Home Tech
Smart TVs 101: Everything you need to know
Unlike conventional television sets, smart TVs let users stream internet content, check social media, and more. Here are the pros and cons you need to know.
These speaker cubes offer a colorful, minimalist soundsystem
Each unit is wrapped in an acoustically transparent fabric and is offered in one of six different colors, from "Dirty Pink" to "Plant Green" to "Indigo Blue."
Now you can control your sofa with an app
The Lift-Bit is made up of single upholstered stools, which are embedded with motion-tracking sensors and can be controlled remotely with an app.
How speakers went from statement furniture to unseen tech
Today, small, easily hidden speaker systems are the mainstays of home listening. But how did we get from full cabinetry to speakers not much bigger than a tin can?
Prefab tiny home, sustainable and 3D-printed, offers idyllic high-tech living
What’s more is that modulOne comes with smart home devices, and its HVAC and "micro-climate" (think humidity and oxygen saturation) systems can be controlled via smartphone.
A beginner’s guide to smart locks
Smart locks have become some of the most popular home tech products in the United States, but how practical are they, really?
Amazon’s Alexa could soon recognize you by voice
The smart home may be getting smarter: Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa is already working on recognizing emotions, and soon, it may even identify who exactly is speaking to it.
Sony's Xperia Touch makes any flat surface an interactive screen
Today, the tech giant unveiled the Xperia Touch, an Android ultra-short-throw projector that turns any flat surface into a 23-inch, high-definition touchscreen.
Smart radiator offers heat—and cold!—for the design minded
Degré, a heating and cooling device created by Belgian industrial designers Tim Defleur and Benjamin Helle at Accent, offers to warm or chill your apartment.
Futuristic smart home device lets you control everything by gesture
Hayo, which is currently fundraising for manufacturing on Indiegogo, promises to turn any space or object in your home into a virtual remote control.
Denver's upcoming ‘smart city’ neighborhood will have driverless buses, blanket WiFi
This spring, developers will break ground on Peña Station Next, a futuristic neighborhood built on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado. The site was chosen by Japanese technology behemoth Panasonic as a testbed for self-driving vehicles, solar power, and smart home technologies.
New in baby tech? This adorable health and sleep monitor
Ray is being billed as "the first and only non-contact health and sleep monitor" for tots.
Storage robot from Vespa makers offers new way to keep track of our stuff
Gita (that’s "jee-ta") was launched under the company’s research and innovation branch, Piaggio Fast Forward.
Yves Béhar designs first ‘smart turntable’
Fans of old-school vinyl records, have—for better of worse—largely been left out in the cold when it comes to technology for record-listening in our smartphone-obsessed world. No longer.
Do 'smart cities' begin with smart homes?
The city of Louisville has been working with local civic data groups and volunteer developers to experiment with ways to connect city data to smart home products found in folks’ homes. See what they’ve created.
Smart home demo house hits market for $625K
In 2015, consumer tech site CNET purchased a home in the Louisville, Kentucky area for the express purpose of testing out the latest home tech products. Now, that property is up for sale, with some brains still in tact.
Impressive composter turns food waste into fertilizer within 24 hours
A surprise hit at this year’s CES, the Zera is sort of like a dishwasher for composting. And it’s already found crowdfunding success.
7 beautiful humidifiers for the design-minded
Need a humidifier but don't want one that screams "humidifier"? Take a look at our picks for ones that will look great in your home.
5 things I learned about smart homes during my first time at CES
Huge smart home booths were everywhere to be found at this year’s CES. Here are a Curbed editor’s takeaways, from Alexa to robots to a bunch of buttons.
Lego announces robot-making toolkit for kids
Lego jumped into the CES 2017 fray today to unveil a toolkit that provides a set of parts for kids interested in building robots and learning how to code.
Polaroid unveils compact new instant camera
The latest from the company is the Polaroid Pop digital camera, a sleek handheld unit with an LCD touchscreen clocking in at just under four inches.
Kuri, a new AI assistant, wants to be your cute new robot butler
Kuri, the work of California-based company Mayfield Robotics, is a voice-command-activated security camera, and it responds to users with a number of bleeps and bloops—and facial expressions.
CES 2017: Home tech trends to watch
The annual tech bonanza opens tomorrow. Here’s our guide to what to expect, from your bedroom to your living room to your garage.
Architect designs smart nursing home controlled by the blink of an eye
Landscape architect Steve Saling has ALS, but he was not about to spend years confined to a bed. With a grant of $500,000 he set about designing a new kind of nursing home that drastically improves patients’ quality of life.
Facebook's new home assistant uses Morgan Freeman's voice
What voice do we want responding to our orders to dim the lights? Facebook’s new AI talks back in the voice of God. Or at least someone who played him once in a movie once.
‘Smart intercom’ Nucleus updates an outdated form of home tech
Nucleus takes a drastically Ordinary Joe and Jane approach to smart homes with the kind of technology even grandparents will understand: an intercom system for modern era.
Internet-connected home tech could be dangerous, say security experts
With the proliferation of Internet of Things devices, experts warn that cyber-attacks will soon have very real and tragic implications. Everything from our cars and buses to boats, homes will soon be linked online, becoming vulnerable to hacking.
Millennials willing to pay higher rents for smart home features, survey shows
A recent survey of 1,000 renters revealed a generational rift when it comes to the value of smart home technology. Compared to baby boomers, more millennials are willing to pay a higher rent for home tech features.
Home tech company's digs fuse NYC-loft aesthetic with Silicon Valley startup vibes
When the company started out in 2014 in a space behind a gas station in SoHo, there was only one bathroom for 40 people, a mouse problem, and less than optimal heating during the winter.
How to choose the best home security system
We went to the home security experts to understand the differences between systems and key features you should consider before installing.
This desk was designed for the multi-tasker
Although it looks like an ordinary office desk, the Flex can be so many more things.
Back up your precious data using these candy colored hard drives
Available in a range of capacities and six vibrant colorways, the drives feature a durable shell, one half of which is shiny and smooth, and the other rubberized and textured with a diagonal ridge pattern.
How smart home devices broke Netflix, Twitter, and more
Hackers mobilized millions of household "Internet of Things" devices for a massive attack on the web last week. And it has sparked renewed calls for users to be more wary in the device set-up process.
Kodak designs a smartphone fit for the professional photographer
The new device combines the best of Kodak’s imaging capabilities with the latest in smartphone innovations.
World's first smart crib SNOO will help put babies to sleep
SNOO is a smart crib that imitates the rhythms of the womb by responding to a baby’s level of crying and fussiness and adjusting the intensity of motion and white noise accordingly.
Digital art gets update with new display from Electric Objects
The NYC-based startup just unveiled EO2, an upgraded device that offers greater customization and more ways to consume art in the Electric Objects universe. This includes a subscription service to a digital Art Club.
Why your insurance company wants you to have a smart home
Businesses like State Farm, USAA, and American Family are apparently helping to spur smart home adoption by offering incentives for customers willing to install technologies like a Nest smoke detector or Canary camera.
Elegant smart doorbell connects residents to visitors remotely
How many times have you missed a package or a visitor because you weren’t there to open the door or simply couldn’t hear the doorbell ring? Ding, a new minimalist smart doorbell, promises to prevent that.
Google wants to give you more reliable Wi-Fi
With its latest products, the company is muscling into even more smart home territory, as Google Wifi aims to improve consumers’ at-home wireless internet signal strength and reliability.