53. Echo Show • Amazon
53. Echo Show • Amazon
Amazon’s hit voice-controlled smart speaker gets a 7-inch touchscreen and camera, so now you can ask Alexa to
play YouTube videos, show weather forecasts, and make video calls.
$230; Amazon
Amazon’s hit voice-controlled smart speaker gets a 7-inch touchscreen and camera, so now you can ask Alexa to
play YouTube videos, show weather forecasts, and make video calls.
$230; Amazon
There’s an iPhone-type brain inside Apple’s voice-controlled speaker, due out in December, that can self-adapt to maximize room acoustics.
$349; Apple
Simply add one of these mesh-networking devices wherever the Wi-Fi signal is weak in your home to spread a strong signal into every corner.
$299 for a three-pack; Google
This sound bar dramatically enhances your TV audio, even if you’re not ready to install true surround sound. Movie rumbles will fill the room.
$699; Sonos
Just a few hours of sunlight keep this security camera charged, making it right for spots where it’s a hassle to run power. The HD outdoor camera has two-way talk, siren, and spotlight.
$229; Ring
Make your quirky old lamp a smart appliance with this plug adapter that gives you on-off control by app (including Alexa and Siri voice control). Or use the handy remote.
$50; iHome
Moen’s handsome pull-down kitchen faucet can now also be hands-free. Wave your hand to turn water on or off. Great for more-sanitary handling of raw meat.
$298; Moen
Warm your feet to help you drift off, tune mattress firmness, and track your “SleepIQ” quality of slumber through an accompanying app.
Queen i7 mattress from $3,299; Sleep Number
Lighthouse’s 3-D sensor and machine learning technology make for more accurate facial-recognition and alerts, with plain language commands like “Who was with the dog yesterday around noon by the front door?”
$299, plus $100 for first year of service; Lighthouse
This 2017 update to Roomba’s reliable robot vacuum adds Wi-Fi for remote control via the company’s smartphone app, plus voice-command potential with Amazon Echo (“Alexa, ask Roomba to stop cleaning”).
$375; iRobot
One of the first streaming media players to support the richer colors of high dynamic range (HDR) 4K TVs. The slick remote has voice search, game buttons, and, best of all, a “remote finder” feature that emits a sonar ping.
$100; Roku
Many backyard-BBQ folks swear by the Smoke BBQ Thermometer, which already has a 300-foot wireless range for monitoring grilling and smoking. This new Wi-Fi gateway and app adds an Internet connection to “track your cook” from anywhere with temperature alerts and gloriously gratuitous graphs.
$89; ThermoWorks
Wall-mountable colored LED lights can be configured in origami-like shapes and programmed for morning-sunrise hues, social-hour cool, and, with the Aurora Rhythm add-on (sold separately), music visualizations.
$255 for nine panels; Nanoleaf
The “world’s first molecular air purifier” claims to destroy allergens, mold, bacteria, and VOCs on a microscopic scale using a process that leaves conventional HEPA air purifiers in the dust.
$799; Molekule
Finely regulate the flow and temperature of brew water for specific coffee-brewing recipes, including near-boiling temps often recommended for optimal extraction.
$300; Breville
Elegant new candelabra bulbs connect to a Philips Hue bridge for control by app and voice assistants. Temperatures range from warm white to cool daylight, with deep dimming.
$30; Amazon