Philips Hue Motion Sensor Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
This is typically the time of year when Philips tells us what’s new with Philips Hue. And, sure enough, here we are with a new Philips Hue motion sensor accessory. Sync it up with your smart-lighting setup when it arrives this October, and you’ll be able to trigger your color-changing smart bulbs just by walking into the room.
The device doesn’t look much different from other motion sensors on the market. It’s a small, square gadget that you can hide under the bed, mount on the ceiling or stick to the fridge thanks to an included magnet attachment.
Also included: a built-in daylight sensor that promises to save energy by activating lights only when you actually need them. That’s a smart little extra that you won’t find in most other motion detectors.
There’s an ambient light detector built into the top of the Philips Hue Motion Sensor. Its job: to keep the sensor from turning on lights unless you actually need them.
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
The motion sensor is completely wireless, and runs on a pair of AAA batteries. You can pair up to 12 of them with the Philips Hue Bridge, then program which lights each one should control within the Philips Hue app. Once you’ve got everything set up, Philips promises that the lights will come on within a half-second of motion being detected.
All that said, you could argue that the motion sensor isn’t the biggest thing Philips is announcing today. The company also claims that it’ll soon start selling new and improved versions of its signature White and Color Ambiance LEDs — specifically ones designed to shine a little brighter, and to do a better job with greens and blues. That’s a welcome fix for one of Hue’s biggest flaws, but people who spent $200 to buy in with the second-gen bulbs last October might be justifiably peeved that Philips didn’t fix it a year ago.
You’ll be able to spot those new bulbs in packaging that carries a new “richer colors” badge. A Philips spokesperson tells us, “Existing Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance bulbs will continue to work as before; however, to get the benefits of the richer colors consumers will need to purchase the new bulb.”
In addition to the new motion sensor and the improved White and Color bulbs, Philips is announcing the arrival of some new skews for its Philips Hue White Ambiance LED. That bulb offers adjustable tones from the white-light spectrum — now, you’ll be able to get one with a GU10-shaped base, as well as a BR30-shaped floodlight variety.
The Philips Hue Motion Sensor will cost $40 when it arrives this October (international pricing isn’t available yet, but that price comes out to about £30/AU$55, converted roughly). You’ll find it on the Philips Hue website, as well as on Amazon and at Best Buy. We’ll be sure to test it out in the CNET Smart Home and let you know how we like it.
Ring Video Doorbell review: Chime-tastic security for your front door
In the age of the smart home, the number of home devices being connected to the internet is expanding exponentially. Whether it’s a kettle, fridge, vacuum cleaner, the central heating or – in this case – a doorbell, you can control and monitor almost anything from your smartphone these days.
Ring Video Doorbell review: What is it?
The Ring Video Doorbell is an outdoor security camera and motion sensor, which is internet connected and can be used as a regular doorbell.
Its built-in camera, microphone and speaker mean you can talk to anyone who’s at the door through your phone, using the app. Whether that’s a delivery guy and you’ve just got out of the shower, or an uninvited guest door-to-door selling who you want to ignore them without opening the door.
Any time a guest rings the bell, your smartphone is alerted, and you can set it up to alert you when there’s motion near your house too (within a certain range). It’s especially useful if you’re not at home all day, since you can chat to anyone remotely from anywhere you get an internet connection.
Spec wise, the doorbell has a 5,200mAh battery – which Ring claims can get you through 6-12 months of “regular usage” and can operate in temperatures between -21 and 49 degrees Celsius (more than capable of dealing with Britain’s mild winters and summers). It has infrared LEDs for night vision, a 180-degree field-of-view and records 720p video.
Ring Video Doorbell review: Design
You’ve more than likely never seen a better looking doorbell than the Ring Video Doorbell. It could almost be described as the iPhone of doorbells, in the way that the silver aluminium model reminds us of the original iPhone. The bottom two-thirds is encased in a rounded metal plate, while the top part is a black glossy plastic.
Pocket-lint
Saying that, it’s not exactly the sleekest product in the world. All the gadgetry inside means the device itself is a pretty chunky at nearly 6.2cm wide and 2.2cm thick.
