Samsung expands its SmartThings portfolio with a camera, smart plug and a smart bulb

-

Samsung is expanding its SmartThings portfolio in the US by introducing a camera, WiFi smart plug and a smart bulb. The new products are available to buy nationwide starting today. They work within the SmartThings ecosystem, and can be purchased though Samsung e-Store, Best Buy, and a few other retailers. All three devices work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung's own Bixby voice assistants.

Ideal for smart home beginners

The new SmartThings Cam is a Full HD (1080p) 145-degree, wide-angle camera with night vision and HDR imaging. It also has object detection, which Samsung says can differentiate between people and the motion of pets or a passing vehicle. The monitoring zone can be customized to receive notifications when something moves in that specific area. The two-way audio lets you talk to a housemate, a visitor, or your pets when you're away.

The SmartThings Cam comes with 24 hours of free cloud storage for up to four cameras. You can extend the storage period to 30 days with a Premium subscription. It costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and lets you connect up to 8 SmartThings Cams. Also, you don't need a SmartThings hub to use the camera. Just plug it in and connect it to your home WiFi, though connecting it to a hub gives it the ability to link with other smart devices in your home.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have a battery and needs a wired connection. It's also not weather-proof and is only meant to be installed indoors. However, it's compact size, and more importantly, the price tag of $89.99 makes up for those limitations.

The new SmartThings WiFi Smart Plug can turn nearly every lamp, small appliance or electronic device in your home smart. It turns them into voice-activated devices, and also doesn't need a hub to work. You can switch them on or off, set a timer or schedule them over voice commands through Bixby, Google Assistant and Alexa. The plug costs $17.99.

The SmartThings Smart Bulb, meanwhile, requires a SmartThings Hub to function. It is also compatible with the above-listed voice assistants, allowing you to control it with your voice, or set routines to automatically turn on and off, or go dim. The new bulbs cost $9.99 each. These aggressively priced entry-level products certainly look ideal for smart home beginners.

The post Samsung expands its SmartThings portfolio with a camera, smart plug and a smart bulb appeared first on SamMobile.


#Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #News @ndrdnws #ndrdnws #AndroidNews

Popular Posts:

Apple is postponing new iOS features in favor of reliability and performance

-
Image
Apple has decided to postpone new features in iOS in favor of improving the reliability and performance of the operating system, as according to a report by Axios. According to the report, Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President, Software Engineering, announced the revised plan to employees at a meeting earlier this month. This pushes features like refresh of the homescreen and in-car user interface, improvements to core apps like Mail and camera experience to 2019. What we will get this year is improvements to AR, digital health and parental controls. Apart from that, the OS will largely feature improvements to performance and user experience. We have seen Apple do this with macOS in the past, where they dedicate one entire update cycle to just refining the OS and make existing features work better. However, we have never quite seen Apple do that on iOS. This is largely due to the hyper competitive nature of the mobile market where competition and customer demands push companies t
Continue Reading....

Do more from your inbox with Gmail Add-ons

-
Image
For many of us, email is mission control—the prompt to generate an invoice, prepare a presentation or follow up on a sales opportunity. With so many to-dos, imagine if you could complete these tasks directly from your inbox without interrupting your workflow. We believe email can do more, which is why we're launching Gmail Add-ons, a new way to work with your favorite business apps directly in Gmail. Gmail Add-ons, built for your workflows Rather than toggling between your inbox and other apps, use add-ons to complete actions right from Gmail. With Gmail Add-ons, your inbox can contextually surface your go-to app based on messages you receive to help you get things done faster. And because add-ons work the same across web and Android, you only need to install them once to access them on all of your devices. Click the settings wheel on the top right of your inbox and then "Get add-ons" to get started. We made Gmail Add-ons available in developer p
Continue Reading....

This is Samsung’s official spec sheet for the Galaxy S8 and S8+

-
Image
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have finally been unveiled, and our hands-on experience with the devices is available for everyone to see. Everyone has a pretty good idea about the devices’ specifications at this point, but for those wanting to see it, we have added the official spec sheet offered by Samsung below. Remember, detailed specs are also available from our devices page . Oh, and don’t remember to take a look at what we think about Samsung’s new flagships .
Continue Reading....

Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard

-
Image
Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard Rabbit Mountain Adventure VERSION/BUILD: 1.6.4 UPDATED: 28 January 2018 REQUIRES ANDROID: 4.4 and up FILE SIZE: 66.4 M Walking with the dinosaurs! Roam the earth and experience prehistoric times in Virtual Reality. Celebrating 4+ million downloads! Have you ever wanted to meet Dinosaurs in real life? Experience the ultimate dino ride with Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard Freely roam the open environment en poke round the beautiful cedar evergreen trees to see huge dinos come to life. You can go to any point and see the sites and dinos in VR. Players get to experience the site at their own pace and the mission is simple; enjoy and discover the world of prehistoric dinosaurs before the modern world cities were built. It's like a virtual reality attraction traveling you back to prehistoric times! The ultimate experience There is no need anymore to become an archaeologist and dig the earth
Continue Reading....

DJI Mavic Air: could this be the definitive drone?

-
Image
DJI showcased its new Mavic Air drone in New York. The third quadcopter in this series is of similar quality to its predecessors and can also fold its arms for better portability. For its size, no competitor offers so much in terms of photo quality. Release date and price The DJI Mavic Air can be ordered through the official DJI website  and is also available from other retailers. The drone is available in three colors: marengo grey, white and red. We can buy the Mavic Air in a basic pack with remote control, protections, charger, cover, propeller replacement and a battery from US$799 (£769 in the UK). Often, one battery is not enough so there is a more complete pack available with three batteries, charger for four batteries and two propeller replacements from $999 (£949 in the UK). The red model reminds me of a Porsche. / © AndroidPIT Design and build quality In essence, it is th
Continue Reading....