Tag Archives: smart home

Smart door lock offers key-free security without replacing your deadbolt

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You’ve probably seen sci-fi flicks that show how convenient it would be to just approach a house and have the door automatically open for you. While that might sound like the ultimate convenience, our current reality is far from reaching that idyllic future scenario. Never mind security concerns against hackers or, worse, software bugs, the requirements for installing smart door locks alone are enough to frighten off all but the most tech-savvy and capable of homeowners. Having to replace existing knobs and locks is a daunting and expensive task, which is why this “retrofit” smart door lock is so noteworthy as it allows almost anyone, especially those without much DIY experience, to install the lock in just minutes and still keep the same deadbolt they’ve been using for years.

Designer: Yale

On the one hand, it’s understandable why installing a smart door lock would require removing the old, not-so-smart one. Not only does it require electronic parts, it would also be advisable that all the parts actually work well together. On the other hand, it might not always be economical or practical to replace existing deadbolts, especially if you have quite an expensive design or are renting out rooms or houses. Retrofit locks try to bridge these two extremes and Yale just launched its first attempt at making life easier and less stressful for such people.

The new Yale Approach with Wi-Fi is a deceptively simple kit that promises you’ll only need around 10 minutes and a single screwdriver to install it over your existing deadbolt, depending on how familiar you are with some handiwork. It’s an indoor-only design so you only need to change that part of the lock and that’s all there is to it. Of course, you still need to plug in the wireless Yale Wi-Fi bridge somewhere near the Yale Approach and connect it to your network, but that’s pretty much on par with any other smart lock.

Once that straightforward installation is done, you can enjoy the key-free and sometimes hands-free experience of having a futuristic lock for your home. You can have it lock the door automatically once you’re out or even unlock it when you’re near, all without having to even pull out your phone. You can also give other people access, permanently or temporarily, to the lock, which is important for renters. Best of all, you can still use your old keys as a backup in case things go awry.

The Yale Approach with Wi-Fi arrives along with a new Yale Keypad that adds an extra layer of security to your new smart home system. This wireless backlit keypad can simply be stuck to a wall near the lock, allowing authorized users to simply enter a code to unlock the door. A future model will even come with a fingerprint sensor so you can stop worrying about memorizing all those numbers (or using an insecure sequence like “1234”). Depending on the situation, this new Yale combo might still be inadequate as far as smart security systems are concerned, but it’s still better than the alternative of going through all the work and costs of installing a new lock that you might end up not liking anyway.

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Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 Review: Helping Your Creativity Really Shine

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PROS:


  • Highly flexible material for creating any shape or pattern

  • Minimalist design with black or white options to match your decor

  • Impressive lighting options and AI-generated effects

  • Easy customization with new Shape Mapping function

CONS:


  • Very difficult to reposition or modify after it's installed

  • Wi-Fi connection only supports 2.4GHz network band

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With a more flexible design and powerful customization options, the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 offers a powerful tool for everyone to express their designs in dazzling colorful lights.

Smart lighting is one of the easiest ways to get into smart homes. Often you simply have to screw bulbs or plug lamps in, connect them to your phone, and you’re instantly able to control them remotely or through automated schedules. That kind of smart light is practical and convenient but not exactly impressive, nor does it let you easily create the lighting atmosphere that you want without investing heavily in multiple expensive products. If you really want to jazz up your space and dazzle your guests or viewers, you’ll want something like programmable string or rope lights to leave a lasting positive impression. Govee just launched its latest product in that category, the RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2, promising better build quality, more extensive customization, and more intelligent smart features, so we put this second-gen smart rope light to the test if it can really become our kaleidoscopic paintbrush to brighten up the room with our creativity.

Designer: Govee

Click here to Buy Now: $99.99

Aesthetics

Right out of the box, you can already tell that the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 is a class above your typical string light. You don’t see any braided cords or LED “bulbs.” Instead, you have a roll of tubing that looks clean, simple, and very bendable. It has a minimalist aesthetic that looks appealing even when the lights are turned off. Even better, Govee now offers black and white color options so that the rope can match whatever motif you have going. Of course, the actual area where light shines through is a translucent white surface, so you’ll still have to take that into account when designing around walls and furniture.

When the lights do turn on, the Govee Neon Rope Light 2 becomes a dazzling array of colors. With an astounding 420 of these RGBIC LEDs split into 42 zones, there is not a single inch that can’t be painted in a hue of your choosing. The lights are bright, not bright enough for being the main light source but perfect for setting the mood or adding accents to a room. And the sheer amount of effects you can use will never grow old.

The most impressive part about the RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2’s appearance, however, is not the product itself but what you can make out of it. Thanks to an even more flexible material, you can easily design almost anything you want with the rope, from seemingly random patterns to carefully planned outlines of objects. This kind of flexibility, literally and figuratively, can inspire the artist in you, turning your wall into a canvas and the rope light into a brush paint of hundreds of colors.