The doorbell button has an LED light ring surrounding it which lights up and animates when the button is pressed, when network connectivity is lost, or when the battery is being charged.
Ring Video Doorbell review: What’s In the box
The doorbell ships with five screws and five wall plugs (one spare of each), a small spirit bubble meter, masonry drill bit and a screwdriver handle with a reversible tool that slots in. This screwdriver has a regular Philips head on one end and a tiny pentalobe driver end on the other. The latter is used to screw the doorbell on to its backplate.
And since it’s pentalobe, it’s very unlikely that anyone can steal it easily.
Along with all the tools, there’s the doorbell itself, the backplate for mounting it, a diode (which you may or may not need) and a micro USB cable for charging the doorbell’s internal non-removable battery.
Of course, there’s the manual which helps you get the doorbell setup with easy-to-read, step-by-step instructions, including how to connect it to your home network.
Ring Video Doorbell review: Setup
As setup processes go, the Ring doorbell was about as easy as they come. That’s mostly thanks to the included tools and instructions in the retail packaging. It’s a very well considered retail package.
The first step – regardless of how you want to fix it to your property – is to download the appropriate app for iOS or Android. This will guide you through a registration process to setup an account and enable you to add other users who can access your doorbell.
The devices don’t come fully charged, so it’s worth plugging the doorbell in for a couple of hours to fully charge it before mounting to a wall using four of the provided screws. If you’re mounting it to wood, the backplate screws straight in. If you’re fixing it to a brick wall, you’ll need to drill four holes first then use the provided wall plugs. Once the backplate is fixed, the doorbell slides over the top and clips in place using the built-in fixing hooks, then tightening the screws at the bottom of the unit.
Pocket-lint
Getting the doorbell connected to a home network is pretty simple. It involves connecting directly to the doorbell’s Wi-Fi signal by heading to your phone’s settings menu. Once that’s done, you head back in to the app, where it detects the doorbell. Then, input your home network details and tell the doorbell which network to connect to. Once it’s connected and fully charged, it’s ready to install.
If you already have a doorbell wired to a bell inside the house somewhere, you can install the Ring doorbell by connecting it to the pre-existing wiring. Depending on the voltage and system you have, you may need to connect the diode to those existing wires. Then, when a guest presses the button, it rings the existing bell as normal. With this method, you’ll never need to charge the built-in battery since it gets its power from the mains.
If you want to set it up as a brand new system, you can do that too – but you will more than likely need to purchase one of Ring’s wireless Chimes (£25). These Chimes are connected to your home network like the doorbell itself and alert you whenever the doorbell is pressed.
They’re built directly onto a UK plug, and so can be placed anywhere in the house where you have a spare power socket. You can fit multiple Chimes if you live in an especially large house with multiple rooms.
Ring Video Doorbell review: Customisation
Once it’s all installed and ready to go, the customisation can begin.
The most logical place to start is probably the motion sensor, which can have its sensitivity set using the Ring app. You doorbell can pick up movement from up to 30 feet away, but the app lets you choose any distance between from five feet by moving the slider on the app’s Motion Zones page.
It also breaks the 180-degree field of view into six zones, and you can choose which of those the motion sensor should ignore, or pay attention to.
As for alerts, the app has a Smart Alert feature which can calculate when repeated or continuous motion takes place, and only alerts you again once that motion has finished. You can also change the sensitivity of this algorithm by choosing between light, standard and frequent alerts.
If you have a Chime you can also change the audio level to suit you.
Ring Video Doorbell review: What’s it like to use?
The Ring doorbell largely depends on app-based use. Your iPhone or Android smartphone will ring every time your doorbell is pressed, or jingle when the motion sensor detects movement.
In either of these situations, you can open the app and see a live video stream of what your doorbell can see using its extremely wide-angle lens. If there’s someone you need to talk to, simply press the green “talk” button, just make sure the microphone isn’t muted, and then talk. This can be really useful if you’re expecting a parcel, or if a friend has turned up before you managed to get home.
