What you need to get started with HomeKit

In order to have a smarthome, you don’t have to be a homeowner.

Think about it: let’s say you rent an apartment somewhere or maybe live in a dorm room or are using a house share, you can still take your connected devices with you, from one move to the next, as long as they’re portable, easy to install, and modular in that you can mix them with other connected devices from the same ecosystem in order to build on top of their functionality and truly make your home smart.

Plus, you’ll want something affordable, because there’s no downside to saving money, and there’s nothing worse than buying an expensive gadget only to somehow lose it or damage it in between moves. You’re probably now wondering if such devices – ones that fit all the criteria – exist. Well, they do, and they’re part of Elgato’s Eve range, which currently offers seven different connected devices.

But one of the coolest things about Eve is that it supports Apple’s HomeKit. The technology makes it easier for connected devices in a smarthome to communicate with each other, and for you to connect and manage all the sorts of connected devices in your smarthome from various manufacturers. It also lets you use Siri on your iPhone or iPad to control connected devices, such as Eve devices.

Here’s everything you need to know about Eve and how to get started with HomeKit.

What you need to get started with HomeKit?

You need the following in order to get started with HomeKit

• iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch with iOS 8.1 or later
• At least one HomeKit-enabled device
• Companion iOS app for each HomeKit-enabled device
• Home app
• Home Wi-Fi network

Keep in mind HomeKit-enabled accessories are connected devices with built-in support for Apple’s HomeKit technology. Accessories can be lights, locks, thermostats, plugs, switches, sensors, shades, etc. Over 50 brands worldwide make devices that work with HomeKit, including Elgato.

What does the Elgato Eve range include?

You can see the Eve range from this Elgato webpage. It currently exists of Eve Energy (switch and power meter), Eve Room (wireless indoor sensor), Eve Weather (wireless outdoor sensor), Eve Thermos (thermostatic radiator valve), and Eve Door and Window (wieless contact sensor). There’s also the Eve mobile app, which lets you remotely manage your Elgato Eve devices.

How do you use Eve with HomeKit?

The idea is you’ll setup your Home-Kit enabled Eve device, such as an Eve Energy, which includes using the Eve companion app to connect Eve Energy to your Home Wi-Fi network, then you’ll use Apple’s Home app in order to control Eve Energy through Siri as well as make it communicate and work with other Eve devices (and maybe even devices from other manufacturers).

With HomeKit-enabled Eve devices, you’ll have a smarthome. More specifically, you’ll have home automation, because your Eve devices will be hooked up to a single, remotely controllable network that is capable of supporting scheduled events. You can program time-related commands, such as having your lamps, which are plugged into Eve Energy, turn on or off at specific times each day.

HomeKit also enables non-scheduled events, such as turning on all the lamps, which again are plugged into Eve Energy, in your home whenever your Eve Room wireless indoor sensor is triggered. There are so many options with Eve and Homekit, and the best part is, they’re all portable, easy to install, modular, and affordable. Now go make that home of yours smart.

Xiaomi Mi MIX is a bezel-free concept phone

Following the unveiling of the Mi Note 2, Xiaomi’s latest flagship device, the company has revealed detailed about a concept phone it’s been working on. The Mi MIX appears to be a similar size to the iPhone 7 Plus but manages to fit in a 6.4-inch screen compared to the 7 Plus’ 5.5-inch. Xiaomi has managed to do it by virtually removing the top, left and right bezels, leaving a screen to body ratio of 91.3 percent.

• Xiaomi launches Mi Note 2 with curved OLED screen and 23MP camera

Xiaomi hasn’t shared too many other details of what the Mi MIX would run on and what storage it would have, presumably because it’s just at a concept stage for now, but the company has said it would be made entirely of a new ceramic material.

Everything from the frame to the buttons would be made of the new material and Xiaomi has said it wants to use it instead of aluminium for its toughness, but also to create a more luxurious and premium feel. Going by the pictures alone it certainly looks like a premium device.

There’s no word on if and when the Mi MIX would make it to market, or if Xiaomi will even make it. It’s just a concept for now, which Xiaomi says is “beyond anything that’s available today”. Our fingers are crossed that it will one day be made.

Of course, it’s not the first concept phone we’ve seen this year with no bezels, as Sharp has made the Corner R, which was unveiled at CEATECH 2016. The Corner R also loses virtually all bezels around three sides but introduces curved corners as well to help with the illusion.

Humax H3 Espresso media player provides aerial-free TV viewing

All you need to get up and running with Humax’s new H3 Espresso smart media player is an HD TV and wired or wireless internet connection. It comes with three apps pre-installed: Netflix, YouTube and TV Player, the latter letting you watch live TV via a subscription. Humax provides a code for a two month subscription in the box.

You can view any photos, videos and music on the H3 from any DLNA-connected or Android device provided it’s connected to the same network. You can download the free Humax Cast app for iOS and Android to turn your phone into a remote to use with the H3

• Humax FVP-4000T review: Freeview Play’s first set-top box
• Humax adds Netflix to FVP-4000T Freeview Play boxes

If you have a Humax FVP-4000T Freeview Play set-top box in your home, the H3 can be used to access any stored recordings to watch back on the TV it’s connected to, in a similar way to how Sky Q works. But you can also watch live TV on the H3 via one of the FVP-4000T’s three tuners view the EPG to record programmes the 4000T’s hard drive. You can also connect up to four H3 devices together to create a multi-room TV system.

Graham North, vice president sales at Humax, said, “This innovative Smart Media Player represents yet another technology breakthrough from Humax. Ideal as a stand-alone streaming device, or in partnership with the Humax Freeview Play PVR range, the H3 Espresso delivers a seamless and easy-to-use solution for multi-room TV viewing”.

The Humax H3 Espresso smart media player is available now for £79.99.