Ergonomics

You won’t be holding the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 whenever you use it, but you will naturally need to handle it when you’re installing it in the first place. It’s important for that process to be as easy and painless as possible, and Govee has thankfully ensured that it will be the case. Compared to its predecessor, this second-gen rope light is 14% more flexible and 14% lighter, key traits for something you’ll be bending a lot to your desired shape.

What all these mean is that you have more freedom to let your creativity loose in turning the rope light where you want it to go. Yes, you still have to mind the proper way to bend the rope light, but it’s pretty much common sense: you only bend it so the light is actually facing outward. The included bend clips that help the rope retain its shape have the same “outward bending” design, though neither the clips nor the rope actually stop you from bending it the wrong way, much to your own peril.

Despite its flexibility, the rope light won’t stay in that curved shape for long, so you’ll need to stick it with the built-in adhesives on its back. The good news is that these adhesives are extremely strong so you won’t have to worry about the rope going out of shape. The bad news is that they’re so strong that you won’t be able to easily remove them if you need to make changes. This means you have to be extra sure and careful that you have the final design you really want before you start sticking it to a surface. Hopefully, Govee will be able to come up with a more flexible solution someday that will let you reposition and reshape the light more easily.

Performance

Govee’s RGBIC LED technology has been impressive from what we’ve seen in previous reviews, and the Neon Rope Light 2 is thankfully no different. There are two variants of the rope, one in 10ft/3m length and another in 16.4ft/5m, which is our review unit, with 42 and 70 segments of light, respectively. For the 5-meter rope, there are an impressive 420 LEDs running its length, with as many as 84 LEDs per meter. As with any Govee RGBIC product, you can control each of those segments separately, though you’ll most likely be doing it through lighting effects and scenes anyway.

If you want to do things a bit more manually, Govee also has a nifty feature that makes the process a lot easier. With the app’s Shape Mapping mode, you can take a picture of your rope light design with your phone’s camera and then select which color goes to which segment, giving you full control of the composition without having to guess which part of the rope corresponds to which part of your design. Whether you’re going the full automated route with AI or exercising complete control over every LED, the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 gives you the tools you need to express your design in a burst of color.

As mentioned earlier, the lights are pretty bright, though not blindingly so. The gamut of colors each LED supports is more than enough to cover every hue your eyes can detect, although it does lack the ability to display pure white without a dedicated white LED. Govee has a newer RGBICW that solves that problem, but that’s not available here on the RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2. You’ll have to make do with off-white blended from the combination of red, blue, and green, though that probably won’t be a problem for most use cases anyway.

The rope light’s real strength, aside from its flexibility, can be found in the Govee Home App which is home (pun intended) to all the settings and customization options you can ever want. Connecting the rope light to your phone is easy peasy and is done over Bluetooth, after which you can remotely control the lights without breaking a sweat. If you do want to connect it to smart home platforms, particularly through the new Matter support, you’ll have to do it over Wi-Fi. It should be noted that, like many smart home devices so far, it requires a 2.5GHz Wi-Fi network so 5GHz-only routers will have difficulty making that connection.

Govee provides a huge library of effects for the Neon Rope Light 2, including 12 Music Modes that can sync to the beat of music, and 64 Scene Modes with preset settings to cover a wide variety of occasions, seasons, and moods. Things get really interesting with the arrival of the AI Lighting Bot this March, which will let you harness the power of generative AI to create new effects not included in Govee’s catalog. Simply give it a prompt with specific elements, situations, and even brands and it will scour the Internet and its database to come up with the (hopefully) perfect combination that delivers what you asked for.

Sustainability

Like with string lights, the Neon Rope Light 2 suffers from the problem of becoming significantly less usable once LEDs start failing. Yes, you can probably live with one or two blank spots, but they’re there forever with no option to replace them individually. In fact, one of the Neon Rope Light 2’s greatest strengths, its clean and simple tubing, is also its greatest weakness in this regard. You can’t easily access the LED’s inside anyway, let alone repair or replace them. Your only recourse, in the final analysis, is to ship them for repairs or, worse, buy a new rope. Either way, that involves removing the rope light from its installation, which can be a laborious process.

As for the materials used for the RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2, we can perhaps presume that Govee is using standard synthetic materials like silicone. Yes, the material is lighter and more flexible now, but it’s not more sustainable. As Govee grows, we hope to see more efforts from the brand toward this aspect, especially since its products will be filling the market and homes.

Value

String lights try to offer a way to illuminate a path or shape, but they can only do so much in actually forming that shape. Worse, because of their inherent design, they’re often better off hidden from view so that their presence only becomes known once the lights turn on. While there will always be uses for string lights, the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 delivers something new, different, and mind-blowing. It gives you the creative freedom to design your own lighting masterpiece without too much effort.

The more flexible and lighter material of this 2nd-gen rope light enables owners to really bend the light to the shape they want, and the impressive performance of Govee’s RGBIC LED technology really outshines the competition. Best of all, the Neon Rope Light 2 has a mind-blowing assortment of effects, from the upcoming AI-generated Lighting Bot to the easy-to-use Shape Mapping feature. All of these for an equally impressive price tag that makes the experience accessible to everyone.

