Lutron pairs with Google Assistant to let you turn the lights on with your voice
Why it matters to you
With more and more homeowners turning to Google Assistant and Google Home, Lutron is getting ahead of the curve by integrating their smart home lighting with the digital assistant.
If you’re in the market for smart home lighting, it may be time to think about the diverse array of lighting available from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania-based Lutron Electronics. The esteemed electronics company announced this week that its new smart home lighting systems will integrate seamlessly with Google Assistant, allowing homeowners to turn lights on and off with a simple voice command.
Specifically, Lutron announced it is integrating its Lutron Caséta Wireless, RadioRA 2, and HomeWorks QS lighting systems with Google Assistant. In addition to Google Assistant, which is integrated into Google Home, users can also access their Lutron lighting accessories via Google’s Pixel phone, as well as select Android phones and Android Wear.
The Lutron Caséta Wireless System can already access Google Assistant via Lutron’s Smart Bridge controller, while the Radio RA 2 and Homeworks QS will be available in June and connect via the company’s new Lutron Connect Bridge.
According to the company’s press release, Lutron lighting system owners can control individual lights and be able to ask if a particular light is on. Because of the integrated technology, Lutron users will be able to command Google Assistant to turn lights on or off, and the system will respond in real time.
“Lutron continues to work with best-in-class companies to enhance our customers’ connected home experience,” Ed Blair, senior vice president of Lutron Electronics, said in a statement. “This latest integration with the Google Assistant reinforces Lutron’s leadership in the connected home space. With Google Home’s voice-powered Google Assistant, customers can interact with and direct their connected homes easier than ever, and for today’ busy families, this service is invaluable.”
Lutron’s Caséta Wireless Kits start at $99 and are available through a variety of electronics and home goods retailers, including Best Buy and Home Depot. The Lutron App for Caséta Wireless is free and available for download at Google Play and iTunes.
Sorry, Verizon users: Bixby is even more crippled on the Galaxy S8
Adding insult to injury, half of Bixby Vision’s functionality doesn’t yet work if you’re on Big Red’s network.
We’re all a little bummed about Bixby. Samsung’s version of its virtual assistant isn’t everything we’d hoped it would be, especially from a company as big and as established as one of the world’s major smartphone manufacturers. And to make matters worse, Verizon users won’t be able to use half of the one part of Bixby that works — Bixby Vision.
Bixby Vision lets you snap photos of things and retrieve relevant images or shopping links. The latter is particularly useful when you’re at a brick and mortar store, for instance, and you’re looking for a deal online. Bixby Vision lets you find those items on Amazon with the simple snap of a photo, but not so with the Verizon variant of the Galaxy S8 or S8+. According to CNET — and later verified on the AC staff’s Verizon version of the Galaxy S8+ — Bixby Vision can snap a photo and look for images, but it won’t offer shopping links on Amazon, nor does it offer the option.
Verizon had told The Verge that in the meantime, people can use “the existing Amazon app on your Samsung Galaxy S8 for the same photo and shopping experience.” Sure, you can still search for things on Amazon by simply launch the Amazon app and typing them in yourself, but it’s odd that one of the few successful functions Bixby is supposed to perform is crippled by one of the U.S.’s largest carriers.
For now, all that Bixby does on the Verizon variant of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ is launch the Bixby feed and show you related images on Pinterest.
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Logitech Harmony paired with Android is the ultimate universal remote
If you spend a lot of time in the living room with a lot of entertainment devices, the Logitech Harmony system is a worthy investment.
I once owned a universal remote that I’m pretty sure was the size of a shoebox. That’s how I remember it, anyway — a definite two-hander with a large screen (for the time) and very few physical buttons. Something like this.
It was awful. Awful setup and not much better to use. But it still was better than needing to have three remotes by my side at any given time.
Fast forward some 15 years (I can’t believe it’s been that long) and we get to what I have today. Last fall I splurged on new Harmony remotes from Logitech, and they’re probably one of the more important purchases I’ve made. They work, they work well, and they were pretty simply to set up.
Let’s rap.
The basics
Here’s the gist of the whole Harmony thing: It’s first and foremost a universal remote. But gone are the days of looking up codes and hoping the remote would support your device. Also gone are the days of connecting the remote to a computer to sync things up.
