Recent Smart Home Stories

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Amazon Prime: Come for the free shipping, but stay for the ever-expanding list of digital perks.

Sorry for the seemingly cheap headline, but it's not my fault. This topic creates a unique challenge for its author.

Happy holidays and thank you, as always, to those who wrote in with questions.

Google Home Max is a gigantic smart speaker that offers Google Assistant and Chromecast capabilities.

2017 was another epic year for Microsoft. Here are my picks for the top 10 Microsoft stories of 2017.

I am probably one of Amazon's best customers, but I don't really take advantage of their consumer tech products and services.

I've chosen Chromecast as my whole-home audio solution, so I was very interested in testing Google Home Max.

Tracking can be desirable and explicitly enabled or it can be creepy and automatic, something that happens silently in the background.

You've probably heard the oft-spouted phrase, "hardware is hard." Well, it's true. Just ask Google.

I really enjoy the sound quality of Sonos wireless smart speakers, but I don't like the cost or compatibility issues.

Adding 'smart' devices to your homes is a great way to improve your quality of life but it can also be a point of serious frustration.

Even Microsoft was able to ship a smart speaker in 2017. How do you like them Apples?

I was surprised by the quality of the Harman Kardon Invoke. But I had one big issue: The price.

In the past week, a few unrelated events have brought some closure to what I will call the first phase of our personal tech makeover in Pennsylvania.

Ironically, YouTube TV has never offered an elegant way to get its content on your TV. But that's about to change.

Pocket is my favorite "read it later" app. Its excellent read-aloud functionality has been updated on Android to support continuous reading.

In characteristic fashion, the e-tailer is offering unique benefits that play to the strength of its popularity with consumers.

A promised collection of children-oriented games, activities, and stories for Google Home and Google Assistant arrives.

Amazon has released their second generation Echo and after spending a few days with the new device, here's what you need to know.

As many predicted, and as I had feared, streaming TV services simply aren't ready for prime time. So we've gone crawling back to cable TV.

With the Harman Kardon Invoke, Cortana takes her first confident steps into our homes.

I couldn't be less happy with our TV situation, which is the exact opposite of what I'm trying to achieve at the new house.

If you have a Google Home smart speaker, you can easily and naturally find a phone or other device you've lost at home.

I previously made the case that AI is how Google will win in devices. Now it's time to get a lot more specific.

Don't let Google's seemingly bland 2017 device lineup announcement from this past week hide what just happened.

Harmon Kardon's Cortana-based Invoke smart speaker briefly appeared on the Microsoft Store website today.

Microsoft has found itself in a tough position with Cortana but there is plenty of room in the market for a smart speaker...but it may not be with consumers.