Verdict

RGB lighting was once considered the domain of gamers who prefer dark corners just to show off their neon-lit equipment, but everyone has now grown to appreciate what a splash of color can do not just to brighten up a space but also to create a mood, amaze, and entertain. Many RGB lamps exist for that purpose, but the majority of them force owners to design around the lamps instead of having the products cater to their needs. Fortunately, Govee has the perfect solution to fix that problem.

The Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2’s upgraded flexibility allows you to “draw” on a wall or around furniture, giving you complete freedom to create the design that you want. An impressive library of effects from the Govee Home app lets you create the light show of your dreams, whether with the upcoming AI Lighting Bot’s assistance or with full control using the Shape Mapping tool. We wished it was just as easy to remove the rope light and create a different design as it was to install it the first time, but it’s a minor consideration that could happen in future versions of the product. All in all, the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 delivers a very powerful tool for letting your creativity shine, literally.

Click here to Buy Now: $99.99

The post Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 Review: Helping Your Creativity Really Shine first appeared on Yanko Design.

Smart gardening pot concept makes growing plants indoors less stressful

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There has been a new kind of hobby that gripped the world in the past few years, especially when people were forced to stay home for a few months. “Home gardening” was no longer limited to having a small plot of soil outdoors, especially if you can just grow them in pots indoors. That said, it’s a process that still requires a bit of work and effort, especially if you want to keep your plants alive long enough to enjoy the fruits (or leaves) of your labors. Unsurprisingly, a rather niche market of indoor planter appliances has popped up, some including pretty smart functions to boot. This concept tries to offer the same conveniences in a more aesthetic presentation, providing a painless experience of growing plants in an automated environment that looks great as a piece of home decoration as well.

Designer: Saiyami Jhaveri

Just like with plants grown outdoors, indoor plants need regular maintenance from watering, sunlight, and even protection from pests. You can do all of those manually, of course, and some people do enjoy the satisfying feeling of getting down and dirty with such tasks. Others, however, find the process too time-consuming and burdensome, especially if all they want is regular access to fresh herbs or beautiful green plants to liven up a space.

Ecobloom is a concept device that tries to take the drudgery out of this painstaking and laborious process. Almost all parts of that process are automated; all you really need to do is plant the greens and make sure the water tank at the top is filled. You don’t have to do guesswork on when it’s the right time to water the plants thanks to soil moisture sensors that determine the perfect moment for you. Drippers also make sure the plants don’t suddenly get drowned by dispensing the right amount of water as needed. And, of course, there are artificial “grow lights” that save you the trouble of having to put the pot out under the sun.

The smart gardening pot has an interesting function that you won’t always see in actual appliances. It is noted to have a built-in insect repellent to keep those pests away and protect your plants. The concept doesn’t exactly detail how this function works, but one can presume it will be using safe and scientifically tested methods that won’t harm humans and pets in the process.

What makes Ecobloom really interesting is the form it comes in. It uses three concentric circles at different heights, with the topmost acting as the water tank. This gives the appliance a more pleasing appearance compared to just boxes or compartments. Ecobloom can thus be also used to decorate a space, giving as much enjoyment to the planting process as simply watching the plants grow.

The post Smart gardening pot concept makes growing plants indoors less stressful first appeared on Yanko Design.

Smart home camera and router concepts look like ghosts to be less conspicuous

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Our homes are starting to get filled with smart gadgets, and not just the usual culprits like smartphones and tablets. From smart lamps to smart refrigerators, a lot of devices in our houses are now connecting to the Internet. While some of these try to blend in with the rest of your decor as much as they can, others just stand out like a sore thumb. Devices like home security cameras and routers still carry the aesthetics of their predecessors, which is impersonal, technical, and at times even disconcerting. While these products might be important in modern smart homes, they don’t need to be seen in order to function, which is why this concept design tries to make them almost literally fade into the background as if they were ghosts.

Designers: Seokhyun Ahn, Yejee Park, Cho Yumi, Yumin Shin, Myeongryun Kim, Dohyun Park, Lee Dahye, Kim Geonhee, Yang Yurim

We easily take for granted how things that look out of place can affect our minds and moods. Whether it’s a messy desk, a less-than-appealing piece of decoration, or clashing designs, the visual discomfort and confusion can actually bleed into your physical and mental state. They say that the best interfaces and designs are the ones that you barely notice, and what is the least noticeable thing if not a ghost?

Geist, which literally means “spirit” or “ghost,” is a concept design that tries to make those smart home devices less noticeable. Rather than having a black sphere or rectangle that feels like it’s spying on you, the John Doe ghost camera has a translucent body that almost looks like a piece of cloth flying in the wind, just like your stereotypical ghost from cartoons. It is even slanted at an angle to give the impression that it’s levitating and floating as it moves forward. It does have an “eye” for the camera, but it can turn it down to protect your privacy, indicating that it isn’t recording at the moment.

