Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Are You Ready to Live in a Connected Home? And other Great Articles from the CNET Insider

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Are You Ready to Live in a Connected Home? And other Great Articles from the CNET Insider

I have not had a chance to delve into all these articles tonight, as I am behind schedule with the blog...

Please do not rush by these, there is a lot of promise here

CNET INSIDER

Are you ready to live in a connected home?

The notions of "smart appliances" and "home automation" have been bandied about for years, but they always seemed to be just over the horizon, a "Jetsons" fantasy that would never come true. Technology has a funny way of catching up with fantasy; the connected home may finally become a real thing. Check out some hot new products that are paving the way for a more connected lifestyle of the future.

VIEW CNET'S APPLIANCE REVIEWS

CONNECTED HOME DEVICES /

Nest Protect smoke/CO detector

With remote monitoring via mobile device, and the ability to wave off false alarms with your hand, the Nest Protect is the smoke/CO detector we never knew we wanted.

SmartThings home automation

With a variety of sensors, wide product compatibility, and a slick-looking smartphone app to control it all, SmartThings is one of the most appealing home automation offerings yet.

August Smart Lock

The August Smart Lock lets you grant access to your home to anyone via an app. You also get notifications when someone enters or leaves your home, plus track how long they stay.

Jawbone Up24

In addition to being a fitness tracker, the Jawbone Up24 can be synced up to automatically turn lights on as you wake up, or log your sleep habits in a program like Evernote.

LG's Smart ThinQ refrigerator

The apps in LG's Smart ThinQ LFX31995ST work together with your smartphone to help you keep inventory of the food items in your refrigerator and send them to the grocery list on your phone when items are depleted.

SimpliSafe home security

If you want a comprehensive, easy-to-use home security system that features live monitoring, you'll have a hard time finding a better option at a better price.