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Review: Ring's Floodlight Cam Offers Convenient Home Security, but HomeKit Support Still Missing

Wednesday October 11, 2017 1:31 pm PDT by
Back in January, Ring introduced its motion-activated Floodlight Cam, pairing a security camera with two bright floodlights to help protect users' homes. The Floodlight Cam began shipping in April, and I've been using one for about six weeks to monitor the rear of my house. It's a handy product that lets you keep tabs on movement around your home, with push notifications, live and recorded camera ...
pixie hands on 4

Review: Pixie's ARKit-Enabled Item Trackers Are Neat, But Still Feel Like They're in Beta

Tuesday October 10, 2017 10:26 am PDT by
Apple's augmented reality developer framework, known as ARKit, launched within iOS 11 on September 19. The debut turned hundreds of millions of iPhones into advanced AR-capable devices in the span of a few days, leading to the first wave of ARKit apps on the iOS App Store. One of these apps is called "Pixie," which existed prior to ARKit with its own proprietary AR technology, but the...
IMG 2578

Review: Fitbit Ionic is a Decent Fitness Smartwatch Spoiled By Lingering Bugs

Monday October 9, 2017 1:32 pm PDT by
The Ionic is Fitbit's first real effort at a "true" smartwatch, and there's plenty riding on the $300 device. Not only is the activity tracker company late to the smartwatch game, its market share in wearables has shrunk because of increasingly sophisticated rival devices from the likes Apple and Xiaomi. To have a hope of reviving its fortunes, Fitbit sought out a new creative direction and...
logitechcircle2wired

Review: Logitech's Circle 2 Brings HomeKit Compatibility and a New Design

Friday November 16, 2018 5:27 pm PST by
Logitech's Circle 2, introduced in June, is the second-generation version of its Circle home security camera. This new version features a redesigned body, wired and wire-free versions, accessories that let it be positioned anywhere, and, through a recent update, HomeKit support. Circle 2 is meant to be used as a home security device and it's ideal for keeping an eye on your house while you're...
jaybirdrun

Review: Jaybird's New Wire-Free RUN Headphones Are Comfortable With Great Sound But Connection is Spotty

Friday November 16, 2018 5:27 pm PST by
Jaybird, known for its line of headphones aimed at runners and fitness enthusiasts, recently introduced the RUN, its first wire-free headphones designed to compete with the wide range of wire-free headphones that are now on the market, like Apple's AirPods. I went hands-on with the RUN to see how they compare to the AirPods and other Jaybird products like the new Freedom 2 headphones, also...
aurorarrhythmunboxed

Review: Nanoleaf's Fun $49 'Rhythm' Add-On Lets Your Aurora Light Setup Respond to Music

Friday November 16, 2018 5:28 pm PST by
Nanoleaf, the company behind the HomeKit-enabled Aurora smart modular lighting system, recently introduced a $49 accessory that allows the Aurora lights to respond to music, adding a whole new sound-based dimension to an already great product. Called the Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm, the add-on module is a small three-triangle accessory that snaps right in to an existing Nanoleaf setup using the...
ixpandbase3

Review: SanDisk's iXpand Base Offers an Expensive but Simple iPhone Backup Solution

Friday November 16, 2018 5:28 pm PST by
Western Digital recently introduced its newest SanDisk-branded backup product for iOS devices, the SanDisk iXpand Base, which combines nightly charging with backing up to make for an easy and intuitive way to protect your data. The idea is to put the iXpand Base on your nightstand, plug it into the wall, and then plug your iPhone into the Lightning port at night. This charges the iPhone and...
emerson sensi touch contents

Review: Emerson's $200 Sensi Touch HomeKit Thermostat Offers a Large Color Display and Easy Setup

Wednesday September 6, 2017 12:18 pm PDT by
Fueled by the popularity of Nest, thermostats remain one of the more popular categories of smart home devices. I recently took at look at Honeywell's Lyric Round thermostat with HomeKit support, and today I'm following up with Emerson's latest HomeKit model, the Sensi Touch. Announced back in May and launched in June, the Sensi Touch offers a horizontal design with a color touchscreen taking ...
plugable tbt3udv

Review: Plugable's Flagship TBT3-UDV Thunderbolt 3 Dock Offers Lots of USB Ports at a Reasonable Price

Tuesday September 5, 2017 11:10 am PDT by
I've covered a lot of Thunderbolt 3 docks in recent months, but there's one more upcoming model that's worth taking a look at. The TBT3-UDV is Plugable's upcoming flagship Thunderbolt 3 dock, featuring five USB 3.0 Type-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet, DisplayPort, stereo in/out, and a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports. The dock isn't available for purchase yet, as Plugable is still awaiting Thunderbolt...
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Review: Sonicare's DiamondClean Smart is a Premium Toothbrush That Connects to Your iPhone

Thursday January 3, 2019 8:37 am PST by
Philips recently released the DiamondClean Smart, a new iteration of its top-of-the-line toothbrush with all the bells and whistles. Not only does it connect to your iPhone using a Bluetooth connection to help you brush better than ever before, but it's also been redesigned to decouple brushing mode from intensity. There are new smart brushes for more tailored brushing, additional modes to...
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Review: Chamberlain's MyQ Garage and Home Bridge Add HomeKit Support to Your Garage Door

