Amazon Alexa support coming to LG’s SmartThinQ hub

When LG launched its SmartThinQ hub at CES this year, you couldn’t help but notice that it was a dead ringer for Amazon’s Echo but, well, dumber. That’s because the device could play music and control LG SmartThinQ appliances, but wouldn’t obey your voice commands like an Echo. However, LG has announced that that it will join Amazon rather than fighting it by adding support for the Echo’s Alexa voice assistant.

Amazon recently opened Alexa up to third-party companies, but the SmartThinQ hub will get a limited set of features to start with, according to CNET. While it will listen to your commands, let you play music and schedule events on a calendar, it won’t control lights, thermostats or other smart home devices like the Echo. That’s a bit of an odd shortcoming, considering that the SmartThinQ hub is part of LG’s SmartThinQ appliance family, so it’s specifically designed for smart home devices. Hopefully we’ll know more soon, but meanwhile, there’s still no release date or pricing for the SmartThinQ hub.

Via: Techcrunch

Source: LG, CNET

LG’s 29-inch Windows 10 tablet comes stuck to a smart fridge

If you didn’t know already, Samsung and LG are the two biggest companies in Korea which leads to plenty of corporate pissing contests. For instance, if LG were to release a 100-inch 4K TV, you can be damn sure Samsung will follow up with a 101-incher a few weeks later. It should come as no surprise to anyone, then, to see that a few months after Samsung launched a fridge with a built-in tablet, LG’s got a version of its very own.

While Samsung’s Tizen-powered Family Hub was packing a 21.5-inch display, the LG Smart InstaView Door-In-Door Refrigerator comes with a 29-inch semi-transparent touchscreen. That display is hooked up to one of Intel’s USB-connected compute sticks, turning the device into a fully-featured Windows 10 tablet, complete with Cortana. You’ll be able to do anything you’d normally do

Much like LG’s earlier door-in-door products, the Smart InstaView’s display will turn semi-transparent, letting you see what’s in your fridge without opening it. In this mode, you can use a software tweak to add overlays to the view, like modern-day post-it notes. You can use them to identify which portion of the space is to be used for gluten-free foods, or where you’ll keep the dairy products. There’s also a built-in Bluetooth speaker that sits above the main compartment, although it’s not yet clear if you’ll be able to hear it when the doors are closed.

LG, naturally, couldn’t comment on price or availability but we can guess that it’ll arrive in the near future and cost a lot. Considering Samsung’s Family Hub will set you back around $4,000, we imagine it’ll be far too pricey for most of us. But that doesn’t mean everybody couldn’t roll their own with an off-brand Windows 10 tablet, a hot glue gun and the existing refrigerator.

LG Announces New Collection of Bluetooth Speakers Coming This Fall

LG recently unveiled a trio of new Bluetooth speaker collections ahead of the IFA 2016 tech conference taking place in Berlin September 2-7. The new speakers are called the PH2, PH3, and PH4 and “run the range from casual to audiophile grade” in order to suit the listening style of each LG customer.

The cheapest speaker starts with the small PH2, measuring 3.8 inches in diameter and just 1.5 in thickness, along with 2.5W of power inside. It also comes with a strap that can attach the speaker to “a variety of surfaces,” making it ideal for listening to music on the go. The PH3 offers an iterative improvement with 3W of power and a more robust frame measuring in at 3.5 by 4.9 inches. This middle tier also includes a candle-like top half that includes “five different multicolored light modes.”

“LG’s new line of Bluetooth speakers combine powerful sound performance with compact, portable design,” said Tim Alessi, senior director, product marketing for home entertainment at LG ElectronicsUSA. “Understanding the busy lifestyles of many of today’s consumers, we sought to create a diverse lineup of audio products that deliver a seamless listening experience in any situation or setting.”

Finally, the taller and cylindrical PH4 introduces the most features of LG’s new bluetooth speaker lineup: water resistance, 360-degree sound, and a longer battery life with 16W of power. Concerning battery, both the PH3 and PH4 will last up to ten hours, while the PH2 is said to get up to six hours of consistent music playback.

