Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has yet to establish a foothold in the United States, though rumors have long swirled around the company’s plans to bring its popular smartphones to American customers. But now, we may be privy to Xiaomi devices in an even more accessible format. At Google I/O 2018, Xiaomi revealed that it would be adding Google Assistant support to a total of three smart home products, which will subsequently be coming to America.
This isn’t the first time that Google and Xiaomi have joined forces. In 2017, the two companies launched the Android One smartphone, a lower-priced but highly functional device that has proven to be quite a hit in international markets. Now the two teams are turning their attention to your living room rather than your handset, and will be bringing to the U.S. the Mi Bedside Lamp, the Mi LED Smart Bulb, and the Mi Smart Plug.
The Bedside Lamp purports to be able to easily fit any environment, and can be controlled either by its touchscreen panel or the Mi Home app. As for the Smart Bulb, with 16 million color options, you can set the mood for any situation, and thanks to its Assistant integration, you won’t have to get out of bed to turn off the lights. You can also use voice commands to adjust the brightness and color temperature. The Wi-Fi plug, on the other hand, will help you turn non-smart devices into connected 21st century appliances, and make it possible for you to turn said devices on and off by voice command.
As Xiaomi noted in a blog post, all of these “smart home products will now work with the Google Assistant, allowing users to control products through a smart speaker, like the Google Home, or with the Google Assistant app.”
We know that the Mi Bedside Lamp will certainly be made available in the U.S. later in May, but there’s no word yet as to when we can expect the connected light bulb or smart plug. There are also no further details on what pricing might look like, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more.
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.