The news that the maker of the Roomba robot vacuum, iRobot, filed for bankruptcy this week came as no surprise. Its CEO, Gary Cohen, had been warning investors all year that the company could run out of cash unless a buyer was found. When its last potential deal fell through, bankruptcy became inevitable. But Cohen […]
The Alexa.com website appears to be live for some users. The browser-based home for Alexa Plus, the company’s revamped digital voice assistant, was first announced at the Alexa Plus launch event in February. But until recently, Alexa.com redirected to an information page. Now, some users, myself included, are seeing a new Alexa Plus web interface. […]
For many, iRobot’s Roomba robot vacuum was their first experience with a home robot. When I got my Roomba in 2005, I felt like I was a step closer to my dream of living in a Jetsons-style home where a robot did my chores for me. It was expensive, around $300 for a small black […]
iRobot, the owner of the Roomba robot vacuum, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, stating that it will be acquired by its contract manufacturer, Picea Robotics. The Chinese-based company assumed iRobot’s $190 million loan earlier this month and, under the terms of iRobot’s restructuring, will waive that debt, along with the $161.5 million iRobot owes […]
After 35 years, the maker of the Roomba robot vacuum filed for bankruptcy protection late Sunday night. Following issuing warnings earlier this year that it was fast running out of options, iRobot announced it will enter Chapter 11 protection and plans to be acquired by its contract manufacturer, the Chinese-based Picea Robotics. The company says […]
After announcing new Matter-compatible smart home devices and stylish wireless speakers over the past few months, Ikea continues to expand its consumer electronics offerings with three new wireless chargers. They’re limited to 15W Qi2.0 charging rates but are well priced and feature designs that look more like home decor accents than traditional tech accessories. The […]
AT&T is launching Connected Life, a new smart home security offering built around Google Home that keeps working during power or internet outages. Connected Life can be self-installed and features smart home cameras from Google Nest and security hardware from Abode, as well as professional monitoring. This follows Google launching APIs for its smart home […]
It looks like someone may have finally done the smart door right. Doma Home, a new company from the creators of the August smart lock, has announced its first product: the Doma Intelligent Door. A motorized smart door that automatically opens as you approach and closes after you enter, the Doma door also features built-in […]
When Ikea announced its collection of 21 new Matter-over-Thread devices last month, it wasn’t expecting the new hardware to be available in the US until January 2026. Over the past month the devices have started showing up across Europe, but a handful of them are now available through Ikea’s US website and some of its […]
Garage door opener manufacturer The Chamberlain Group has launched a new version of the communication platform that powers its connected garage door openers – and it’s bad news for smart home users. The new Security+ 3.0 platform, launching alongside Chamberlain’s latest openers, shuts down the workarounds that third-party accessory makers such as Tailwind, Meross, and […]