Like many gadgets, the Ring doorbell’s greatest strength is its greatest weakness: all of its best features are enabled by its internet connectivity. That means if you’re in an area with poor (or no) 3G or 4G signal then the video stream is delayed, so communicating with whoever is at your door is virtually impossible. If you’re out and about often in relatively rural areas, or places you know have inconsistent or slow connectivity, then the Ring doorbell is going to be pointless.
However, if you’re rarely out of strong coverage, or spend your days in an office with a strong wireless network, the Ring doorbell could be the perfect addition to your smart home.
Ring Video Doorbell review: Connect all of the things
One of the Ring’s added benefits is that it can tie in with several other partner products. With Ring+ you can connect your device directly to Belkin WeMo products, or connect to various security products from the likes of ADT, Lockstate or Lockitron.
What’s more, Ring is IFTTT enabled, so you can even use it to trigger several other connected accounts and create recipes for when your doorbell rings or detects motion. This could be anything from switching your WeMo or Hue lights on when there’s motion at your door, to creating an Evernote or Google Drive log whenever you get visitors.
Verdict
The Ring Video Doorbell provides a great service and adds an element of security to a product category which has long been just a minor peripheral.
It’s well-made and attractive, but with the battery having dropped to 80 per cent after just over a week of use, we’re very sceptical about Ring’s claims that it can handle up to 12 months of usage. Or maybe we’re just super popular.
The big draw for the Ring Video Doorbell is that it’s not just aesthetically pleasing, but its entire operation and installation is so easy that anyone can use it. It’s an effortless way to add security to your home and ensure you don’t miss any important parcels. Although it is a chunk of cash more than a basic doorbell.
Philips Hue motion sensor turns lights on for you
So you have your home all decked out with some sweet smart lights that you can control with your phone. Big deal. True convenience is when your lights turn on exactly when you need them to, without you even lifting a finger. And Philips’ new motion sensor can help you achieve that. The $40 device will be available in October, and after my brief preview of the Philips Hue motion sensor, I can’t wait till I can get one.
“There are moments when you just want things to happen,” said Todd Manegold, leader of Philips Lighting’s connected home arm, as his team showed me around a hotel suite they had set up with the full Hue experience. Those moments include coming home from the grocery store with your arms full of shopping bags, or opening the door to a closet with a hard-to-reach switch. In such situations, any motion sensor would come in handy, activating your lights in an instant so you don’t have to struggle yourself.
During my demo, I walked through a couple of dim, unlit hallways (much less sinister than it sounds) and the Hue motion sensor flipped the lights on just as I entered. The device has a 100-degree (vertical and horizontal) detection angle and a range of up to about 16 feet, which enables a pretty speedy response time.
Having the sensor isn’t just useful for automatically turning the lights on when you enter a room or hallway. It can also trigger them, say, when you wake up in the middle of the night and need to go to the bathroom without fumbling for a light switch in the dark. Plus, you can use the app to set a night scene that’s dimmer and easier on your sensitive, barely awake eyes. Philips had set up rows of Hue lights under a bed and along the walls, which, when set to a low brightness, lent a soft, warm glow to the room so obstacles were visible.
Through the app, you can also set time limits for specific rooms so that when no movement is detected in them for more than the dictated period, the sensor will turn them off. This way, you can set longer allowances for living or bedrooms where you’ll need lights to remain off despite little activity in the room, and shorter durations for places such as the kitchen or garage.
Philips is by no means the first to create a motion sensor for the smart home, but its product integrates and sets up easily within its popular family of lights, making it more useful for those who already own Hue bulbs. The company also announced a new, smaller variant of its White Ambiance bulb, as well as a new generation of its White Ambiance and Color lights that offer richer greens and blues than before. Now, you can better enjoy all of the lights in all of the colors.
Toyota is teaching teens how to build fuel-cell cars
Toyota has launched a new project to teach high school students how to build fuel cell cars. Well, OK, the company is teaching them how to build small, remote-controlled fuel cell cars, but it’s hoping that’s enough to ignite their interest in the technology. The automaker’s Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge isn’t a full-blown, multi-year program like the drone and robotics course offered at one Japanese high school. But it will teach teens about climate change and the importance of alternative energy for a whole semester.
