CES 2018 brought loads of interesting products to Las Vegas for us to check out. These are our top picks from everything we got to look at.
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CES - Elgato Releases Second Generation Eve Room Indoor Sensor
The Eve Room is US$99.95 and will be available in March at Elgato, Amazon, and Apple.
CES - Use Your iPhone With a Bluetooth Metal Detector
It’s not a finished product, but a working prototype.
Top Apple Hardware Announcements for 2017
Check out Jeff’s picks for Apple’s top hardware announcements for 2017.
Amazon Intros Echo Plus and Spot, Fire TV 4K
Amazon just ramped up its smarthome game—and Echo product line—with new Echo and Echo Plus smart speakers, and the Echo Spot.
Terminal Tinkering: Say Hello to TMO's New Podcast for Tech Enthusiasts
Say hello to Terminal Tinkering, TMO’s brand new podcast where you can learn all about going under the hood with your tech gear to make your own smart home devices, build a Hackintosh, and more.
My USPS Lets You Preview Your Snail Mail
Believe it or not, the United States Postal Service actually takes a picture of every piece of mail you receive, and lets you view those images in most areas — slightly creepy, but very cool.
How to Set Up Multi-room Music Streaming for the Echo and Echo Dot
Here’s how to set up Amazon’s new multi-room music streaming for your Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show devices.
Here's How to Control Your WeMo Switches From Your Mac
Controlling the WeMo devices in your smart home isn’t a task that has to be limited to your iPhone or iPad—your Mac can get in on the action, too.
Senate Bill Calls for Stronger IoT Security
A new Senate bill is calling for baseline security standards for Internet of Things devices sold to the U.S. government.
iOS 11 and AR, iBooks in Apple Stores, Listener Email - ACM 416
Where’s Apple going with ARKit in iOS 11? Bryan and Jeff weigh the pros and cons of mobile-device AR versus goggle/glasses AR. They also talk about Bryan’s cockamamie idea for iBooks inside Apple Stores, and go deep on some listener email on HomePod and Apple Car.
The Cloud Is a Lie
The cloud is a lie. John Kheit argues that if you believe in the cloud, you’re not only a sucker, you’ve been brainwashed into accepting your lot as a 2nd class digital citizen. According to him, the cloud is a lie because it convinces you of at least two Stockholm syndrome things: (1) you don’t deserve to own or control your own data, and (2) security for your data does not matter.
Microsoft Adds Cortana to the Voice Assistant Game with Invoke
Amazon has Echo, Google has Home, Apple reportedly has its own voice controlled assistant in the works, and now Microsoft is getting in on the game, too. Microsoft’s device is called Invoke, and it uses the company’s Cortana voice interface coupled with Harman Kardon speakers.
Amazon Unveils Echo Show with Display and Video Camera
The biggest un-surprise of the day comes from Amazon and its just announced Echo Show. The well-leaked new Echo model includes a built-in display and camera so you can get visual responses to your Alexa queries and make video calls, too.
Phil Schiller Says Siri-like Voice Assistants Need Displays
If Apple really is making an Amazon Echo competitor, what does their Siri speaker appliance really need? According to Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, it needs a screen.
Who's More Intelligent, Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa?
In the battle of virtual personal assistants, Apple and Amazon have strong contenders. Which one is “smarter,” though, Siri or Alexa? Perhaps it’s too early to really call the race, since both personal assistants keep growing and evolving. Be that as it may, Jeff Butts has put both through their paces, and shares his thoughts.
Yoky Matsuoka Left Apple to Return to Nest
Former Nest executive Yoky Matsuoka joined Apple in May 2016, and by December she was gone. Now we know why: she’s back at Nest helping create the company’s long-term smart home technology plans.
CES 2017 Expectations and Predictions- TMO Daily Observations 2017-01-03
CES 2017 is kicking off, so today Kelly Guimont joins Jeff Gamet talk about what they expect to be the big product categories at this year’s events. Be sure to follow along all week for The Mac Observer’s on-location coverage.
The New Apple Echo Chamber Arriving Soon
Mark Gurman at Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is working on a smart home device, similar to the Amazon Echo, using the Siri voice assistant. Apple doesn’t have a vast product inventory to leverage from like Amazon, and other kinds of assistance depend on considerable, often creepy, personal information. So home automation seems to be Apple’s angle. Will that approach work? Page 2 of Friday’s Particle Debris explores.
At CEDIA, Amazon Will Talk About Star Trek Inspiration for Voice Recognition
Amazon’s Charlie Kindel, Director of Alexa Smart Home, will be speaking at the CEDIA conference in Dallas on September 16. He’ll talk about the inspiration for voice recognition that came from Star Trek, the original series. This interview by CEDIA provides a foretaste of the presentation and includes an inspiring video of Captain Kirk voice querying the Enterprise computer. What’s also cool and interesting is Mr. Kindel’s description of how customer privacy is maintained with the blue and red indicator ring. He also points to the website a customer built to celebrate Alexa. This is nifty corporate messaging.
Troubleshooting Spotlight Issues
Episode #178 I planned to write about some smart home products I’ve been testing, but a confluence of events convinced me to change courses midstream. So I’m going to write about troubleshooting Spotlight this week, since that’s what I’ve been doing all morning. It all began because I knew I wrote a column about Phillips…
iOS 8 Review: Apple Opens Mobile OS to Developers, You Win
Apple laid the groundwork for the future of its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system last year with iOS 7, and now the company is building on that foundation with the launch of iOS 8. Instead of shocking us with a new look that shuns the old skeuomorphic feel — that happened last year…
iPhones Generate More Than Half Apple's Yearly Revenue + Brings $100B Extra from Services and Accessories
Apple’s iPhone dominates revenue, fueling services and accessories. Company seeks growth through diversification and innovation.
How To Edit Photos Like a Pro in iOS 18: Master 6 Features
Learn how to edit in the iOS 18 Photos app like a pro. With a sleuth of new functions, you might not need third-party tools anymore.