The Wi-Fi router Jane Doe takes on the shape of a gentle wisp of smoke or cloud. With an asymmetrical shape that is mounted vertically on a wall, it almost looks like a ghost passing through a solid surface. It’s impossible to completely hide some of the cables, particularly the power cable, but it at least forces these wires to go in a straight vertical line rather than ending up in a tangled mess.

Although the Geist concept design is actually meant to be less conspicuous and reduce visual discomfort, they can actually also have the opposite effect, depending on the person. Some might not be keen on seeing any representation of the paranormal, so anything that might remind them of ghosts might be even more uncomfortable. That said, the designs are aesthetically pleasing on their own, if you leave out the ghost association, so they still present a more pleasing aesthetic compared to the typical designs of these devices.

The post Smart home camera and router concepts look like ghosts to be less conspicuous first appeared on Yanko Design.

Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite with Dune-themed Packaging Review: Elevating Your Home Theater Experience

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PROS:


  • Bright and vibrant colors thanks to RGBICW LED technology

  • Superb color-matching using a future-proof camera system

  • Incredible value for its price

CONS:


  • Camera design is a bit awkward and might not fit thicker TVs

  • Wi-Fi connectivity is compatible with 2.4GHz networks only

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With rich colors, fast color-matching, and unbeatable price value, the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite with Dune-themed packaging helps fully immerse viewers in the content they're watching.

TVs today are more than just large boxes that show moving pictures. They have also become pieces of decoration that add to the ambiance of a space, whether they’re turned on or not. The lush and vibrant colors that a TV can display can definitely light up a dark room, but that glow stops at the TV’s frame. Yes, the TV’s light can bounce off nearby walls, depending on where it’s placed, but you have absolutely no control over what happens. TV backlights were made to help better immerse you in the show or movie you’re watching by making sure that the light behind and around your TV reflects the content that’s on screen. Smart lighting expert Govee recently launched its latest contender in that category and even partnered with Warner Bros to tie in with the studio’s latest new science fiction film, Dune: Part Two. It’s the perfect time, then, to take a close look at the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite, particularly with this Dune-themed packaging, to see what value it adds to your viewing experience and if it’s tempting price tag sounds too good to be true.

Designer: Govee

Click Here to Buy Now: $74.99 $89.99 (16% off).

Aesthetics

For something you will never see again after you’ve installed it, the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite has quite an interesting appearance. Of course, it’s just a flat strip of LEDS grouped into four segments that need to go around your large TV, but the transparent material that covers the LEDs and some of the circuitry that controls allows you to see some of the secrets behind the magic. It’s not unlike that trend in consumer electronics where transparent cases showed off the parts that actually made the product work. It’s not as sophisticated as those, but it still adds a bit of flavor to the design.

Of course, the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite’s beauty really shines, literally, it has been installed and enabled, and boy does it shine! The light the strips produce is quite bright, especially in a dim room, and the colors are rich and vibrant. The way those colors shift almost instantly to match what’s on the screen is also magical, making it look like the TV actually goes beyond its frame. We’ll get to the technical details that make that possible in a bit, but suffice it to say, the backlight definitely delivers an enriching experience when watching any kind of content on TV.

While the backlight itself is something you won’t see, there is one part of the system that is actually always visible and, depending on your setup, always in your face. Given how the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite works, it’s necessary to have that camera hanging from the top of the TV, extending a bit forward from the frame. Depending on the design of the TV itself, this black cantilever-like part may or may not easily stand out, and it will definitely add a little blemish to more artful TV designs. Unfortunately, there is no other way to implement this kind of dynamic color-matching system, so it’s a cost that owners will have to live with. Fortunately, it might actually be the biggest cost after all.

Ergonomics

Since the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite is not something you’ll be using in your hand every time, its ergonomics mostly apply to the installation process as well as the hands-free control of the lights. In that regard, Govee’s light strip is not really unlike others in this market, which isn’t completely a good thing either. Installing the lights on the TV is a very involved process, which will be even more difficult if your TV is mounted on a wall.

In a nutshell, you attach the four segments of the strip on the four edges of the TV’s back. The exact placement of the strips will depend on the shape of that rear, with curved ones being the trickiest. The strips are attached using 3M adhesive, which will worry some owners about the permanence of the installation and the marks it will leave behind when removed. Special care must also be taken to hide the loose cables at the corners so that they don’t peek out of the frame or cast shadows when the lights are turned on.

Compared to its previous two TV backlights, Govee changed the design of the camera bracket significantly. It no longer uses an adhesive and instead relies on gravity and the weighted bracket to attach the camera to the top of the TV without sticking it with an adhesive. In theory, it works and won’t wobble too much (unless you’re constantly moving the TV), but some might worry enough to actually use the included adhesive anyway. The bigger problem, however, is that this design also limits the bracket to certain TVs, particularly thinner ones. It’s certainly possible to attach it to other TVs, but not without putting in a lot more effort as well.