These work with (require, actually) the Harmony app on Android or on iOS. You set up the remotes through the apps, they sync over Wi-Fi, then you go about your business.
First you add your devices (either manually or auto-detected over Wi-Fi), and then you use those devices to fill out “activities”, like “Watch TV”, or “Play Xbox”. Harmony does a good job recommending activities, or you can start from scratch. It’s highly flexible, highly customizable, and pretty much just works. My only real complaint is that it can be a little slow to sync, but it’s not like you have to do that too often.
As with everything else these days, Harmony works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, as well as with Philips Hue and other connected devices.
And with that, on to the goodies.
In the bedroom: Logitech Harmony Companion
I’m dead serious when I think the best-designed device in my home is this remote. We talk about curvy phones all the time now, but my wife catches me fondling this remote all the time and gives me a good dirty look for it. It’s that good.
good, and the Companion nails that benchmark.
Beyond that, it’s a fairly standard remote. It’s got buttons — lots of them — a non-rechargeable CR2032 battery, and that’s it. No newfangled touchscreens. It’s easy to learn where things are by feel, which is another must-have in any remote. (And why I refuse to use phone-based remotes except for in a pinch — or when I want to lower the volume on whatever my kids are watching without getting yelled at.)
The real bonus in the bedroom with the Companion is the addition of the home control buttons. They look like lightbulbs and outlets and do exactly what you think they do — they control connected lights and outlets. That’s a great feature in the bedroom, where I’ll do anything I can to stay in bed just a little bit longer. (Yes, in this case that includes spending more money.) You connect Philips Hue to Harmony, set the button, and you’re turning things on and off (or dimming) right from the remote. No voice control necessary (not something you want to deal with when someone’s sleeping next to you), and no having to get up.
The Companion isn’t what I’d call a “cheap” remote. But for me it’s been worth every penny in look, feel, and function. (If you want something a little less expensive, you can get the Harmony Smart remote, which basically is the same thing minus the home control buttons.)
Harmony Companion at Amazon
In the living room
I splurged (quite) a bit in the living room. But this is where I’m watching TV most of the time, right? It’s also where I have the most devices. TV. A streaming box. (Or two or three, depending on the month.) Game console. A lot goes on out there, and more important, a lot of people tend to use remotes in common areas. So I wanted something really good.
As an added bonus, it gives access to “favorites” for some devices and activities, making things even quicker and easier. If I know what channel I want to go to on Roku or a specific station on Sonos, I just hit the favorite on the touchscreen.
Unlike the Harmony Companion, the Elite is rechargeable and comes with a Micro-USB-powered stand. It keeps the remote vertical while it’s juicing up. That keeps it conspicuous, which is a good thing because it means folks generally won’t be hunting for the remote. It’s also just a very nicely designed charging stand and a definite improvement over the old Harmony One I used to use.
This is a serious remote that pretty much has all the bells and whistles: IR, RF, backlit keys, haptics, 15 devices controlled at once — the works. And the price reflects as much. But it also should be pretty well future-proof. If you want mostly the same features minus RF capability and some of those other bells and whistles, check out the Harmony 950. Otherwise, the Elite is the way to go.
Harmony Elite at Amazon
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Jelly smartphone review: So tiny
The company that built Jelly doesn’t claim it’s the smallest smartphone in the world. (That honor might instead belong to its predecessor, the Posh Micro X.) Rather, Jelly is touted as the world’s smallest smartphone that also includes 4G. Toss in Android 7.0, dual SIMs, a replaceable battery and a full-size headphone jack, and you start to wonder if maybe a phone that fits in your coin pocket is worth making a few sacrifices – like re-learning how to type on a keyboard the size of a matchbook. And that’s not even taking into account the bargain-basement price.
Is Jelly worth braving the hazards of Kickstarter and MediaTek processors? Is “world’s smallest smartphone” really a title anyone should be chasing? Just how bad can a smartphone camera get, anyway? Hit the MrMobile video above and see if Jelly is a fit for the smartphone lightweight in your life (or a good second phone for the days you need to travel light)
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It’s official: The next Call of Duty will be set in World War II
Call of Duty is going back to its roots, as the next installment in the series will be set during World War II.