MTV to add fan livestreams to music programming in 2017

To entice millennial viewers, MTV is experimenting with a hybrid TV format that combines traditional programming and user-created livestreams. Back in June, MTV Music tested a slot that allowed fans to broadcast their dance moves on national TV. A specific hashtag meant the show’s producers could see people’s livestreams in real-time and pick the best ones to accompany each music video. Now, MTV Australia is planning a full-time show that will utilize the same concept next year. It doesn’t have a name, but Viacom — MTV’s owner — says it will be a “truly innovative and immersive fan experience never seen on television.”

The experiment is hardly surprising, given the rising popularity of livestreaming tools such as Periscope and Facebook Live. TV executives — particularly those targeting younger viewers — are rightfully concerned with their ability to attract eyeballs. Rather than fight them head on, MTV wants to embrace their utility and modernise its linear TV channels in the process. The strategy makes some sense, given that 24-hour music channels are often used for parties and other social gatherings. Giving people the chance to participate, no doubt to comical effect, could build on this use-case and give it an advantage over alternatives like YouTube.

Source: Viacom (PR)

Video calls are now live on WhatsApp beta!

The beta client for WhatsApp picked up an update to 2.16.318, bringing the ability to make video calls. When you tap the call icon, you now have the option of choosing between a voice call or video call. The interface itself is similar to what we’ve seen with the voice calls. You can start a new call from the Calls tab, or from within a conversation window by selecting the call icon.

For video calls to work, both parties need to be on the beta channel. Otherwise, you’ll just get a message saying that the recipient needs to update to the latest version. The update is live for WhatsApp beta users, and should make its way to the stable release in the coming weeks.

Who’s excited?

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 unveiled with curved display, Snapdragon 821, 6GB RAM, and global LTE bands

Xiaomi has announced the successor to last year’s Mi Note, the Mi Note 2. As expected, the Mi Note 2 has everything you’d imagine from a high-end phone, including a 5.7-inch dual curved QHD display with a flexible OLED panel, 2.35GHz Snapdragon 821, 6GB of RAM, 128GB UFS 2.0 storage, 22.56MP rear camera (Sony IMX 318) with EIS and 4K video stabilization, 8MP front shooter with autofocus, NFC, a DAC that enables 24bit/192kHz audio, and a 4070mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.

The Mi Note 2 has a 3D curved back that match the curved edges at the front, resulting in a symmetric design similar to that of the Note 7. A notable addition is support for global LTE bands, with the phone offering 37 bands in total:

• GSM: 2/3/5/8
• CDMA 1X: 0/1/10/15
• WCDMA: 1/2/4/5/8
• TD-SCDMA: 34/39
• LTE-TDD: 38/39/40/41
• LTE-FDD: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/29/30

The phone comes in Piano Black and Glacier Silver options, and will be going up for sale in China shortly. Xiaomi is selling two variants of the Mi Note 2: a base model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage for ¥2,799 ($415), and a version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage for ¥3,299 ($485). Then there’s a global version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage that retails for ¥3,499 ($515).

No mention of international availability as of now, but thanks to the wide LTE support, you’ll be able to use the Mi Note 2 in the U.S. That’s a big deal for Xiaomi as it tries to make its way to Western markets.

What do you guys think of the Mi Note 2?

Xiaomi’s Mi Mix concept phone is insane, will go on sale next month

Xiaomi rolled out the Mi Note 2 earlier today, offering everything you’d possibly want from a high-end phone. The Chinese manufacturer also introduced a concept phone — called the Mi Mix — that goes beyond “anything that’s available in the market today.” The phone features a massive 6.4-inch edgeless display, but the 91.3% screen-to-body ratio means that the Mix isn’t larger than your average 5.7-inch phone. Xiaomi partnered with French designer Philippe Starck in designing the phone, which features a ceramic body.

As the front of the phone is just a slab, Xiaomi is using an ultrasonic distance sensor instead of the traditional proximity sensor. The 5MP front camera is located at the bottom, and uses a custom sensor that’s 50% smaller than the average camera sensor. There’s no earpiece as well, so if you’re one to take calls, you’ll have to rely on cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology, which transmits sound without the need for a receiver.

Other specs are standard fare, and include a Snapdragon 821, up to 6GB of RAM and 256GB storage, 16MP camera, and a 4400mAh battery. Xiaomi mentioned that the design and conceptualization of the phone stretched out over the course of the last two years, and the company will in fact start selling the Mix in China starting next month. The model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage will retail for ¥3,499 ($516), and the variant with 6GB of RAM and 256GB storage will be available for ¥3,999 ($590).

Netflix CEO jokes that the future of entertainment could be drugs

Netflix is one of the most successful entertainment companies in the world, and it did so by constantly looking for ways to reach people. CEO Reed Hastings said in an WSJD Live interview that in the early days, they licked envelopes for DVD-by-mail, slowly transitioned to streaming, and then started to make their own content when they couldn’t get what they wanted from studios. So what does the future hold? Well, Hastings said it could be VR, it could be gaming, or it could be, uh, pharmacological.

Pharmacological? Wall Street Journal Financial Editor Dennis K. Berman pushed Hastings to continue on that point, which sparked a hilarious off-handed description about “entertainment drugs.” “In twenty or fifty years, taking a personalized blue pill, you just hallucinate in an entertaining way, and then a white pill brings you back to normality is perfectly viable,” he said. “If the source of human entertainment in thirty or forty years is pharmacological we’ll be in real trouble.”

In the same interview, Hastings says that he’s not opposed to the AT&T and Time Warner merger, so as long as Netflix traffic gets treated the same way as HBO’s. He also explains that Netflix won’t go into news and sports, though he did mention that the upcoming “Ultimate Beastmaster” is a take on “Ninja Warrior.”