Once that hard work is done, however, the rest of the setup is easy as pie. You only need to turn the control box on, connect it to the Govee app on your phone, and go through the initialization process. That will include calibrating the camera by placing removable orange markers on the front edges of the TV, and that’s pretty much it. The mobile app has tons of settings and modes you can play with, but even leaving it at the default color-matching mode is more than enough to enhance your watching experience. You don’t even need that app if you connect it to your Wi-Fi so that you can control it by voice using smart home platforms, though like any Govee product, it requires 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, so 5GHz-only routers will be incompatible.

Performance

Without the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite

Although TV backlights are not uncommon, dynamic color-matching ones are still hard to come by, especially at the price point that the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite with Dune-themed packaging comes with. It’s even harder to find one that works so well, which is why this Govee product is actually impressive and a dream come true for TV owners who want to take their cinematic experience to the next level.

With the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite

Govee upgrades the backlight from its usual RGBIC LEDs to a new RGBICW tech which adds a fourth color to the combination. With a dedicated white LED, the lights can cover even more colors as well as different white temperatures. The lights become more expressive and more vibrant, able to better match the colors being displayed on the screen in front.

Of course, that color-matching doesn’t happen by magic, which is where that odd protruding comes in. With improved Envisual technology and upgraded processors, the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite is able to identify colors on the screen faster and adjust the lights accordingly. The new fish-eye correction also makes sure that the 180-degree field of view camera sees the edges correctly as well. Admittedly, there’s still about a split-second delay between what happens on the screen and the backlight changing, but it’s almost negligible, to say the least. An HDMI control box would have made things faster but that would only work for content coming through HDMI sources and might not support future versions of the HDMI standard. This camera-based system is, therefore, more flexible and more future-proof, making that milliseconds delay a small price to pay.

Although the color-matching feature is already incredible, the Govee app still has a lot in store for those who want to customize every detail. That includes different modes for what lights to play, even if that means not matching what goes on screen. This is where the collaboration with Warner Bros. comes in, turning the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite into a portal into the world of Dune: Part Two. There are two new lighting effects, namely Arrakis and Spice, that will make you feel like you’re actually in that fictional world. Even the app itself gets a Dune theme to match. But if you really want to be transported to Arrakis, Govee’s DreamView technology allows you to sync with other Govee lights in the room, bathing you in the warm orange glow of the planet’s environment.

From its fast responsive color-matching to its bright, vibrant colors, the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite definitely delivers on its promises. It’s not a perfect solution, of course, at least not yet, but the company seems to be heading in the right direction. And with tons of customizable options, including those from the Dune: Part Two collab, the design definitely has a lot to offer, especially if you have other Govee lights in the room.

Sustainability

Sustainability in lighting can be a difficult goal to chase after. Many of the materials needed to make such electronics work are sadly not sustainable by nature. One can only do so much to offset their negative effects, like using recycled materials for packaging or using more power-efficient lights like LEDs, but those can only go so far. Making matters worse is that the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite, like any other TV backlight, isn’t exactly repairable by design. Once an LED gets busted or a part of the strip stops working, there’s no recourse possible. The whole thing becomes unusable and you either have to replace it or ship the whole thing for repairs. Either way, that means you have to pull it off the TV’s back, which will be tricky with that much adhesive used, and then go through the installation process again with the new strip.

Value

Compared to other TV backlights, the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite with Dune-themed packaging is quite a steal at $74.99 for 55-65 inches with this sweet deal for Yanko Design readers, especially when considering all you’re getting for that price. You have bright and vibrant RGBICW LEDs that can display almost any hue and color-matching capabilities that can quickly follow the action on the screen. You also have plenty of customization options for modes and effects, including immersing yourself in the desert world of Arrakis if you want to.

The camera will probably be the most contentious part of its design, but it’s a flexible solution that is guaranteed to work regardless of TV and display technologies of the future. Hopefully, Govee will be able to create a better design for the camera in future iterations, but TV owners will just have to live with something hanging at the top of their TV in exchange for a more cinematic viewing experience.

Verdict

It’s actually astounding how a little change of light can affect the atmosphere in a room, even more so when you have a dazzling burst of color to match a mood. TV backlights are one of those things you never knew you needed until you actually try it out and realize how “dead” even the most colorful TV can be without colorful lights shining behind and around it. Some TVs these days come with their own ambient backlighting system, but those come at added cost and no upgrade path for the future.

The Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite with Dune-themed packaging brings that flood of light and color in a package that almost anyone can afford. Its upgraded Envisual color-matching technology is simply mind-blowing in its ability to keep up with the fast-paced action on the screen, and the gamut of colors provided by new RGBICW LEDs helps make the content pop out even more. The variety of customization options, including Arrakis and Spice lighting effects inspired by the Dune: Part Two makes sure that no viewing experience will be plain and boring ever again.

