Jay Basen

Aqara is a leading manufacturer of smart home products. It has over 30 categories of products and serves over 12 million users across five continents. Aqara has just announced the release of the Camera Hub G350 and the Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired). These two devices are designed to bridge the gap between high-end security and seamless ecosystem integration.

The smart home is often a battle between proprietary ecosystems and complex, expensive custom installations. Standing at the intersection of these two worlds is

TVs are ugly. It is amazing how much better a room will look when the TV is hidden away behind a framed mirror, framed artwork, or using a TV Lift.

The concept of climate control dates back to around 1620 when mercury thermostats were used to regulate the temperature of chicken egg incubators. But it wasn't until the late 20th century, long before smartphone apps existed, that the first programmable digital thermostats were introduced. These devices were a significant advancement as they allowed homeowners to input basic schedules to optimize the operation of their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for the first time. Then, it wasn't until the launch of the first Ecobee Smart Thermostat in 2007, and the Nest Learning Thermostat in 2011, that these rigid schedules were replaced by internet-connected devices that could be integrated with an overall smart home and managed from a smartphone.

There is nothing worse than overcooking a steak or other protein. Overcooking turns the most expensive part of a meal into something closer to shoe leather. Many people learned this the hard way on Thanksgiving, overcook a turkey, and it quickly becomes dry and nearly inedible. The only consolation is that turkey is far less expensive than a premium cut of steak or seafood.

Robotic mowers were one of the fastest-growing categories at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Nineteen companies unveiled new models focused on smarter navigation, stronger propulsion, and improved cutting performance. So, I'm working on writing several articles on them this summer. But in spite of the showing of robotic mowers at CES, for many homeowners the question still remains, “why should I purchase a robotic mower and are these mowers really ready for use by the average homeowner?”

Robotic lawn mowers were one of the fastest-growing categories at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Nineteen companies unveiled new models focused on smarter navigation, stronger propulsion, and improved cutting performance. So, I've written several articles on different robotic mowers this summer.

Shelly Group , a global provider of IoT and smart building automation products, has officially launched the Shelly Installer Portal.

In a major step forward for the internet of things (IoT), Silicon Labs has successfully deployed and operated a 200-node Matter-over-Thread validation network.

Cooking a steak, or any protein, on a grill without a grilling thermometer transforms what should be an enjoyable culinary ritual into a high-stakes psychological thriller. The moment the protein hits the screaming-hot grates, a wave of clock-watching paranoia sets in as you try to calculate cooking times based on vague online recipes. Unfortunately wind, uneven heating by charcoal or gas burners, and slight differences in meat thickness make time a completely useless metric. A feeling of helplessness overcomes you and you spend your time over-flipping the protein and staring at the sear in an effort to determine how done the food is.