Category: Tech
How to make calls and send SMS text messages with your Google Home
This is your complete guide to making phone calls and sending text messages on your Google Home smart speaker, by talking to the Google Assistant. Making …
Review: Free app turns your phone into a telescope
Ever wonder what constellations the stars form at night? Curious how the ancient Greeks decided that there was a person beaming back from a couple of …
How much does it cost to turn the average house into a smart home?
Most people’s idea of a smart home is adding a device that can control lights, plugs and door locks. But what if you wanted to make your …
6 smart light platforms for transforming your home
Along with smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, a common first step into the smart home world is lighting. These LED bulbs connect …
How smart voice assistants will help make us trust autonomous cars
Autonomous driving, attractive software and assistants like Alexa are rewriting the rules of how we drive. A decade ago, if an automotive engineer talked about a …
Saturday Night Live writers pen new Alexa Skill
Amazon’s Alexa has a new tool designed to keep burglars away — perhaps with a few laughs. Away Mode is an Alexa Skill that’s designed to …
Cybersecurity warning for Android users playing Fortnite
Cybersecurity expert Graham Cluley has raised concerns about how Epic Games, developer of the hit game Fortnite, requires Android owners to disable a key security setting …
Smart home tech for millionaires: Top devices to buy when money is no object
At GearBrain we have already covered how to build a smart home for various budgets – from as little as $100, up to the $1,000 range, …
Google Pixel Watch rumors and leaks: Everything we know so far
The company is tipped to release its first own-brand smartwatch later this year. Unless you are completely clued-up on the ins and outs of the smartwatch …
Amazon Alexa can now wake up with music. Here’s how
“Alexa, wake me up before you go-go.” Amazon Alexa can add an alarm clock to her list of tricks, able to wake people up with music …
5 summer apps to keep you safe outdoors
Summertime is the perfect time to head outdoors. The extra long days provide ample opportunity to explore the woods, head to the beach or even train …
How to play music in several rooms at once with Amazon Alexa
As we explained in our recent Alexa guide, there are several reasons why two Amazon Echo smart speakers are better than one. For this feature, we …
What ‘smart dust’ may mean for your home and health
Chips are meant to be thin and small — but rarely can they be sprayed from an aerosol can. Yet that’s exactly the size of new …
Installing automated smart blinds in your home: 5 options to consider
It’s one thing to have your lights, music, and television switch on with voice commands or the tap of a smartphone app, but to give your …
These 10 companies are racing to make the flying car a reality
Not long ago, the idea of traveling by flying car was pure science fiction. The Jetsons made the concept famous, but turning such a machine into …
Alexa Drop In: How to turn your Amazon Echo speakers into a home intercom system
You probably know how Amazon Echo’s microphone and speakers communicate with Alexa, the virtual assistant. But that same hardware — and the Echo’s always-on internet connection …
Amazon Echo Spot, Dot & Show: Here’s how they stack up
On Dec. 19, the latest member of the Amazon Echo smart speaker range goes on sale. Called the Echo Spot, the device has a circular 2.5-inch …
8 ways Google will supercharge your smart home with new Home and Assistant features
Google is about to make your smart home even more intelligent, with a whole range of updates set to hit Assistant, Android phones, and Google Home …
How to use Google Assistant to turn your TV on and off
As you will surely know by now, the Google Home and Home Mini smart speakers can do much more than play music, look up things on …
Protect your home with these smart security systems
As fun as smart home technology can be, there is a more serious side: Security systems. These can start off as simple as a single camera …
7 best VR education apps
Visit Mars, swim with sea otters, and trek to Mt. Everest’s Base Camp. Parents and teachers eager to weave fun into learning might consider using virtual …
How smart home devices can save you money on homeowners insurance
Home security measures aren’t limited to traditional burglar alarms or monitored systems. Smart home devices like cameras, doorbells, and smoke detectors, whether installed individually or as …
Half of US adults think smart home devices record their conversations
Almost half of smart home device owners believe their private conversations are being recorded so they can be sent targeted advertisements. This is the result of …
Amazon Echo 2 vs. Echo Plus: What’s the difference?
The Echo Plus is now the flagship of Amazon’s smart speaker range. The new device boasts a shiny silver finish, a larger design than the Echo …
How to upgrade your car stereo to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: 5 of our favorites
CarPlay is Apple’s answer to the car infotainment system. Run by your iPhone, CarPlay replaces the navigation, media, phone, and messaging controls of your car with …
The Amazon Echo starter kit: 6 Alexa devices to kickstart your smart home
The Amazon Echo and Echo Dot smart speakers are fun, useful and entertaining devices in their own right. They play music, answer questions, read the news, …
5 best places to shop for smart devices
If you’ve never bought a smart home device — or if you just don’t know where to look — the search can get pretty frustrating. You …
Best smart security camera options for renters
Home security cameras have been around for a long time, but the recent boom in the smart home market means they are simpler and smarter than …
Best road-trip gadgets: Don’t leave home without this car-friendly tech
With summer here, it’s time to start planning your next road trip. And, whether it’s to see family in the next state, explore somewhere new with …
7 of the best Android AR apps to download today
Augmented reality, as tech giants like Apple boss Tim Cook keeps saying, is the next big thing in consumer technology. Just as virtual reality (VR) feels …