Click Here to Buy Now: $74.99 $89.99 (16% off).

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Smart display concept puts a cute face on smart home technology

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As our homes start to get more connected to devices and the Internet, the number of screens also starts to increase. In addition to the phones, tablets, computers, and TVs that are already a staple of modern life, there are also smart displays that try to offer visual feedback to the things we usually only hear by voice from an AI-powered assistant. While many smart display designs try to blend in with the rest of the room, it’s really hard to hide a large conspicuous screen that needs to always to in view to be useful. This design concept tries to soften the blow of having such impersonal tech products inside your living space by giving a smart display a rather comical face that makes it feel more alive and a little bit friendlier.

Designer: Kai Xia

Smart displays are pretty much the evolution of voice-controlled smart speakers, giving a visual representation of the information you would normally get only through audio. Of course, it could also be used for other purposes, like displaying photos similar to a digital photo frame, playing videos, or even making video calls. The standard design of these devices, however, has more in common with those speakers or, worse, simply look like tablets slapped onto cylinders and boxes.

The Smart Pad concept tries to liven things up by changing the core design of the smart display. Objectively speaking, the 4-inch screen might actually seem too small for its purpose, but that also means you’re forced to show only the essentials rather than flooding the user with information. The smart display is also shaped like an egg, reminiscent of the old, colorful iMacs or even some vintage CRT TVs. This angles the screen at a comfortable level without having to resort to stands and external mechanisms.

The more important feature of the concept, however, is the cartoon-y face that can be displayed on the small screen. It might be a minor and optional detail, but it lends the gadget a bit of personality, making it feel more approachable and even human to some extent. It makes the Smart Pad feel less like an appliance and more like a companion, putting a face to that disembodied voice we always hear when we talk to such devices.

Of course, it’s also capable of the standard things that smart displays can do, at least in theory. That screen can play videos, display photos, and show information, but it might be less expressive because of its small size. That makes the device more suited for desks and bedside tables rather than living rooms, where seeing the screen up close is more natural.

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Apple HomePod with a Screen is coming to revive a forgotten smart home category

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Although they look and seem like they’re made just for playing music, smart speakers are, of course, a lot more capable than simple wireless speakers. In fact, they were born to showcase the power of AI-powered smart assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri, which is also why the speaker quality of the first generation of speakers left much to be desired. While controlling your devices and appliances using your voice felt almost magical, it also became quite tiring quickly, especially when you could do things faster using an app on your phone. That’s the reason why smart speakers with displays, a.k.a. smart displays, were born, and that design might finally be coming to Apple’s ecosystem, potentially bringing life back to stagnant waters.

Designer: Apple (via MacWorld)

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a new smart display coming from the major brands. The latest Amazon Echo Show last year is actually just an upgraded Echo Show 5. Google launched the 2nd-generation Nest Hub in 2021, though some might argue that the Google Pixel Tablet and its speaker dock actually fall under this category. After all, most of these smart displays do look like smart speakers with a tablet stuck on top of them.

Amazon Echo Show 10

Amazon Echo Show 10

That design might be coming to Apple’s smart home device category, thanks to clues found in the latest beta testing of tvOS 17.4. There is no direct evidence, of course, just a new device codenamed “Z314” that just happens to share some internal hardware with the iPad mini 6. The HomePod was actually discovered to already be running tvOS, which would have been weird if it didn’t eventually get some visual capabilities. Again, much of these are based on speculation, but the hints seem to be building up and pointing toward a spring 2024 reveal.

Google Nest Hub 2

Google Nest Hub 2

A HomePod with a touch screen, even just a 7-inch one as indicated by rumors, will offer a significant upgrade to people’s user experience. Although the HomePod already offers physical controls for quickly controlling music, anything else has to be done either through Siri or through a connected iPhone or iPad. The latter scenario, however, can cause additional battery drain to mobile devices, so a dedicated display will go a long way in making it more convenient to access Apple Home settings, media controls, and more. Of course, sticking a tablet on top of a HomePod isn’t the only possible design option available, as our very own Sarang Sheth explored in a piece that envisioned an aesthetic that matched Apple’s style more closely.

That said, it also isn’t certain how far Apple will go in what features it will provide on that screen. The likes of the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub offer video capabilities, though that has also been a thorny subject as far as YouTube is concerned. Apple is traditionally even more conservative in what it allows on its devices, so we can probably expect functionality limited to smart home control, FaceTime, and, of course, its own library of tunes and videos.

Google Pixel Tablet

Google Pixel Tablet

Google Pixel Tablet

Google Pixel Tablet

The post Apple HomePod with a Screen is coming to revive a forgotten smart home category first appeared on Yanko Design.

