Smart home news, reviews, and guides — making your home smarter.
Smart home news, reviews, and guides — making your home smarter.
Apple has released HomeView Software 27.2 ahead of the $299 HomeView’s November 13 launch, revealing 20 default wallpapers, a redesigned Control Center, light and dark modes, and a new BreadBoard launcher. Here is what the early software tells us about Apple’s first smart home hub display, plus clues about why the device slipped from an earlier planned release.
Read MoreAmazon’s Alexa+ began early access in Japan on October 29, 2026, offering conversational smart home control, document and calendar help, and shopping assistance in Japanese only. The preview is free, invitations go out in waves to owners of compatible Echo and Fire TV devices, and after early access Prime members keep it at no extra charge while others pay 3,000 yen a month.
Read MoreAmazon launched the Echo Time and a new Echo Dot in Japan on October 29, 2026, alongside Alexa+ early access. The Echo Time’s sleep-sensing smart alarm needs Alexa+ and an enabled microphone, while the new Echo Dot adds a built-in smart home hub. Here is what each device does, what Alexa+ costs in Japan, and who should buy.
Read MoreAmazon has added more than 100 shopping capabilities to Alexa for Shopping, letting US customers manage lists and registries, skip or pause subscriptions, update delivery instructions, and ask about Prime, Audible, payments, and refunds by voice. Announced October 29, 2026 ahead of the holiday season, the update is available now to US customers through Alexa and the Amazon Shopping app, extending the assistant beyond product search into everyday household account tasks.
Read MoreToday’s smart home deals feature robot vacuums from Roborock and Dreame, a Veise keyless entry door lock at nearly half price, and a Ring wired video doorbell with chime. Save up to 49% on verified Walmart and Best Buy offers, all checked on October 30, 2026.
Read MoreThrive Holdings will acquire ADT in a $15.3 billion all-cash deal announced October 29, 2026, paying $10.00 per share. ADT will go private after a planned first-quarter 2027 closing, with a 30-day go-shop window through November 28, 2026. Thrive promises fewer false alarms, smarter monitoring alerts, and unchanged privacy policies for ADT customers.
Read MoreGoogle’s October 29, 2026 Google Home update adds Matter energy readings for compatible plugs and monitors, correct controls for Matter garage doors, windows and blinds, one-tap thermostat energy-saving shortcuts, Nest camera fixes, Gemini voice improvements, and new firmware for Chromecast, Nest Wifi and speakers. Update the app to see what is new.
Read MoreAmazon’s new $99.99 Echo Dot is more than a speaker: it packs a Zigbee, Matter and Thread smart home hub, an eero Wi-Fi extender, and a new AZ3 chip for faster on-device Alexa+ voice processing. We break down what the hub, extender, sensing and Kids version mean for your smart home, and who should upgrade.
Read Moreecobee has launched Home Summary, an opt-in AI feature that turns a day of heating, cooling, security, occupancy and weather data into one daily digest in the ecobee app. Rolling out now, it also brings new Smart Security tools, including grouped activity summaries, video descriptions and natural-language search. Here is what it does, who gets which feature, and why it matters.
Read MoreAmazon’s Alexa Home Map, announced October 28, turns your house into an interactive 3D model where lights, locks, cameras, thermostats, and speakers can be controlled by tapping them in the room where they sit. Built from an address and an iPhone room scan, it adds Ring camera views and a 24-hour rewind in preview later this year.
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