smart home

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Teen Who Says Mom Took Her Phone Tweeted Using 'Plan D'

'Dorothy' tapped into the power of her LG smart fridge after she was supposedly grounded

(Newser) - Where there's a will, there's a way—or, in the case of what appears to be one determined Kentucky teen, where there's a "smart" refrigerator, there's a way. The Guardian reports on the alleged plight of "Dorothy," a self-described 15-year-old who mainly tweets...

Shark Tank Didn't Want It. Amazon Just Paid Big Bucks for It

'Smart' doorbell company Ring scooped up for a reported $1B

(Newser) - Five years ago, Jamie Siminoff left the ABC show Shark Tank "in tears" after a "smart" doorbell he created was spurned. On Tuesday, Ring, the company he built around that invention, was sold to Amazon in a deal Reuters reports as being worth more than $1 billion—one...

Why Your Roomba May Soon Be a 'Creepy Little Spy'
Your Roomba May Be
Up to No Good
Jul 26, 2017 9:30 AM CDT

Your Roomba May Be Up to No Good

iRobot is considering selling consumer info to Amazon, Apple, or Google

(Newser) - It may be "smart" to put robots to work in your home—but is it wise? Consumers who want the blueprint and contents of their homes kept private may be wary at news coming out of iRobot, which makes the Roomba robotic vacuum. Per the New York Times , the...

Smart Home Gadget Calls 911 During Domestic Dispute

A question the suspect asked prompted the device to call authorities

(Newser) - "Did you call the sheriffs?" An ever-listening smart home gadget recorded the suspect of a domestic assault saying those words while house-sitting with his girlfriend and her daughter. And it took them quite literally. ABC News reports that the device (the type isn't specified) contacted local authorities of...

Data Specialist Spends All Day Getting 'Smart' Kettle to Work

Twitter heats up before the kettle does

(Newser) - English data specialist Mark Rittman just wanted hot water for his 9am tea, but one thing led to another and it wasn't until dinnertime that he managed to fully diagnose the problem with his WiFi-enabled "smart" kettle, hack a workaround, and use voice control to tell his kettle...

Google Drops $3.2B on 'Smart Thermostat' Maker

Firm pays $3.2B for Nest

(Newser) - The Google empire is extending its reach into the heart of people's homes with its acquisition of Nest, a maker of Internet-connected fire alarms and thermostats. Google, which coughed up $3.2 billion in cash for the start-up, says Nest will continue to operate independently, though co-founder Matt Rogers...

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