smart

“Pixel 8 to Receive Game-Changing On-Device AI-Powered Features from Google”

Pixel 8 7
Google announced today that it will soon roll out on-device AI-powered features such as recording summaries and smart replies on the Pixel 8. These features will be based on Gemini Nano, a small-sized model Google released last year, primed to run on devices. The company announced these features last October during the Pixel 8 launch. In January, Google introduced “Circle to Search” for select Pixel and Samsung Devices. The company announced this week that more Pixel and Sasmung phones along with select tablets will get Circle to Search feature.

Illuminating Accessibility: How Showee, a smart shower startup, is bringing light to the shower experience

Showee 2
Catalan startup Showee, which is building smart showers with accessibility in mind, is one such company. Here’s a video showing how it works:More than the hardware, Showee won awards and praise for the social impact it’s trying to make. The company’s CTO, Eloi Mirambell, admitted that the smart shower’s price will have to go down before it has a real chance at B2C. The startup says its shower uses 50% less water than a regular shower. In its FAQ, the startup says that all shower units are sold out, but Showee will be available again starting April 2024.

Samsung introduces smart ring with sleep-enhancing capabilities

Img 0369
After a brief tease at the end of its big Galaxy S24 event earlier this month, Samsung officially debuted the Galaxy Ring this morning at MWC. Circular cofounder and CEO Amaury Kosman stated, “We’re really pleased that Samsung has announced that it will be bringing the Samsung Galaxy Ring to market later this year. The company isn’t a household name, but it’s big enough to effectively be synonymous with the smart ring category for many consumers. While the Galaxy Ring appeared on the MWC floor today, we’re still waiting for a lot here with regards to specifics. Samsung could also lean into sleep tracking, suggesting users wear the Watch all day and sleep with the Ring on.

Xiaomi SU7: A Revolutionary Electric Vehicle

Img 0358
Alongside Xiaomi SU7 design, Xiaomi has developed the five core EV technologies: E-Motor, CTB Integrated Battery, Xiaomi Die-Casting, Xiaomi Pilot Autonomous Driving, and Smart Cabin. Here’s what I can say: the SU7 is a car – and nice looking one at that. It was parked inside Xiaomi’s MWC booth atop a rotating platform. Here’s Xiaomi again,Xiaomi’s transition from “Smartphone x AIoT”, the “Human x Car x Home” smart ecosystem seamlessly merges personal devices, smart home products, and cars. As the foundation of the “Human x Car x Home” smart ecosystem, it integrates over 200 product categories incorporating 600 million global devices, and covering more than 95% of user scenarios.

Greetings from Vegas: My Experience at CES

A Postcard From Las Vegas By Haje
This week Devin, Kirsten and I have been running around in Las Vegas for CES to figure out what’s going on in the world of tech. Siri in particular could do with getting its act together, before it’s completely left in the dust by its competitors. Biggest news from CESSamsung’s Ballie, the spherical home robot first seen at CES 2020, has rolled back into the spotlight at CES 2024 with some trend-forward AI enhancements. Kyle reports how AI tools can easily manipulate ID images, creating deepfakes convincing enough to pass KYC tests. Plus, Alexa’s got a new AI model making it more opinionated and emotional.

Revamped and Rebooming: Cutting-edge Pepper Spray Startup 444 Returns to CES with a Game-changing Partnership Opportunity

20240111 Dsc00281
A year ago, at CES, I broke out the snark-hammer at 444, a startup that was trying to make a ‘smart’ pepper spray device. To my surprise, it had landed a significant partnership, co-development, and co-branding deal with Mace, one of the biggest names in the sprayable self-defense sector. “When you deploy the device, pepper spray comes out. I often end up seeing startups at CES that seem completely pointless (this year, my eyes did backflips over Direction 9. This serves as a great great reminder that, for true entrepreneurs, it takes more than a snarky post from an opinionated blogger to encourage them to throw in the towel.

CES 2024 Unveils the Crème de la Crème of Matter-Compatible Devices

57921 118030 Nanoleaf Strip Lights Xl
And major features like multi-admin, which in theory allows Matter devices to work with every smart home platform simultaneously, remain broken pending future standards patches. Lockly also announced at CES that its $80 Matter Link Hub, which allows users to manage older Lockly devices from Matter-supporting apps and devices, will become available later this year. Aqara Hub M3Aqara, the smart home upstart, brought its long-teased Matter-compatible hub — the Hub M3 — to CES 2024. Roborock S8 MaxV UltraRoborock, a longtime fixture of the robot vacuum cleaner market, launched its first Matter-compatible vacuum at CES: the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra. But Amazon became the first to support Matter Casting, the video- and audio-beaming feature of the Matter smart home standard, on its smart displays and smart TVs this week.

Google is eliminating seventeen “underutilized” Assistant functions

Gettyimages 1207206237
Google is removing 17 “underutilized” features in Google Assistant to focus on “quality and reliability,” the company announced on Thursday. The news comes as Google is laying off hundreds of employees in its Google Assistant, hardware and other divisions. Setting or using media alarms, music alarms, or radio alarms on Google Assistant enabled devices. You can use Google Assistant to search for recipes across the web and YouTube. Using App Launcher in Google Assistant driving mode on Google Maps to read and send messages, make calls, and control media.

Intelligent Invertebrates: The Solution to 24/7 Waterway Monitoring for Pollution

Clam 1
But a French startup is going further, allowing bivalves like clams, mussels, and oysters to act as all-natural water quality inspectors. The company began as a research project some 15 years ago at the University of Bordeaux. As largely stationary filter feeders, they are quite in tune with their surroundings, and their habits are affected by things like temperature, pollution, and so on. The molluSCAN-eye system won’t replace traditional water monitoring, but as a living part of the water ecosystem, its health and the health of its surroundings are closely linked. Quinault is hoping that municipalities and natural resource authorities will shell out for the tech as a totally natural, harmless, and low-touch way to watch their waterways.

Amazon Introduces Matter Casting to its Smart Displays and TVs

Echo Show 15 Disney
But the company will be the first to support Matter Casting, the video- and audio-beaming feature of the Matter smart home standard, on its smart displays and smart TVs, Amazon announced this morning at CES 2024. Once Matter casting comes to Amazon’s Prime Video app for Android and iOS, users will be able to cast content to supported Amazon devices — starting with the Echo Show 15 — by tapping the new dedicated Matter Casting button. Beyond the Echo Show 15, Amazon says that Matter Casting support will arrive on Fire TVs including smart TVs from Panasonic with Fire TV built in, and — on the app side — Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Starz and ZDF later this year. Tellingly, Google announced this week that its casting tech, Chromecast, will be built into all of LG’s new TVs — but gave no mention of Matter Casting. The Matter Casting spec — which was developed with major input from Amazon — can accomplish more than casting, in theory.