Recent Smart Home Stories

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Google this week announced that it was killing its IoT platform, Android Things, less than two years after limiting its use to smart speakers and displays.

Google announced today that it will enable integration between its Nest-branded smart home products and Samsung’s SmartThings platform.

Google announced today that users with Google Assistant-based smart speakers and displays can now control Apple Music by voice.

Amazon alerted users of its Alexa-powered devices that it will soon enable a potentially dangerous new service called Sidewalk. You may want to disable it.

Roku announced today that Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are now supported on most of its modern streamers and other devices.

Apple has released iOS 14.2, iPadOS 14.2, tvOS 14.2, watchOS 7.1, and HomePod 14.2, delivering many fixes and a few new features.

At a virtual [email protected] event today, Acer launched numerous new products, including several PCs, Chromebooks, and a new smart speaker.

Google this morning announced a simpler and less expensive version of its Nest Thermostat that costs just $129.

Google Wifi and Google Nest Wifi are getting some interesting functional updates, and Google is lowering the price of the older product.

Apple has suddenly stopped selling headphones and speakers from its rivals as it preps new headphones and HomePod releases.

For the second time this year, smart speaker maker Sonos has sued Google for infringing on its patent portfolio.

As it does every September, Amazon today unleashed another amazing collection of Alexa-powered smart home devices.

Amazon FreeTime and FreeTime Unlimited are now called Amazon Kids and Amazon Kids+, and each is getting new content and features.

I was testing Wireless DeX with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and when I tried to connect it with my PC’s display, I noticed something odd.

Zoom announced today that it is bringing its video meeting service to smart displays made by Amazon, Facebook, and Google.

In the wake of its legal challenge to Google, Sonos has finally gone after the market leader, Amazon, albeit indirectly.

A Microsoft support document reveals that the firm will end support for Cortana on mobile, the Invoke smart speaker, and Surface Headphones.

At its Alexa Live 2020 virtual event today, Amazon has announced dozens of new features for developers targeting the Alexa voice assistant.

The European Commission opened an investigation today into how Big Tech is using voice assistants in anticompetitive ways.

With more and more people working and schooling from home, the need for reliable Internet connectivity is at an all-time high.

Google has countersued Sonos, alleging that the smart speaker maker made false claims against it and stole its intellectual property.

While I still plan to wire Ethernet into my home office, I’m experimenting with Powerline networking in the furthest reaches of the house.

This week Microsoft provided our first peek at the future of Cortana. And only one thing is clear: This brand needs to die. It’s just pointless.

I assume that the online troll army that previously obsessed over Sonos will now turn its attention to this unsuspecting company.

Sonos will stop putting old smart speakers in what it calls recycle mode, even if they were used to upgrade to a new device.

I knew we’d make smart home mistakes and that we would go down certain roads only to backtrack after things didn’t work out.

Back in January, I started rethinking our approach to whole-house audio, and while Sonos is an obvious solution, I ran into some issues.