1Home Digest: January '24 - Week 2
CES 2024 was BIG on Matter. Here are some of our favorite releases👇
1. Samsung puts the TV at the heart of its smart home
Samsung is finally embracing TVs as central smart home hubs. Ballie, a rolling home robot, also made a surprise return :)
2. How about using Matter for content casting?
It looks like Matter could bring universal casting that actually works. Amazon is the first major company to roll it out. The feature is currently available for the Echo Show 5 — Amazon’s largest smart display that’s also a Fire TV — and support is coming soon to Fire TVs, including smart TVs from Panasonic with Fire TV built in.
3. LG TVs will soon be Matter-compatible Google Home hubs
LG revealed that its TVs and certain Google TV products will become Google Home hubs, supporting Matter devices. This integration eliminates the need for a Nest device, offering users more flexibility in setting up and controlling their smart homes. The feature is set to launch later this year.
4. Philips' smart deadbolt will unlock a door by looking at your palm
Philips launched a smart deadbolt, using touch-free palm recognition for door unlocking. The technology detects unique palm vein patterns using proximity sensors, expanding Philips' smart home security lineup.
5. Samsung and LG's Smart Grid Integration for Appliances Revealed
Samsung and LG, through the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), introduced an Energy Management Interface to make large appliances easily connect to demand response programs. They are aiming at lowering power usage, and consequently saving user's cash.
6. Ultrahuman is getting into the smart home game
Indian wearable startup Ultrahuman is expanding into the smart home space with the $349 Ultrahuman Home, a device that monitors home environments, tracking factors like light, air pollution, noise, humidity, and smoke. By combining this data with their wearable ring sensor data, Ultrahuman aims to deliver personalized lifestyle nudges as it can factor in data on the indoor environment the user is exposed to.
7. E Ink has gone from Kindles... to toilets?!
This is quite a bizarre one. Kohler's introduced an E-Ink version of their Numi 2.0 smart toilet. Frankly, this was the last place we'd imagine E-ink technology being used in smart homes...
That's it for this week!
We hope you enjoyed our selection of intriguing innovations from CES 2024. Stay tuned for the next edition of Digest coming soon!