If you have allergies or asthma, you likely keep an eye on the local pollen forecast. While there’s not much you can do about the count when you step out into the world, humidifiers and air purifiers can help keep things under control around the house. Naturally, you have to turn these on when your eyes start to water, but that might not be the case soon enough.
San Francisco-based Bitfinder, a privately funded startup company, has introduced Awair, a smart air-quality device with sensors that measure temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, fine dust particles, and volatile organic compounds. With this data, it programs itself based on settings you provide for your home and gives your air a score, ranging from poor to fair. Awair is smart enough to assess your living space’s air quality data against your specific health conditions. Through the Awair app, the device can provide you with recommendations on how to change your behaviors so your allergies aren’t triggered the minute you get home.
However, one of Awair’s most unique features is its smart-home connectability. Through Wi-Fi, the product can connect to other smart home devices, such as the Nest smart thermostat. With its API-driven software and an additional device, Awair Connect, it can also work with devices like humidifiers and purifiers. Awair will turn them on (or off) for you and give you one less thing to worry about in terms of air quality.
Despite how much information it uses to function, Bitfinder says all of its data is encrypted over Transport Layer Security and AES 256 bit encryption to keep everything private.
You can preorder Awair on the product website for $149, and it’ll help you breathe easier by fall 2015.
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.