Toyota national vehicle marketing manager Doug Coleman said:
“The Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge provides an opportunity to introduce the next generation of innovators to fuel cell technology. We hope this challenge encourages students to join Toyota in the effort to create a more eco-conscious and sustainable future.”
The project is now active in 20 high schools in Los Angeles and Orange County with multicultural student bodies. Besides helping them build their own RC cars, Toyota will also have the students tackle the various challenges its own engineers encountered while designing its full-sized fuel cell-powered vehicle, the Mirai. Once they’re done making their toy vehicles, they can finally have some fun: they’ll have to demonstrate their creations by racing them against each other with help from Toyota’s NASCAR Pit Crew.
Via: Autoblog
Source: Toyota
UK: Facebook, Google, Twitter ‘consciously failing’ on terrorism
The UK parliament has slammed Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for “consciously failing” to remove terrorism recruitment content. According to a report from the Home Affairs Committee, the social networks are “the vehicle of choice in spreading propaganda and the recruiting platforms for terrorism.” In statements to the WSJ, the companies denied that they are lax with extremist postings. “We deal swiftly and robustly with reports of terrorism-related content,” a Facebook spokesperson said.
The committee based its report on statements from intelligence groups, the Muslim community, counter-terrorism experts and security specialists. Other experts told the WSJ that the document is misleading, saying terrorists are more likely to recruit via heavily encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram — apps that are also in the US and UK governments’ crosshairs.
These companies have teams of only a few hundred employees to monitor networks of billions of accounts and Twitter does not even proactively report extremist content to law enforcement agencies.
The role of online networks in abetting terrorism has been a hot topic of late — Twitter said it recently suspended 360,000 terrorism-related accounts since the beginning of the year. The lawmakers think that, given their billions in revenues, the firms aren’t doing enough, though. “These companies have teams of only a few hundred employees to monitor networks of billions of accounts and Twitter does not even proactively report extremist content to law enforcement agencies,” the report states.
The Home Affairs committee wants social websites to take a “zero tolerance approach to online extremism,” and recommended laws that would force social networks to quickly remove terrorist propaganda and inform law enforcement. (While the group’s rulings are non-binding, they heavily influence UK’s parliament.) The European Union recently secured commitments from Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google to put hate speech policies in place and remove and report content within 24 hours.
Source: Parliament.uk
Philips Introduces New Hue Motion Sensor, Updated Bulbs
Philips today announced the newest addition to its Hue line of lights and accessories, debuting the new Philips Hue Motion Sensor. The Hue Motion Sensor is designed to allow Philips Hue users to control their lights automatically as they move through their homes.
The Motion Sensor connects to a Hue Bridge and because it’s wireless and powered via battery, it can be placed anywhere in the home – a bookshelf, a side table, a wall, a ceiling, etc. Once in position, the motion detection feature can be adjusted to the ideal position and it will perform set actions like turning the lights on or off whenever activated.
“The Philips Hue motion sensor not only provides hands-free control but also helps deliver peace of mind. You can be guided safely throughout your home at night with lighting,” said Sridhar Kumaraswamy, Business Leader, Home Systems, Philips Lighting. “Plus, you no longer have to remind the kids to turn off the lights when leaving a room. The reliable detection the motion sensor provides when you exit supports this and also helps you be more energy efficient.”
The Hue Motion sensor is highly customizable and supports personalized settings ranging from a soft, subdued light at night to set scenes during the day. It also has a built-in daylight sensor so it can turn lights on and off based on the time of day, and it has an instantaneous reaction time, adjusting lights within .5 seconds of being activated. Up to 12 Motion Sensors can be connected to a single bridge for a fully automated home lighting experience.
Along with the Motion Sensor, Philips is introducing updated Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 bulbs that feature richer greens and blues, a feature Hue owners have long desired. The new bulbs offer bolder, brighter colors than existing bulbs. Two new Philips Hue White Ambiance bulb extensions are also available, including BR-30 and GU-10 variants.
