The Newest Smart Gadgets Make Music, Lighting, and Wall Art So Much Better
From a new portable speaker to smart filament lights, these brand-new launches are too good not to share.
Courtesy of SONOS
It’s only the first week of September, and the fall launches have already started with a bang. Everything from new furniture lines to smart home gadgets are dropping to get ahead of the holiday shopping season. Here are three of our favorite home tech pieces that were announced this week and will be available for purchase later in the season.
Smart Lights Get Stylish
Courtesy of Philips Hue
Smart lights have never been as pretty as your Edison-style light bulbs, making them less appealing for exposed lighting fixtures. Philips Hue’s Filament collection launch changes that, bringing the popular vintage style into the smart home realm.
Similar to other smart lights, you can remotely control the Philips Hue Filament bulbs with your phone, voice assistant, and larger smart home network to turn them off and on and control their brightness. Philips Hue lights now also have the option to either pair with an additional bridge, or simply connect with the Philips Hue Bluetooth app for instant control that doesn’t connect with your larger smart home network.
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On drawback is that these bulbs only come in color option, instead of multiple colors like other Philips Hue lights. However, one bit of solace is that the collection features three shapes: the traditional A19 light bulb ($24.99), a ST19 tube ($27.99), and a G25 globe ($32.99), and all will be available this October.
Also to come from Philips Hue: a smart plug, smart button, and updated Hue Go lamp.
Digital Frame Gets Bolder
Courtesy of Meural / Netgear
Previously announced at CES this year, the new Meural Canvas II (from $399) is now available as of today. The sleek digital frame can display anything from famous paintings to photos of the family, and the newest edition boasts some upgrades to the original model, featured in the Sunset Smart Cottage in 2017.
The Meural Canvas II boasts two sizes, four frame finishes including birch and walnut, increased energy efficiency, easier SD slot for image uploads, and improved Wi-Fi performance. But our favorite part of the updated Meural comes from the added Swivel Mount accessory ($49.95), giving the frame a rotating base to easily switch between portrait and landscape orientation, so you can move it hassle-free to best display your latest photo of the kids.
A Portable Speaker That Holds Its Own
Courtesy of SONOS
If you’re looking for a portable speaker, look no further than the new Sonos Move ($399). The Bluetooth speaker is Sonos’ first portable model to hit the market. With a weather-resistant exterior, the Move will withstand afternoons outside, and can sync with your existing Sonos system when you bring it indoors. The portability of the device doesn’t skip on sound quality or volume with two digital amplifiers and a mid-woofer, plus automatic tuning. The portable speaker is actually larger than the indoor-only Sonos One, but the smooth handle in the back makes it easy to carry into the backyard or out to a picnic.
Even with such big sound, the Move can have up to ten hours of battery life, and has a minimalist charging base that the speaker simply sits on to charge. The Move is available for preorder now, and will be available starting September 24.
Sonos also announced another speaker, the Sonos One SL ($179), a variation on the Sonos One without integrated microphones, and the Sonos Port ($399), which can connect the Sonos smart sound system to traditional stereos and receivers.