Ten of the Best IoT Devices To Create A Smart & Cohesive Home Environment

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If you dream of having a smart home, then filling it up with excellent IoT gadgets is key. People prefer IoT devices today as they help them create an automated home that requires minimum interference and actions on their part. The range of IoT devices is truly quite remarkable today from smart shades that lift themselves to exceptional security cameras that ensure complete safety in your home. We’ve curated a collection of smart, well-designed, and easy-to-use IoT devices that will make your home a smooth automated haven. From IoT devices that help you stay connected with your pets while you’re away from home to the Frame Wall Pad, a full-screen touch system with Korean elegance – we have a whole range of exciting gadgets for you.

1. The Frame

Called the Frame, this impressive full-screen touch system is designed for Kocom, a renowned Korean smart home appliance company. The unique wall pad is designed to redefine and elevate the smart home experience with complete comfort and convenience.

Why is it noteworthy?

Frame’s impressive full-screen touch system differentiates it as a sophisticated and user-friendly centerpiece on the wall of any home. Its functionality and impeccable design set it apart from other systems on the market.

What we like

  • Serves as an embodiment of elegance, and technological advancement

What we dislike

2. SwitchBot Curtain 3

Called the SwitchBot Curtain 3, this simple robot can be attached to any curtain rod within 30 seconds, transforming your regular curtains into smart ones that can control your phone. You can smoothly operate the robot with shortcuts or voice commands.

Why is it noteworthy?

The SwitchBot Curtain 3 is currently in its third edition and features a new DynamiClamp design that lets it work on a large range of curtain rods and tracks, moving curtains the way you’d see them in five-star hotels.

What we like

  • Super easy to install, and can be configured in multiple ways
  • The DynamiClamp design lets the Curtain 3 be navigated in different kinds of rod designs

What we dislike

  • You need SwitchBot Hub for Voice Control feature

3. Mui Board Gen 2

Called the Mui Board Gen 2, this gadget looks like a simple piece of timber at first glance, but it converts into a touch-sensitive interface for controlling various aspects of a smart home. You can adjust your lighting, curtains, thermostat, and speakers with a simple tap on the wooden surface.

Why is it noteworthy?

This second-gen Mui Board features a new Matter networking protocol, allowing compatibility with smart devices from Apple, Google, and Amazon. This integration offers easy connectivity and elevates the board’s appeal.

What we like

  • Features ChatGPT integration via APIs

What we dislike

  • Looks could have been worked upon, to make it more appealing

4. Arpobot Smart Shade

The Arpobot Smart Shade is a Matter-compliant IoT accessory that is designed to work with almost every chain-operate blind and shade. It can transform your analog blinds into voice-activated automatic ones.

Why is it noteworthy?

You can just snap the Arpobot Smart Shade in place, and it will start working without needing extra hubs or separate apps…just your Apple/Google/Amazon smart home platform.

What we like

  • Easy to install
  • Minimalist design that blends well into almost every interior space

What we dislike

  • Hefty price tag

5. Migo

Migo is short ‘for amigo’, and it means friend in Spanish. The various components of Migo communicate and connect via Bluetooth, allowing owners and their dogs to interact remotely.

Why is it noteworthy?

The main appeal of Migo is the collar which has its own tracking system, temperature sensor, heart rate monitor, audio output, and an LED flashlight. It allows owners to have eyes on their dogs at home, through the camera unit that functions as a traditional surveillance camera.

What we like

  • The camera has a speaker, so owners can speak to their dogs

What we dislike

  • It’s currently a concept, so we don’t know how well it would translate into a tangible product

6. SwitchBot Bot

The SwitchBot Bot is designed to automate products that aren’t originally smart. Called the ‘Button Pusher’, this IoT gadget can stick to switchboards or appliances, pushing buttons and switches with a plastic flipper so you don’t need to.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Bot is a simple and efficient approach to enhancing homes and lives. It can turn simple products into remote-controlled ones that can be operated via an app, voice commands, smart home setups, or IFTTT routines.

What we like

  • Automate switches that aren’t designed to be smart
  • Economical than upgrading to a smart appliance

What we dislike

  • Needs SwitchBot Hub for Voice Control and Smart Home configuration

7. ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera

The ecobee doorbell camera records in 1080p to offer “enhanced low light vision”, and utilizes a 175-degree vertical field of view, allowing you to see everything clearly from the floor to the sky.

Why is it noteworthy?

It allows the viewer on the opposite side of the doorbell camera to see any packages being dropped on the porch, or in more dangerous cases, identify any potential threats that they may present on the opposite side of the door.

What we like

  • Features a slick outward appearance featuring a machined glass front panel surrounded by aluminum alloy

What we dislike

  • You need a subscription to ecobee Smart Security, which connects all ecobee security devices

8. Bownce

Bownce calls itself “the first IoT ball of its kind”. It is a small ball designed to get you sweating, and training your muscle groups with the help of technology. It has a compact size, accentuated by integrated electric components.

Why is it noteworthy?

It is quite small, and easy to install, allowing you to bring it to your office, backyard, or whichever room in your home you feel most comfortable in. It’s also not intimidating for newbies who want to start punching stuff.