On Friday, publisher Activision confirmed the Sledgehammer Games-developed, first-person shooter will be called Call of Duty: WWII, and that the game will be officially unveiled in a livestream on 26 April at 1PM ET. It also released a promo image (pictured above).
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We still don’t have an official release date, but the publisher tends to make spring announcements and then launch Call of Duty games in November. Activision also didn’t specify any platforms in its brief announcement, which merely stated the following:
“Call of Duty returns to its World War II roots with Call of Duty: WWII, developed by Sledgehammer Games. More details are incoming during the game’s Worldwide Reveal livestream on Wednesday, April 26 featuring Sledgehammer Games co-studio heads and founders Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield. Fans will be able to tune in to get a first look at Call of Duty: WWII and get intel on the studio’s vision for the game.”
A leak from last month first revealed the next Call of Duty game could be based in World War II, and in February, Activision told investors that the title “will take Call of Duty back to its roots”. The Call of Duty series began in 2003 with Call of Duty, a game that’s also set in WWII.
However, since 2008, the series has focused on other time periods, such as the 1960s and the future. We’ll keep you posted about Call of Duty: WWII when we get more details next Wednesday.
WWII confirmed. Watch the worldwide reveal of #CODWWII on 4/26 at 10AM PDT/1PM EDT: https://t.co/JtAxQQV4zN pic.twitter.com/culgG1ZQmz
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) April 21, 2017
Samsung promises to fix Galaxy S8’s ‘red tint’ problem
Quite a few of Samsung’s newly-released Galaxy S8 handsets have been showing a noticeable reddish tint on their screens. While the company initially said that the problem was easily fixed with a manual calibration, it’s since decided to roll out an update to fix the problem directly, while also increasing the color range of the hot new Android devices.
Samsung’s flagship smartphone is getting some great reviews, so it behooves the Korean-based company to make these fixes as quickly as possible. After the shame of the Note 7 explosions, Samsung likely wants to squash any potential trouble with its new phone as quickly as possible.
Of course, the company downplayed the issue in a statement to the Korean Herald, saying, “We will upgrade the software because of some dissatisfied customers although there is no problem in the phone itself.”
In addition to fixing the red tint issue, the upgrade will also expand the color range of its screens via software so you can set any red tint even lower. Samsung plans to roll out the update next week, though you can still go into the settings and manually calibrate. We’ve reached out to Samsung and will update this post with any new details.
Via: 9to5Google
Source: Korea Herald
Volkswagen shows off its vision for a driverless future
Back in March, the Volkswagen Group dropped rendered concept images of its futuristic Sedric, an autonomous vehicle that would take riders to their destination at the touch of a button — no human driving required. At Auto Shanghai 2017, VW showed off a real version of its autonomous concept vehicle. As previously shown, the automater has completely removed the cockpit in favor of pure passenger space, which would which would make it capable of level 5 autonomous driving.
#Sedric in #Shanghai: Self-Driving Car without a cockpit celebrates premiere in China #VWGroup https://t.co/hpfKcEgQkM pic.twitter.com/XUcFBEsake
— Volkswagen Group (@vwgroup_en) April 21, 2017
The VW Group wants Sedric’s autonomous driving to be so simple that passengers press a button to get it going. The automaker recently announced its partnership with smartwatch maker Mobvoi, which will craft the AI digital assistance interface getting plugged into Sedric, as well as VW’s other self-driving cars down the line. While this vehicle is just a concept — it’s got air-purifying plants tucked inside the rear windscreen, for gosh sakes — it’s a realistic precursor to a future when we climb in our car, set a destination and let it carry us away.
Source: Volkswagen Group
The next version of uTorrent will run in your browser
uTorrent is the most popular Bittorrent client in the world, but it’s clearly getting a bit long in the tooth. You can expect some big changes soon, though. TorrentFreak reports that the app will eventually run in your web browser, based on comments from BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen in an interview with the Steal This Show podcast.