Each speaker uses LG’s 360-degree omni-directional output to deliver consistent audio to any room or outdoor space, with the single and dual passive radiators in the PH3 and PH4 “giving them audio abilities that far exceed most speakers their size.” All of the new speakers also come with the standard auxiliary input ports and include an “advanced multipoint connectivity” feature that lets them connect two different Bluetooth-enabled devices at once, so two users can control audio output to one speaker simultaneously.

Because the company revealed the speakers ahead of their official debut at IFA 2016, the price and release date for the new line wasn’t disclosed. LG did say that customers in the United States can expect a launch sometime this fall, however.

Tag: LG
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Wirecutter’s best deals: $65 off an OXO coffee brewing system

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read their continuously updated list of deals at TheWirecutter.com.

You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.

ChargeTech Portable AC Power Outlet

Street price: $170; MSRP: $185; Deal price: $128 with codes SAVE25 and 15OFF

The first great deal we’ve seen on this portable power supply, and it’s a big one. Almost $50 below the street price when you combine two of their current coupons, SAVE25 and 15OFF. This deal includes free shipping.

The ChargeTech Portable Power Outlet is our pick for the best portable AC power supply. Mark Smirniotis said, “If you need to plug in your AC-based gear when you’re traveling, outdoors, or in a crowded coffee shop, this 27-Ah hardcover-book-size battery pack will seem like a lifesaver.”

For more detail about the capacity, “The ChargeTech has a roughly 97-watt-hour (Wh) capacity—that’s enough to charge most midsize laptops once or twice.”

LG LW8016ER Air Conditioner

Street price: $230; MSRP: $240; Deal price: $200

The first good deal we’ve seen on our pick this summer, though a bit too late for many people on the east coast. At $200, this is $20 below what Target sells it for when it’s in-stock, and $30 below Amazon’s usual price. If you have a REDCard, you can save an additional 5%.

The LG LW8016ER is our pick for the best air conditioner. Liam McCabe wrote, “Compared with other window ACs at this price, this LG is easier on the ears and gives you more control. It’s great for an office or den.”

For more detail on the noise, “Most air conditioners are loud, but the LW8016ER is the least-worst of the $250-ish window ACs that we’ve been able to test because it’s a bit quieter overall and sounds lower-pitched.”

Green Extreme Canon DSLR Battery

Street price: $35; MSRP: $35; Deal Price: $20

The first great drop we’ve seen on this third party battery, a full $15 below the street price. This is sold from Adorama’s Amazon store and comes with free shipping.

The Green Extreme is our pick for the best third party camera battery. The WC staff wrote that it’s a, “long-lasting, fast-charging OEM alternative” to the regular batteries.

They also wrote, “The Green Extreme and Watson units provided the largest real-world capacities and turned out to be the most reliable performers of the group; the Green Extreme’s much faster charging times made it our overall choice.”

OXO On 12-Cup Coffee Brewing System

Street price: $300; MSRP: $300; Deal price: $235

This coffee maker rarely drops in price as is, and this new sale is only a few bucks above the best price we’ve seen to date. Most of the sales on this tend to drop it $30 to $270, so it’s worth holding out for these larger discounts.

The OXO On 12-Cup Coffee Brewing System is our larger upgrade pick for the best coffee maker. Cale Guthrie Weissman said, “Like the 9 cupper, it makes a good cup of coffee that is SCAA certified. But it does something that no other SCAA-approved machine has been able to do: heat up 12 cups of water long enough to brew a good, large amount of coffee. It does this by heating up all the water before in a separate carafe, and then transporting this water over to the filter basket. In addition to being easy to fill, the water reservoir also works as a standalone kettle. That way if you have people over and want to make eight cups of coffee and save four cups of hot water for tea, you can program that into the machine using its Nest-like control dial.”

He did write about one drawback though, “A major drawback is that since the OXO preheats the water before brewing the coffee, it takes longer than many other machines. It took more than 8 minutes to make a normal eight-cup (1-liter) batch of coffee (mind you, it would take even longer if you were making the full 12 cups).”

Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.