss a report claiming smartphones are responsible for increased teenage depression, plus Dave has some wireless mesh network tips.
Amazon Working on Echo Competitor to Apple's HomePod
Amazon is working on a new Echo designed to compete directly with Apple’s HomePod, and it’s expected to ship this fall.
Interactive HomeKit Demo Stations Come to Apple Stores
If you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around HomeKit and why you might want smart home devices you can now try them out it Apple’s own stores.
Amazon Updates Echo With Home Intercom Feature
The feature works with the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and even with the Alexa iPhone app, so you’ll be able to annoy your family from anywhere in the world.
Smarter Coffee Brews How You Want, When You Want
There are smart coffee makers, and then there’s Smarter Coffee. This coffee maker is so smart it can start brewing when you round the bend home from your morning jog. With the explosion in app-enabled appliances and smart home technology, it’s not too surprising. With Smarter Coffee, you can use the app or start brewing with a command to Alexa. That’s not all, though — the coffee maker has a built-in bean grinder. It will grind your beans to the perfect consistence, then brew your coffee just the way you like it. Connect Smarter Coffee to a fitness tracker. The coffee maker will start brewing when you near home after your jog or evening commute. Finally, the coffee maker tells you, through the app, how much water is in the reservoir. If you want to set it to brew eight cups of coffee, you’ll know right away if you need to add more water.
Jeff Gamet Discusses Home Automation and IoT at MacTech Pro Denver
The Mac Observer’s Jeff Gamet will be diving into the Internet of Things and smart home devices at MacTech Pro in Denver on Wednesday, June 28th.
Apple Will Reinvent Home Music with HomePod
It looks and sounds terrific, and should fill a marked void in Apple’s product offerings.
Elgato Unveils Eve Degree HomeKit Temperature and Humidity Sensor
Elgato’s HomeKit-compatible Eve Degree temperature and humidity sensor looks like it was designed for your wine cellar or greenhouse.
Courts and Divulging Passcodes, Essential Home - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-30
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on courts compelling people to divulge their smartphone passcodes, plus they react to Essential’s Home voice assistant appliance.
Belkin Launching HomeKit Compatible WeMo Bridge This Fall
Belkin’s new commitment means you’ll be able to control WeMo smarthome devices with Siri.
IKEA Says Hello to HomeKit, Apple's Diversity Boss, Huawei Targets the MacBook - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-23
HomeKit compatible products are about to become easier to find and more affordable thanks to IKEA. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about IKEA’s place in the smart home market, plus they noteDenise Young Smith’s new position at Apple, and Huawei’s new laptop that targets the MacBook.
Apple Aims to Make Siri Smarter with Lattice Data Purchase
Apple has another tool to help make Siri smarter thanks to its recent purchase of Lattice Data. The company specializes in artificial intelligence and dark data, which ultimately could turn out to be as cool as it sounds.
iPhone 8 Renders Replace Home Button with Touch Bar Function Area
The iPhone 8 rumor mill has been spinning for quite some time, and we keep getting new ideas of what Apple might have up its sleeves. Renders of the rumored Function Area, which would work just like the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro, have shown up. Jeff Butts brings us the details.
Dr. Mac on Procrastinating, Touch-Screen Macs, and Siri at Home - ACM 409
Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus joins Bryan and Jeff to talk about his new book, Working Smarter for Mac Users. It’s all about beating procrastination. They also talk about Apple, toasterfridges, and touch-screen Macs, and whether Apple would compete with Amazon’s Alexa in the home.
Brookfield Residential Will Build First Ever Apple HomeKit Houses
The next time you’re driving around California, you may find brand new Apple HomeKit houses built by Brookfield Residential. Other builders have offered HomeKit upgrade packages, but Brookfield will be the first to integrate HomeKit from the ground up, making it a standard.
New Type Of Smart Mirror Launches Called Daptly Display
Daptly launched a new product for the smart home called Daptly Display. It was built for a specific consumer in mind—people frustrated with voice-only assistants and want visual cues. Enter the Daptly Display, a smart mirror that acts as a gesture-controlled interface. Amazon Alexa is built in, and the interface is for people who aren’t ready (or don’t want) a voice-only future. As well as acting like a fog-resistant mirror, you can use it as a photo frame, by uploading photos from your phone or choosing among Daptly’s 50,000 photo collection. It’s an interesting take on user interfaces, one that borrows from science fiction while harnessing existing technologies. Check out the promotional video below, and decide if you want to reserve a Display. The device will sell at US$799, but you can get US$200 off if you reserve soon.
![Bob LeVitus’s ‘Working Smarter for Mac Users’ Available Now [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/working-smarter-mac-users-cover-bob-levitus-wide.webp)
Bob LeVitus's 'Working Smarter for Mac Users' Available Now [Update]
Bob “Dr. Mac” Levitus released a new book Tuesday, Working Smarter for Mac Users. It’s a productivity book specifically written for Mac users, and it combines Bob’s own techniques for overcoming procrastination with his decades of learning how to get the absolute most out of his Mac. [Update: Working Smarter for Mac Users is now live on iBooks. – Bryan]
Bob's Productivity Book, CIA iPhone Hacks, the Home Hub We Want - ACM 401
Bob LeVitus joins Bryan and Jeff to talk about his new book, Working Smarter for Mac Users. They talk about why Bob wrote it and the things Bryan learned from editing it. They also talk about the CIA iPhone hacks leaked to Wikileaks and the home automation hub they wish they could buy.
Cognitive Systems Announces Aura Home Monitoring System
Cognitive System recently announced a system that takes a unique approach to monitoring and securing your home. The Aura system uses radio frequencies to detect motion rather than the optical detection used in most systems.
See and Sleep Smarter with the Helia LED Bulb from Soraa
Soraa has announced their Helia LED bulb, which incorporates several lighting and communication innovations not found in other LED bulbs. Todd Antes, Senior Vice President of Marketing, gave us an overview of the benefits of their bulb.