What we like

  • It has integrated electric components, allowing you to track your performance
  • The connecting app logs your punches and gives you real-time updates and statistics

What we dislike

  • Not sure how it can replicate an actual punching bag

9. SwitchBot Smart Lock

The SwitchBot Smart Lock is created to fit over standard single deadbolt locks, automating it, and allowing you to open it using an app, Bluetooth, proximity, or even voice commands. The device has a motor that can either lock or unlock it.

Why is it noteworthy?

The lock connects with the SwitchBot app via Bluetooth and can work with your Apple Watch as well. It also pairs with the Hub for WiFi-based connectivity, and you can control it using your voice.

What we like

  • It is protected by 128-bit AES encryption
  • Can be configured with your smart doorbell to open for approved people

What we dislike

  • The battery lasts for 6 months

10. Bird Buddy

Called the Bird Buddy, this AI-powered bird feeder captures videos of any birds that make it to your garden or porch, streaming their faces to your phone, alongside a notification when they show up. The feeder features a camera in the front, which captures the bird as closely as possible.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Bird Buddy’s AI identifies the birds for you as well, maintaining a record of the birds that visit, along with their pictures, in case you don’t make it to your porch in time with the DSLR.

What we like

  • Weather-proof feeder
  • Features a modular design, allowing you to snap the camera attachment off and take it indoors for charging

What we dislike

  • Has a low battery life
  • The Bluetooth camera pairing process is a bit buggy

The post Ten of the Best IoT Devices To Create A Smart & Cohesive Home Environment first appeared on Yanko Design.

AI-powered cat door stops your feline companion from bringing home dead gifts

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Cats are notorious for many things, with curiosity at the top of that list. They can and will pounce on small critters, sometimes with undesirable consequences. If that wasn’t bad enough, cats that have owners have a tendency to bring home the spoils of war, whether for themselves or as a gift to their humans. Either way, those unwanted and unmoving critters are sure to create unhealthy and unsavory circumstances at home, often discovered only after the fact. At CES 2024, a rather curious solution is being presented, utilizing those hot AI powers to stop your cat from entering your abode until they finally let go of their lifeless package.

Designer: Flappie

Flappie wouldn’t be the first smart pet door to grace the market, but it is probably the first to be so laser-focused on a very specific use case. The fact that it needs to only pay attention to cats and a very specific scenario means its designers and developers can also pour resources only into things that matter. In this case, that means it’s only concerned about recognizing cats and whether they have prey in their mouths before entering your house.

Like other smart doors, Flappie has sensors, specifically a camera, facing the outside world. When your cat approaches, it uses AI to identify whether it’s bringing home prey or just some other inanimate object. If it indeed carrying some previously living thing, the smart door will won’t open up and prevent your cat from entering. Only when the cat has figured out that it can’t go in without dropping its payload first will the AI door finally let it have access and resume living in the safety and comfort of its indoor abode.

The idea for this kind of specialized security system is to hopefully train the cat to not bring in dead things (or other things) and drop them off at the door before coming in. It’s not a foolproof method, but one that the designers believe is more effective than manually monitoring the cat. They are confident that the AI has a 90% accuracy in identifying dead prey like mice, birds, and even snakes, and it will only get better as it learns over time.

Flappie also has other functions besides training your cat to be respectful when coming back home. Those same cameras can be used to capture your feline’s precious moments and even share them on social media. You could control it remotely via an app, but there are also manual controls in case things get a little out of hand. The smart door can also be connected to your cat’s chip, presuming it has one, so that it will only let your own cat in and keep curious strangers out.

The post AI-powered cat door stops your feline companion from bringing home dead gifts first appeared on Yanko Design.

“Smart” feng shui devices will release positive qi for this new year

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Feng shui has become popular in the Western world during the 20th century and beyond. Sometimes though, just like with a lot of things in our world, it has been commodified too much to the point that people are just buying things as an easier way to practice this ancient system. A new project is a satirical criticism of this commodification, although it has actually created products that will bring feng shui objects into your home and bring a “smart” aspect to it.

Designer: Yoojin Chung

Capturing Qi is a project that brings three feng-shui objects into the digital age by making them smart devices that you can control through an app to bring energy into your home. You get a crystal ball, a wind chime, and a water fountain were designed to look like scientific equipment and was inspired by the 18th century vacuum chambers. The crystal ball and water fountain have castor stands while the wind chime is a hanging piece.

All three have Arduino circuit boards that turns them into smart devices. You connect them to the smartphone app through Bluetooth and you use the ap to “activate” and release the qi into yuor home. So while the project is a commentary on the commercialism of feng shui, it can still be used to release the energy that you want especially now that it’s a new year.

Any of these three items would also be good conversation starters if you have them in your home. You either look like a mad scientist or someone with cool art pieces at home. Either way, if you believe in feng shui, you can have these smart versions in your home for all the good juju you need.

The post “Smart” feng shui devices will release positive qi for this new year first appeared on Yanko Design.