Smart Home

After supporting Matter in beta since 2023, the open-source smart home platform is now officially certified as a Matter Controller. This won’t make a jot of difference for users, says founder Paulus Schoutsen, but it’s “the cherry on the cake.”

Apple supposedly set its rumored HomePod with screen for launch in March before delaying it to Q3 2025. Now supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says it will come after WWDC (and the expected reveal of iOS 19) so that the new smart home device’s interface “aligns with new OS updates.”

That’s according to 9to5Mac, which spotted code in the latest iOS 18.4 developer beta suggesting the Home app is dropping support for the older version.

The DIY home security company launched the new app today and expanded its Android TV app. Users can now arm and disarm their Abode system from their TV, view live video feeds from up to four cameras, see recorded clips, and control devices through “quick actions.”

MacRumors spotted code in the latest iOS 18.4 beta that adds the ChatKit framework to tvOS. This is how Apple devices handle SMS, MMS, and iMessage. However, tvOS is the operating system for HomePods and Apple TVs, neither of which run the Messages app.

I grabbed a few minutes with the new Alexa at Amazon’s event and was impressed. Gone is the need for “Alexa speak.” Instead, I created a morning wake-up routine just by talking about what I wanted, and controlled several smart home devices without knowing their names or locations.

The show is set to start at 10AM ET. We’re in a (chilly) line outside, waiting to get live blogging. Follow along for all the big announcements.

The smart home company that’s all in on the new wireless protocol has announced its much-anticipated dimmer switch.

We just got the first glimpse of the TM7, the next generation of my favorite robotic sous chef, the Thermomix TM6. The smart multi-cooker debuted in an Instagram story and sports an all-new streamlined design, possibly some RGB lighting, and definitely a much bigger screen. And is that a drawer handle I see?

One of a new breed of robot vacuums that incorporates a manual stick vac, the Switchbot K10 Plus Pro Combo launched this week for $799 (with a $200 discount at launch).

If you were hoping its rumored home robotics foray might bring us a Rosey the Robot, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has bad news. In a post on X, he said sources indicate Apple is focused on developing a bot we’ll bond with over creating a humanoid assistant, as “...supply chain checks indicate Apple cares more about how users build perception with robots than their physical appearance.”