Philips’ new Motion Sensor is priced at $39.95 and will be available from the Philips Hue website, Amazon.com, and Best Buy starting in October of 2016. The new Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 bulbs and the new BR-30 and GU-10 bulb variants will also be available in October.
Tag: Philips Hue
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How to Identify Safe Mobile Casinos
The number of people who use the internet is constantly rising and nowadays most of our planet is online. That gives everyone a lot of options and opportunities, but it also means that precautions should be taken. Because, if everyone is one the internet that means that some people who are potentially dangerous are also online. It is always vital to protect yourself and be careful what sort of information you share online and with whom. Online safety has become one of the most important issues for everyone. Online safety is particularly important when there are transactions involved and sensitive financial data need to be particularly well protected.
Playing casino games online, particularly playing casino games on a mobile device is increasingly popular, as it is a lot of fun and quite convenient. Players should always be looking for reliable and trustworthy casino operators. Check out these top 10 NetEnt casino offers for some of the best casino bonuses. As safety is so important and potential mobile casino players don’t always know which mobile casino they can trust, in this article we’re going to explain the things that you should have in consideration when deciding whether a mobile casino is safe or not.
Licencing
First and foremost it is licencing. When an online casino is licenced and regulated by relevant authorities, then it can be trusted, as above all, you will be protected by the law. Before choosing a casino, make sure you check with the laws and regulations of your country. Some countries require the operator to have a licenced issued by its authorities, whereas other permit companies registered abroad to offer casino gaming services to its citizens. Most reliable casinos usually present licencing information on their main page, so checking whether a casino is licenced won’t take long.
Certification
The next thing that is important for every player is whether the casino in question is fair and all its games give the player a reasonable chance to win. That is why casinos are certified by independent third-party entities like eCOGRA, or Technical Systems Testing if you want to make sure that the casino in question uses a certified random number generator (RNG). Again, information on certification is also presented on the main pages in most cases. It might be a seal of approval or a logo of the relevant organisation in question.
Payment Options
While it is important for a casino to give you fair winning chances, it is extremely important for your banking information and your account funds to be kept safely. That is why a casino has to offer safe and trusted payment methods. It is better that a casino offers more than one payment method, for your own convenience. Most reliable casinos would offer popular payment methods such as credit and debit cards, as well as e-Wallets, prepaid cards and bank transfers.
Encryption
Since payment information has to be processed in order for a transaction to be completed, that means that at one point your sensitive financial data is passed one from one online source to another which makes it vulnerable to hacking attacks and other intrusions. One effective way to protect online transactions is by encrypting the information. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are two of the most commonly used and safest encryption technologies these days. To put it simply, the encryptions translates your information into an incomprehensible online language and then it can be read only by someone who possesses the code, which in this case is the second party in the transaction. That way, no hackers can access and abuse your financial information.
Read Terms and Conditions
All casino operators have their own terms and conditions. For your safety, it would be wise to at least look through the terms and conditions and check at least the parts that have to do with safety. Most reliable operators would keep your information like name, age and address for themselves and won’t share it with third parties. But if you want to make sure that this is the case, go through the terms and conditions and see what they state about the use of players’ data.
Measures that You Can Take
There are certain steps that you can take that will ensure that your personal data is protected. Firstly, always use an antivirus device on your mobile phone. That way, you’ll know that your phone is protected from viruses that might make your device more vulnerable. Secondly, don’t connect to public and unreliable Wi-Fi networks, especially if you plan to open a casino website in your mobile website and play for real money. Only connect to networks you know you can trust, or use your mobile data, if have enough data available.
Leading online casino software providers
The leading online casino software providers have managed to produce a lot of quality content over the years. People are able to keep on playing new online casino games on a regular basis as a result of the output from the leading online casino software providers. There is a great deal of competition among all of these online casino software providers today, and that is only going to help the fans of online casino games get better products.
When people think of leading online casino software providers, they’re usually going to be thinking of Microgaming, and with good reason. While there are lots of other online casino software providers active today, Microgaming still manages to dominate the industry. The fact that they release new games every month has helped them stay on top, combined with the diversity of the games that they release and the fact that they prioritize innovation so much. People who are looking for the seasoned online casino software providers can still look to Microgaming.
