As any homeowner can attest, scheduling appliance maintenance tends to be quite the drag. Not only does it force someone to take time away from their day job but it also requires heaps of patience in waiting for a repair person to show up and for them to do a quality job. Understanding this for the bother it is, Sears announced this week that it now offers the ability to fix home appliances faster than ever — to the tune of roughly 40 minutes quicker, that is.
In essence, Sears Home Services now makes its team of master technicians available for any repair, even if the technician isn’t physically at the appointment. By leaning on live video and uploaded photos, any Sears technician has the ability to instantly converse with a master tech in order to properly repair a wide range of appliances — even non-Sears products — as quickly as possible. To help Sears accomplish this, the appliance giant teamed up with GoToAssist to outfit each of its technician’s smartphones with the GoToAssist Seeit application, which provides step-by-step repair instructions and instant feedback from a master technician.
“No one likes taking time out of their busy schedules for their appliances to be repaired, especially if it takes longer than anticipated or requires multiple service appointments,” said Sean Skelley, president of Sears Home Services. “Now our technicians can use their smartphones to live-stream video and photos of appliance problems to our most experienced experts, who can coach them toward a solution and get your appliance up and running again quickly. It’s like they have master technicians in their pockets.”
The GoToAssist Seeit app has proven to reduce maintenance time by as much as 40 minutes. While it certainly won’t always cut that much time off a visit, the fact that it’s been shown to decrease the amount of time required by a technician could help make Sears’ new approach an instant success.
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.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.