At IFA, Anker introduced MindBase, a local smart-home hub that doubles as a network storage device with a 64GB SSD and two bays for 2.5- or 3.5-inch drives. Paired with Eufy cameras and sensors like the Video Doorbell S4 and Fall Detection Sensor, its onboard AI can analyze events in real time and respond to threats through lighting changes, verbal warnings, or vague 'active deterrence' measures. Anker has not disclosed pricing or a release date.
Philips Hue is rolling out Custom AI Behaviors, a feature letting users describe desired lighting automations in plain language instead of manually configuring rules. Announced at IFA alongside a new Sonos speaker integration for Hue switches, both updates arrive via a software update in November. The AI feature requires the Hue Bridge Pro's processing power to run.
Philips Hue unveiled two cheaper ways to sync its smart lights with TV content: a scaled-down Sync Box 4K priced at $150, well below the $385 8K version, and a new camera-based Play Screen Sync at $119.99. Both debuted at IFA in Berlin and are available for purchase now.
Philips Hue is partnering with rival Nanoleaf to bring Hexagon, Triangle, and Mini Triangle wall panels into its smart lighting system via a new $39.99 Wall Light Module, available starting September 3rd. The module contains Hue's full connectivity stack—Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Thread—letting users control the panels through the Hue app or Matter-compatible apps like Apple Home, while also unlocking Hue scenes, automations, and entertainment features.
Anker introduced the Eufy MindBase at IFA Berlin, a local AI hub that runs an on-device LLM to process camera footage without sending it to the cloud. The device acts as a Matter controller supporting over 40 device categories, works with Apple HomeKit Secure Video, Alexa, Google Home, and Home Assistant, and can handle up to 16 wireless cameras, four wired cameras, and 34 sensors. Anker also announced companion products including the TrackLight Cam S1, S4 video doorbell, and a window camera, though pricing and release dates remain unannounced.
A Reddit user reported that their Google Home assistant began calling them 'Fish Lemon' after a casual conversation about cooking fish weeks earlier. The nickname has persisted across reminders, smart display labels, and direct queries about their name, resisting attempts to correct it despite their Google Account showing their real name.
A Pew Research Center survey of nearly 10,000 US adults found that 53% believe they use their smartphones too much, while 36% say their usage is about right. Younger adults reported the highest rates of overuse, with 70% of 18-to-29-year-olds and 64% of those aged 30-49 saying they're on their devices excessively. Separately, Semrush data shows people worldwide spend over four and a half hours daily on their phones, checking them roughly 58 times a day.
Google has rolled out a Google Home app update that lets Gemini for Home handle voice requests that mix media playback and smart device controls in a single command, such as turning off lights while stopping music. The update also fixes previously reported bugs with setting alarms and adding items to Google Keep, and it now alphabetizes automation options while enforcing privacy settings on third-party routines.
Writer Ploum recounts telling businesses he has no smartphone to avoid being pressured into installing apps or scanning QR codes for basic services. He says he had to push back against 18 separate app installation demands in the past year, including for kitchen appliances, a car, and even a toilet with separate apps for its seat, flush, and ventilation.
Florida International University researchers tested the Apple Watch Series 8, Fitbit Sense 2, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Garmin Forerunner 955 against a Cosmed K5 metabolic device and ECG chest strap during controlled workouts with 58 participants. All four smartwatches overstated calorie burn, with margins of error ranging from 15% to 25%, meaning a reported 200-calorie burn could really be closer to 160-174 calories. Apple Watch was the most accurate, while Samsung and Garmin overestimated more, and Fitbit had enough tracking glitches that some of its data had to be excluded.
An entrepreneur used AI extensively to make pricing, hiring and marketing decisions while scaling a services business, reaching her $50,000 monthly revenue goal within six months. However, her underpriced premium offerings meant that payroll, rent and overhead grew alongside revenue, leaving no profit to reinvest or pay herself. The strain eventually caused missed deadlines, declining quality and staff departures.
At IFA in Berlin, Paris-based Circular unveiled the Ring 3 Pro and Ring 3 Slim, adding contactless payment support and the return of haptic vibration alerts to its smart ring lineup. The rings retain Circular's FDA-cleared ECG and AFib detection while adding new wellness features like blood pressure trends, glucose trend estimates and expanded sleep metrics.
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