Looks like the automated logic IFTTT is getting a lot of love this week. After yesterday’s announcement that the Philips Hue smart lightbulb will now support the service, Belkin has also updated its WeMo line to allow IFTTT control on multiple devices.
When Belkin announced last year that the WeMo Switches would begin supporting IFTTT, that meant you could only program one device at a time. Now, if you own multiple WeMo sensors, you can program individual devices with different actions via a single app. For example, you can have a WeMo Motion turn the light on when the it detects someone walking by, while the other WeMo Switch can toggle the air conditioner to start up when you command it through Siri.
“Since launching the WeMo Channels there have been more than 30,000 WeMo Recipes created and more than 400 shared WeMo Recipes publicly available on IFTTT,” Belkin says. With the service, Belkin is trying to observe common behaviors, patterns, and recipes to learn more about what consumers want to be able to do with home automation. Hopefully the response will play a big role in upcoming devices. It would be great to see more products like the Hue, which has IFTTT-like features built-in rather than having users program the functions themselves.
One thing we are still waiting on is Belkin’s complete Android app so some of us non-Apple users can enjoy the WeMo to its fullest potential. At this past CES 2013, the company unveiled a beta Android WeMo app designed for the Samsung Galaxy S3, with no official word on when the real app will hit Google Play. At the rate some of these home automation devices are rolling out to public, it may not be too long of a wait.
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.
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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.