The move will allow uTorrent the offer better streaming support — something the current client has always struggled with — and it’ll also give its developers access to more modern technology to add even more features. And, surprisingly enough, you’ll likely see elements from the company’s defunct Maelstrom browser in the new client too.
uTorrent will take its time before forcing the client on users, though. “We know people have been using uTorrent for a very long time and love it,” Cohen said. “So we’re very, very sensitive to that and gonna be sure to make sure that people feel that it’s an upgrade that’s happening. Not that we’ve just destroyed the experience.”
Via: TorrentFreak
iClever 15,000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter review
We’ve long been fans of having a portable power bank on hand in case your phone runs low on juice. It seems that no matter how big our batteries are that we find ourselves looking around for a charger every so often. It’s definitely not as bad as it was a few years back, especially with Quick Charge technology. A few minutes here and there is all we need to keep afloat.
Once in a while we find ourselves in a dire situation where a more important battery has been completely depleted. We’re talking, of course, about a car battery. Should one of those die or get drained on you, it could spell trouble. If anything, it’s an inconvenience.
The iClever 15,000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter can be used to help charge up both your phone and your car battery. Indeed, it packs enough juice to charge your typical smartphone up some 4-5 times over, but it also has a connector to hook directly up to your lawnmower, boat, or vehicle.
The iClever unit comes bundled together in a carrying pouch that zips up; elastic straps ensure none of the pieces and parts are tossed about or lost in transit. The design is convenient in that you only have to pull out what you need. Just plugging in a phone or two? Grab the main component. Gonna hook up to the car? Pull out the jumper cables and plug in!
The iClever portable charger comes with two USB ports for plugging in your various devices. The pair include Quick Charge Output: (DC 5V-2.4A; 9V-2A; 12V-1.5A) so you’re not stuck carrying around a charger for very long.
With peak current 600A(3s) or 700A(0.3s), this Car Jumper has a ablity to emergency restart your vehicle (up to 6.0L(T) petrol or 4.0L(T) diesel engine or 12V 10A lawnmower) for nearly 30 times. Especially for adventure, outdoor, daily, travel, high and low temperature (-20°c to 60°c), etc.
On the back side of the charger you’ll fine four light indicators to help understand how much battery life is available. With each representing roughly 25% of battery, you can quickly identify whether it’s time to charge the whole iClever device up.
As you’ll sometimes find with other portable power chargers, this one comes with a built-in emergency flashlight. The 100 Lumen LED light offers three different modes: standard, emergency strobe, and SOS.
One of the features we like most about some of iClever’s products is the warranty. This one is no exception in that it comes with an 18 month replacement warranty. Moreover, it has a 30 day money back guarantee and lifetime support.
While iClever does have its own website, you’ll not always find its products there. Rather, sometimes you’ll have to go to outlets such as Amazon if you’d like to purchase. That’s the case with the iClever 15000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter. Currently, you can find it on Amazon for $63.99, which is shown to be down some 36%, so look for a standard retail price of around $100.
We found the kit to be convenient and practical with the entire thing being designed well. Nothing felt cheap or as if there were corners cut and as a standalone portable charger, it works great. Whereas we never had a reason to test the car jumping function, we did note the standby battery was incredible. We couldn’t imagine charging the iClever unit up more than once a quarter.
Arsenal FC delivers match day updates with Alexa
Amazon’s virtual assistant can tell you all sorts of info on a range of topics. Sure, Alexa can already give you sports details, but one English Premier League club is going a step further. With a hand from digital agency AKQA, Arsenal Football Club says its the first team in the league with its own Alexa Skill. The Echo add-on will serve up match day info like pre-game coverage, lineups, live commentary, score updates and post-match analysis. Of course, if you’re truly a fan, why would you need this? Let me explain.
Unless you have a cable subscription, Premier League games are out of reach in the US. You might not always be able to watch in the UK, either. This team-focused Alexa Skill could give people the ability to follow along who otherwise couldn’t. Think of it as the modern sports radio, but with voice controls.
The feature will gather details on the club on off days as well and if there’s a match in progress, the “Alexa, open Arsenal” voice commanded will immediately connect to what’s happening in real time. If you’re an Arsenal supporter in the UK or US, you can enable the Skill inside the Alexa app by searching for “Arsenal.” Of course, you can also have the virtual assistant do the work for you by saying “Alexa, enable Arsenal.” Which, let’s be honest, is the more 2017 way of doing things.
Source: Arsenal
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