Does Nest want to make speakers? It’s hiring a Head of Audio
On the news of Googling filing a bunch of smart-home patents, Nest begins looking for a Head of Audio. Is the company making speakers or trying to make everything voice-controlled?
The United States of Beer: Stick caps in this map to chart your drinking habits
Are you a worldly drinker? Now you can show off with a map from Beer Cap Maps; U.S., state, and country maps can be filled with beer caps from different regions, which makes for a pretty cool-looking effect.
Google’s new patent is full of ideas for smart home gadgets
Yesterday, a patent from Google was published, detailing lots of ideas from the company about connecting your smart home. It looks like the company wants to expand to door locks, door knobs, and more.
The ‘doghouse of the future’ is swankier than our place
How spoiled is your dog? Does he or she have a $30,000 doghouse? Samsung created a pretty amazing pad for pooches that just might make you slobber all over your keyboard.
Putting the “pee” in power: This toilet generates electricity
When it comes to great ideas, this toilet that turns urine into electricity is number one. Researches want to use it to bring lights to refugee camps, making them safer for women.
Whoops. K-Cup inventor doesn’t use them, kind of regrets inventing them
There's no getting around it: K-Cups create a lot of waste every year and often aren't recyclable. Perhaps that's why their inventor, John Sylvan, feels pretty guilty about his creation.
Tracking illness in your community may soon be a breeze with a smart thermometer
You heard your co-worker coughing yesterday, but how sick is he? Kinsa's smart thermometer will soon be able to tell you the health score of different groups, from your kid's school to your kickball team.
Switchmate installs in seconds with magnets, makes any switch smart
Have you been hesitant to jump on the smart-home bandwagon because you rent your apartment? Switchmate is a smart light switch you don't have to install; it just magnetically attaches to your existing one.
Over Ikea? Customizable furniture maker launches on Kickstarter
Have you graduated from Ikea? If you're looking for something that fits your decor but doesn't cost designer prices, Arrister launched its customizable furniture on Kickstarter today.
AT&T wants you to control your smart home from your smart car
People generally have a routine when they arrive home and get out of the car. AT&T wants to help automate it by connecting its Drive and Digital Life services, to connect cars and smart homes.
Home security camera over-stimulated? ArcSoft found a way to cut down on false alarms
My home security camera sends alert after alert when the cat stretches in his tree. ArcSoft's simplicam now ignores zones with lots of motion, so you get fewer alerts about innocuous movements.
How to sink or swim on Shark Tank, from someone who’s been there
Going on ABC's <em>Shark Tank</em> definitely has its perks, but not everyone walks away with a deal. Though the did manage to score one in the end, Keen Home's founders were prepared for a fight.
This smart liquor bottle can tell if your $200 scotch has been opened
You get home and pour yourself a scotch. Do you know what you're drinking? Maybe not. To crack down on counterfeiting, Johnnie Walker Blue Label will soon come in a smart bottle.
What’s that smell? Weird scented candles you can actually buy
Sick of vanilla- and lavender-scented candles? Check out these 20 candles with truly weird fragrances, including some designed specifically for men. You might want to burn these bad boys at both ends.
This single sensor can monitor all the electricity use in your house
Do you know which appliances in your home take up the most energy? Instead of installing lots of individual energy-monitoring plug, Neurio is a single sensor that hooks into your electrical box.
KitchenAid’s Multi-Cooker stirs the pot and can handle just about any task a stove can
Your stove can steam, sear, sauté, simmer... basically any cooking technique that starts with an "s." KitchenAid's new Multi-Cooker can do all that, too, but it also is a self-stirring slow cooker to boot.
@home is a temperature sensor that can tell when you’ve fallen and can’t get up
People want to feel safe in their homes, and that includes privacy. Not everyone is wild about the idea of security cameras monitoring them or their loved ones, which is why Xetal's @home uses temperature sensors to do the job.
Want a luxury kitchen on the cheap? Buy used
We know a lot of new homeowners looking for bargains when it comes to appliances and furniture. For those who want high-end items, purchasing pre-owned items can result in tens of thousands of dollars in savings.
Baby Einstein: You can control this smart baby rocker from your phone
Just can't get the little one to sleep? The 4-in-1 Smart Connect Cradle 'n Swing rocks him or her to sleep, and you don't even have to be in the room to do so, thanks to its smartphone app.
Hand washing dishes may help kids avoid developing allergies
Dishwashers are supposed to get your dishes sparkling, but are they making them too clean? Researchers recently found a link between them and a tendency for kids to develop allergies.
This German city’s smart grid lowers energy consumption and cost
In order to keep power usage and production perfectly in sync, Mannheim, Germany has all its residents connected to a smart grid that provides feedback on both. This lowers energy use and cost.
What’s your heating budget? Plug it into this thermostat, and it won’t go over the limit
If you lower your thermostat by two degrees, how much money will that save you on your next energy bill? Thermoneystat is a smart thermostat that doesn't show you the temperature; it heats and cools your home based on your budget.
Mychai is a device to heat and brew your tea, one cup at a time
Some people like a lot of pomp and circumstance around making a cup of tea, but a prototype for a new device promises to simply heat your water and steep the leaves in a couple minutes.
Do you live in the noisiest part of the U.S.? A map shows the country’s loud and quiet spots
It's no secret that cities are nosier than national parks, but many are significantly louder. This map shows the decibel levels in areas across the U.S., with dark blue being the quietest and yellow being the loudest.
When everything is connected, how will we keep creeps out and private data in?
Do you trust app creators and device makers with your private data? Do you even know what they're doing with it? Security experts say consumers need to catch up to their "smart" devices.
This luxe home was built to be energy-efficient and controlled by smartphone
It took about six years to build this smart home, located outside a Dutch village, and everything about it was designed to be energy-efficient and controlled by a smartphone.
This Smart Jar keeps track of your food so you never have a baking emergency
Smart fridges will one day keep track of everything inside them and order replacements before you run out. But what about things you don't keep in the fridge? These smart jars do the same thing for any food you can imagine.
Hey, baby, what’s your size? A smart tape measure promises you’ll always know
Clothing sizes are far from universal. If you want to ensure you're buying a shirt that fits, you have to know your measurements and check the online retailer's chart. This smart tape measure wants to make the process easier.
Mitsubishi wants its smart home to sense your health and mood
Mitsubishi wants to design a smart home that will be able to tell all that and more about you then have its appliances offer recommendations.
Nest User posts video of his frustrating experience with un-silence-able Protect
"Can't be hushed here. Can't be hushed here," repeats one Nest Protect owner's devices as they continually sound false alarms in a video he posted on YouTube. He also happens to be a Google employee.
Cookie time all the time: This (toy) oven lets you make Girl Scout cookies at home
The Girl Scouts could just start selling their cookies year-round, but instead, Wicked Cool Toys has created an oven that makes you bake your own. Homemade Girl Scout cookies? The dream is real.
Avoid an empty keg with a brilliant beer tap that knows what’s left, and more
If you own a beer fridge and constantly feel at a loss about what's going with your keg, you might want to Kickstart the KegSmarts smart craft beer kegerator. It can give you all kinds of information about your brew.
Nest studied customers’ heating and cooling savings, and the results are in
Chances are, if you've had a Nest smart thermostat a while, you know whether or not it's saved you money and if so, how much. But if you're on the fence about whether to buy one, the company says its data proves the device saves you money.
Want to live in a gumdrop house on Lollipop Lane? Buy the Enchanted Forest
Always dreamed of living in a fairytale? Now you can. The Enchanted Forest in British Columbia can be yours for $2.7 million. It comes with a Candy Cane House and amazing treehouse.