Category: smart home

My haunted Roomba S9+ kept me up all night and iRobot says there’s no way to fix it

I’m going to tell you that my Roomba S9 Plus is haunted, but don’t dwell on the haunting. The buttons are stuck, which may or may not be related. I have been living with the haunted Roomba and its broken buttons since last year, when it was still under warranty,…

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I’m ready to throw out my iRobot Roomba in favor of Samsung’s new Jet Bot Combo AI robot vacuum

Recently, I’ve had a bit of a ‘mare with my robot vacuum. I’ve been using the iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus since I first reviewed it a year and a half ago, and while it’s been a stellar sucker until the last few months, a litany of sudden issues has…

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Samsung’s not coming out with a smart display any time soon, but still wants “screens everywhere” in your home

With screen fatigue at an all-time high, the prospect of a smart home with even more screens might sound counterintuitive – but I think Samsung is onto something with its new ‘screens everywhere’ approach to smart appliances.  During its global launch event on 3 April, Samsung demonstrated a host of…

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The race for the ultimate voice assistant is heating up with Samsung announcing Bixby’s generative AI boost

Bixby’s never really been my smart home voice assistant of choice, and I’d wager that’s the same for most smart home enthusiasts. Much like Apple’s Siri, Bixby is more of a nice-to-have for those already in the wider Samsung ecosystem, lagging behind in terms of features and functionality when compared to…

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iRobot’s latest robot vacuum and mop is its most affordable 2-in-1 ever

The world’s best robot vacuums – such as the Roomba Combo j9 Plus – don’t just suck up dirt from your carpets, they’re also smart mops that scrub your hard floors whenever you tell them to. Unfortunately, if you want a 2-in-1 robot cleaner from a reliable brand like iRobot…

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Google Home app could soon work offline and finally support your old Nest camera

In a recent Reddit AMA, Google revealed it’s working on multiple projects for its smart home platform. Chief among these is the introduction of an offline mode. The way Google Home currently works, as explained by Android Authority, is commands sent to a device are transmitted through company servers first…

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