At CES, it’s not unusual to stumble upon a product that utilizes Alexa. This year, however, it seems as if every device on the showroom floor makes use of Amazon’s ubiquitous digital assistant. From 4K UHD projectors to cars to stainless-steel faucets designed for use with your kitchen sink, nearly every home theater and smart home product is now controllable with a simple voice command.
First Alert is one of the newer companies looking to join the fray. Its forthcoming offering, the Onelink Safe and Sound, is a smart smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector that does more than just beep when things go awry in your home. Once mounted to your ceiling and properly set up, the hardwired device will let you make the most of Alexa’s many capabilities, meaning you can easily set a reminder, check the weather, and play music. Unlike most smart speakers, the Onelink also projects omnidirectional sound and uses your ceiling as an acoustic backdrop, so you can fill your entire space with the latest music. How well the system actually works, however, remains to be seen.
As far as standard functionality goes, the Onelink can still perform all the duties traditional smoke alarm (and then some). The 2-and-1 system will notify you of when it detects either smoke or carbon monoxide, and you can easily test and silence your alarm using the Onelink Home companion app for iOS and Android. The device also features a subtle, multi-colored nightlight, which is controllable via the aforementioned app.
If you prefer Google’s digital assistant over Alexa, you’re in luck, as First Alert will also introduce an Assistant-compatible version at an undisclosed date and price in the near future. The Alexa version, which will be widely available in March and is currently available for pre-order, runs $250.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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