People who are looking for the exciting online casino software providers that are on their way up demonstrably should look into Net Entertainment. Usually, they’re going to be listed as NetEnt. Their software has already managed to attract plenty of awards in spite of the fact that Net Entertainment is relatively new. The years 2013 through 2015 have been particularly good years for online casinos, especially the online casinos that use NetEnt games. Many of the best Canadian mobile casinos will use them. People could say that Net Entertainment has benefited from the recent online casino gaming rise, and Net Entertainment has also probably contributed to it as well.
When it comes to the sheer variety of games, players really benefit from Playtech. Playtech is one of the most famous and highly regarded of the modern casino software gaming providers. Many of the most famous games of all time, such as the Marvel slots, were originally produced by Playtech. Playtech continues to have a great deal to offer casino gaming fans from all over the world.
When industry professionals refer to the leading online casino software providers, they’re almost always going to be talking about Microgaming, Net Entertainment, or Playtech. However, there are also lots of other online casino gaming software providers that are doing great work. They’re contributing their own games to the pool, and they’re making the competition stronger in the industry in general, which ultimately makes the industry’s output better.
Some of these casino gaming software providers are old, like Realtime Gaming, which has been around since the year 1998. Their games are fast and responsive, demonstrating that this is a software provider that has changed with the times. NextGen Gaming values quality over quantity when it comes to online casino games to an even greater extent than the competition. IGT is specifically know for manufacturing slot games, including the slot games from land-based casinos. The collective output of the leading online casino software providers is tremendous, and it should only improve.
Amtrak’s next-generation high-speed trains arrive in 2021
While Amtrak is a perfectly fine way to travel, especially on the Eastern seaboard, the country’s publicly owned rail company doesn’t exactly have a high-tech reputation. That will change in the next few years, thanks to a massive $2.45 billion loan from the federal government, which the company plans to invest in 28 next-generation train sets and significant upgrades to the Northeast Corridor.
About $2 billion of that federal loan, which Vice President “Amtrak” Joe Biden announced Friday at his home station in Wilmington, Delaware, will be put towards those new train cars, which will boost the Acela fleet by 40 percent when they enter service in 2021. According to Amtrak, the new trains will offer one-third more passenger seating, more outlets and USB ports, improved WiFi quality (finally), and top speeds of 186 mph. (For comparison, Japan’s high-speed rail lines top out at 200 mph.) Thanks to a lighter, more aerodynamic design, the new trains should also cut energy consumption by about 20 percent. The trains will be 95 percent “Made in America” and built in New York state by Alstom.
As for the other $450 million of that federal loan, the company will be putting the money towards revitalizing four stations — including Union Station in Washington DC and Penn Station in New York City — as well as some much-needed infrastructure improvements between DC and Boston.
Source: Amtrak, Delaware Online
US mulls speed-limiting devices for buses and big rigs
Large vehicles like buses and big rig trucks are just as much of a safety concern as everyday cars, and US regulators think technology might be the key to saving lives. The NHTSA and FMCS have proposed installing speed-limiting devices on big commercial vehicles (those with a weight rating over 26,000lbs) to both reduce the chances of a crash and minimize damage when an accident happens. It could help with fuel efficiency and durability, too, by discouraging lead-footed drivers.
Just what that maximum speed would be is up in the air. Current proposals hover between 60MPH and 68MPH. The agencies are accepting public input for the 60 days following the proposal, however, so you can make a case for your preferred limit.
Reactions to the proposal are mixed, Reuters notes. The industry’s American Trucking Association has liked the idea of a speed limiter for 10 years thanks to its safety and potential for lowering costs, but the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is worried that limiters take away too much control and aren’t realistic. What if you need to speed up to avoid an accident? And as many people will tell you, the speed limit on a highway frequently amounts to a polite suggestion — a slower-moving semi-trailer may pose more of a threat as speeding commuters dodge around it. Officials may have to be pragmatic if they want regulations that hold up in real conditions.
Via: Reuters
Source: Transportation.gov
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