Jason Snell of Six Colors has published his fourth annual report card on Apple’s performance in the last year, drawing once again on ratings and comments from a large group of industry observers.
Apple is opening up its TV ecosystem to rivals, bringing iTunes content and AirPlay to Samsung TVs, and AirPlay and HomeKit to others. “Take Control of Apple TV” author Josh Centers explores what this move could mean for the Apple TV.
The Arlo Baby security camera is officially a souped-up baby monitor. But look beyond its marketing and you’ll find a quality—if pricey—security camera with broad appeal. Though HomeKit is not yet fully integrated, other capabilities help make up for its limitations. Just ditch those animal ears.
The latest entry in the Wyze Cam line, the Wyze Cam Pan, can cover an entire 360-degree area for an absurdly low price. It’s well worth checking out if you’re looking for an interior security camera, but sadly, it doesn’t support HomeKit.
If you’ve ever worried about losing food due to a freezer breaking or a refrigerator door being left open, the Wireless Sensor Tags system could save your bacon by monitoring temperatures and reporting significant changes on your iPhone. Other available features include motion detection, moisture monitoring, light sensing, and even locating lost items.
Belkin’s Wemo Mini has gained HomeKit support in a software update, making it the first home automation device to do so and paving the way for a larger Apple home automation ecosystem.
Hardware maker Elgato is going all-in on HomeKit home automation and to that end is changing its name and selling its gaming division.
Looking for a security system controller that not only integrates with HomeKit, but also turns all your connected security devices into HomeKit accessories? Look no further than the Honeywell Lyric Controller.
Dark Mode leads the list of new features in the evolutionary macOS 14 Mojave. But, while most of the changes are small, many of them will be welcome.
If you’re skeptical of robotic vacuums, but tired of dealing with dirty floors, the affordable Ecovacs Deebot N79 and N79S are worth your consideration.
Josh Centers is back to smartening up his home with a smart thermostat, the Ecobee 4. But it may be more than he bargained for and way more than he needed.
Rich Mogull shares the lessons he’s learned over a decade of home automation and how the new “Take Control of Apple Home Automation” book compresses many of them into a neat package.
A Wi-Fi security camera for $20? What’s the catch? Josh Centers shares his experiences with the unbelievably cheap WyzeCam. It’s well-built, has a decent app, works in the dark, and even provides limited cloud storage for free. There’s only one minor problem.
We’ve had the HomePod for a weekend, and for the most part, it has been a success when it comes to music, thanks to excellent audio quality and Siri spinning Apple Music tracks with aplomb. Siri on the HomePod has been less useful as a fount of general knowledge, or perhaps we just don’t have the right questions.
Apple has announced a shipping date for the HomePod smart speaker, and you can preorder it now. But should you? Josh Centers expresses some doubts.