Wednesday August 30, 2017 5:28 pm PDT by
Back in January at CES, Chamberlain announced plans to release MyQ Home Bridge, a hardware hub to allow connected garage openers in the company's MyQ ecosystem to work with HomeKit. The MyQ Home Bridge was initially scheduled to launch in April, but as is common with these types of products needing to gain HomeKit certification, it was pushed back a bit and had a brief quiet launch earlier this...
iogear tb3 dock

Review: IOGEAR's Thunderbolt 3 Dock Does the Job, but Comes Up Short on Charging Power

Tuesday August 29, 2017 1:11 pm PDT by
Thunderbolt 3 docks continue to flood the market, and today I'm taking a look at IOGEAR's Thunderbolt 3 Quantum Docking Station. IOGEAR's dock offers many of the same features typically seen on other Thunderbolt 3 docks, including multiple USB ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, headphone and microphone jacks, a DisplayPort port, and a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports to allow for daisy chaining, all in a ...
honeywell lyric round contents

Review: Honeywell's $199 Lyric Round Thermostat Features a Nest-Like Design With HomeKit Support

Tuesday September 5, 2017 11:13 am PDT by
Some of the more interesting types of smart home devices are thermostats, which can help save energy by optimizing scheduling, automatically sensing when the home is occupied or vacant, and more. One of the early entrants into the field on the HomeKit side is Honeywell, which has introduced several different smart thermostats, starting with the second-generation Lyric Round, which debuted early...
idevices wall switch outlet

Review: iDevices' Switches and Outlets Bring HomeKit to Your Existing Lights and Home Appliances

Thursday August 3, 2017 9:21 am PDT by
iDevices was one of the first companies to announce plans for producing HomeKit-compatible products, focusing primarily on switches and outlets but also branching out a bit with a thermostat. Earlier this year, iDevices was acquired by major electrical equipment manufacturer Hubbell, but the iDevices brand and product lineup lives on. I've been using a number of iDevices products, including...
elgato tb3 dock

Review: Elgato's $300 Thunderbolt 3 Dock Offers a Solid Set of Ports in a Slim Design

Friday July 21, 2017 12:53 pm PDT by
Over the past few months, I've taken a look at a number of Thunderbolt 3 docks that all hit the market around the same time, including models from OWC, CalDigit, Belkin, and Kensington. There's at least one more major player in the market, so today I'm sharing my thoughts on Elgato's $300 Thunderbolt 3 Dock. Elgato's dock has a lot in common with many of its competitors, including a slim...
bamboosketch

Wacom's New Bamboo Sketch is the Perfect Stylus for iPhones and Non-Pro iPads

Friday November 16, 2018 5:28 pm PST by
Introduced earlier this year, the Bamboo Sketch is Wacom's latest precision stylus designed to work with the iPhone and the iPad over Bluetooth. It's meant to mimic the feel of traditional pen-and-paper writing and drawing with interchangeable pen nibs and customizable shortcut buttons. Priced at $80, Wacom's new stylus isn't a better option than the Apple Pencil for iPad Pro users, but for...
batteryprodesign

Review: ElevationLab's 'BatteryPro' iPhone and Apple Watch Charger is Expensive, but Offers Useful Features

Friday November 16, 2018 5:29 pm PST by
ElevationLab's latest product is the BatteryPro, an Apple Watch and iPhone charger that's got some clever design elements and a built-in Apple Watch charging puck for convenience. Priced at $99, the BatteryPro isn't cheap, but if you value ease of use over cost, it's worth checking out. At first glance, the BatteryPro doesn't look like much. It's similar in design to many external battery...
bragi review 2

The Dash Pro by Bragi Review: Gesture Controls Impress, But Some UI and Design Frustrations Remain

Wednesday July 5, 2017 7:26 am PDT by
Smart wireless earphones company Bragi has been making waves in the "hearables" market since 2014, when it debuted a Kickstarter for The Dash, the company's original pair of truly wireless intelligent earphones that subsequently launched to the public in early 2016. After numerous Bragi OS updates to The Dash, and the lower-priced, lower-specced launch of The Headphone, this year Bragi revealed...
kensington sd5000t dock

Review: Kensington's SD5000T Thunderbolt 3 Dock Packs Some Neat Security and Convenience Features

Friday July 21, 2017 11:27 am PDT by
Earlier this week, Kensington launched its entry into the Thunderbolt 3 dock market with its SD5000T Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station, an enterprise-focused accessory that incorporates a couple of unique features in the form of a Kensington lock slot and the ability to mount the dock to the rear of VESA-compatible displays for "Zero Footprint Mounting" with a separate bracket accessory. I've...
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Review: CalDigit's Tuff 1 TB SSD Brings Fast, Rugged, Portable Storage to the Latest Macs

Monday June 12, 2017 12:26 pm PDT by
CalDigit's Tuff line of rugged USB-C external drives have been a great option for those looking to take extra storage or backups on the go for a while now, but in addition to the existing 2 TB model using a 5400 rpm spinning hard drive, the company recently expanded the line to include a 1 TB solid-state drive option. At a list price of $499, the solid-state drive version is not cheap, but...