Aliro has officially arrived. The smart lock standard, first announced in 2023, finally has a 1.0 spec, meaning companies can now get hardware certified and roll out support. Aliro is an open standard designed to let any smart lock be unlocked by any smartphone, regardless of manufacturer. It stores a digital key in your phone’s […]
We spend a lot of time at The Verge talking about robot vacuums — robovacs that can mop, robovacs that perfume your home, robovacs with arms, etc., etc. — but they’re not good for everything. A reliable handheld vac is still a good option for cleaning everything from car seats to stairs, which is why […]
ADT, the 150-year-old company best known for home security, has acquired Origin Wireless in a $170 million deal to expand the capabilities of its security and smart home offerings. Origin Wireless developed algorithms that analyze how wireless RF signals bounce around a space to detect the presence and movements of people and objects without the […]
Kohler claims its new Anthem EvoCycle smart shower system can deliver “up to 80% water savings” without the use of showerheads that limit flow or pressure. The system instead relies on a reservoir in the shower’s base that collects used water and passes it through a filtration system before sending it back up through the […]
With Ring facing fierce backlash over its Search Party feature, a new program is challenging developers to move Ring doorbell footage off of Amazon’s cloud – and into users’ own devices. The Fulu Foundation, the consumer advocacy group cofounded by YouTuber Louis Rossmann, is offering an initial bounty of $10,000 to anyone who can integrate […]
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff has been on an “explanation tour,” as The New York Times puts it, following the fallout from its Super Bowl ad and the introduction of its Search Party feature. In an interview with The Times this week, Siminoff explained that he understands people’s concerns and that “maybe people were ‘triggered’ by […]
GE has announced two new versions of its popular Opal nugget ice machines with smaller footprints that take up less counter space, and more affordable price tags. Like GE’s larger and pricier Opal 2.0 Ultra, the two new machines make nugget ice – frequently also referred to as chewable ice, or pellet ice – by […]
A leaked internal email obtained by 404 Media shows that Ring has bigger plans for its AI-powered neighborhood search capability than just looking for lost dogs. The outlet reports the email, sent last October by founder Jamie Siminoff to all Ring employees, says that with Search Party, “You can now see a future where we […]
The most striking thing about Ring’s statement that it had parted ways with Flock Safety is what the home security company didn’t say. There was no mention of the public backlash around ties to ICE, or any promise to address users’ concerns about the company’s relationships with law enforcement. In an increasingly authoritarian political climate, […]
Sammy Azdoufal claims he wasn’t trying to hack every robot vacuum in the world. He just wanted to remote control his brand-new DJI Romo vacuum with a PS5 gamepad, he tells The Verge, because it sounded fun. But when his homegrown remote control app started talking to DJI’s servers, it wasn’t just one vacuum cleaner […]