QUICK SUMMARY After rumours of a second-generation Sync Box circulating the internet for years, the new Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K is set to arrive next month. There are a number of differences between the two versions, including an upgraded HDMI port and revised power supply unit. A price point is also yet to be determined, but it’s expected to cost more than the original Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box at $249.99 £229.99/€269.99. If you’re a die hard fan, you’ll know that the Philips… Read More »The new Philips Hue Sync Box 8K could be here a lot sooner than expected

QUICK SUMMARY Philips Hue has announced it’ll soon be adding four new effects to its portfolio of smart lighting. HueBlog has stated the new effects will be called Cosmos, Enchant, Sunbeam, Underwater.  The last round of effects were announced after IFA 2023, so we’re hoping to see them appear in the app towards the end of this week. has announced that it’ll soon roll out four brand new effects to its range of smart lights. We haven’t seen any since the brand exclusively introduced Prism,… Read More »Your Philips Hue lights are about to get even better with these 4 new effects

When you think of smart home devices – like the – connected weather stations are perhaps not the first gadgets that spring to mind. They do exist though, and the Eve Weather is one of them, with the latest version coming with Matter support as well. This compact cuboid has been sitting in my garden for a couple of weeks, which means I can give you a comprehensive review of the smart weather station – and when you’ve finished reading it, you should know whether… Read More »Eve Weather review: a compact, connected weather station for your smart home

Quick Summary Imagine Qi wireless power on a much bigger scale: that’s Ki. The wireless power standard could deliver cable-free power to all your kitchen gadgets. Even air fryers. If you love the convenience of wireless charging for your , or other portable kit, you’ve probably wished that more things in your home could get their power without wires. And it looks like that wish could soon come true. The Wireless Power Consortium, the group that sets the standard for wireless charging such as Qi… Read More »Ki wireless power wants to turbo-charge your toaster

Quick Summary Q Acoustics’ E300A amplifier is an Alexa-controllable amplifier designed to be installed in your ceiling to power multiple speakers. It’s Spotify, Tidal, Amazon and AirPlay-enabled. If you’re planning to upgrade your home or build an extension any time soon, Q Acoustics has just the gadget for you. Its new E300A amplifier, which is designed to be installed in your ceiling, is a Wi-Fi-enabled hi-fi amplifier with built-in for smart home control, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Music (including multi-room), AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth streaming… Read More »Put Alexa overhead with this ceiling-mounted audio amp

Quick Summary There’s a new version of the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, this time with 8K resolution and support for refresh rates up to 120K. It’s more expensive than before at £299. Last week we reported that the was preparing to launch, and that we expected it to cost more than the current model. We were right on both counts. The new Sync is official, and it’s got a higher price to match the higher specification. The new box is called the Play… Read More »Philips Hue Play Sync box 2.0 is 8K and HDMI 2.1 – now you’re talking

The is taking place today, and we’re expecting to see the anticipated 16 Series, potentially a new pair of , as well as other software and hardware updates. Better still, the ‘It’s Glowtime’ theme has led us to believe that one of the ‘stars’ of ’s Special Event will be Siri… but what does that mean exactly? As , ‘Glowtime’ could refer to the glowing interface of Siri that’s activated by squeezing the side action button, putting Apple’s virtual assistant and Apple Intelligence at the… Read More »Will Apple announce changes to Siri’s voice at its Special Event? I hope not…

Quick Summary Samsung has shown off new automations for its Galaxy Ring.  It could tell your smart home devices to begin routines based on whether you’re awake, for example.  might have grabbed the spotlight with both hands thanks to its launch event for the and yesterday, but that doesn’t mean other tech giants haven’t been working on interesting new projects too.  , for example, was at last week to show off some interesting new features coming to the Galaxy Ring, now that its long-awaited wearable… Read More »Samsung Galaxy Ring has a great, hidden smart home trick

QUICK SUMMARY IKEA has finally added Matter support to its DIRIGERA hub two years after first announcing it. The update will allow all IKEA smart products to communicate with other Matter-supported devices and platforms.  The update is available to use from today, and will work with all IKEA smart products.  Despite over two years ago, IKEA has just officially made its DIRIGERA hub matter-compatible. The update will allow all IKEA smart products to communicate with other Matter-supported devices and platforms. It’s unknown why the update took… Read More »IKEA adds Matter support to its smart home hub – two years after first announcing it

QUICK SUMMARY Flic has added Matter support to its range of smart buttons and controllers, so your Flic products can now control a huge range of smart devices. Matter support is currently being rolled out to Flic users in the form of a free update. Flic has just introduced Matter support to its line of smart buttons. This new integration allows Flic’s Hubs to act as Matter controllers so you can start a full Matter smart home ecosystem, without the need for a dedicated smart… Read More »Flic smart buttons and hubs can now control your Matter devices