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My backyard made me a color-changing smart lighting convert

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I'll admit it. I was wrong . Wildly colorful lighting is delightful for your smart home - well, outdoors, at least. Smart lighting is one of my favorite features of the smart home - it combines convenience with ambiance, letting you change the entire look of your room with just a press of a button. But, other than the occasional pop of color , mostly in my kids' rooms and outdoors around the holidays, I've never found much use for color-changing lights. I prefer the subtler effects of tunable white light combined with dimming to set the scene indoors, and that preference also extended to outdoor lighting. Until this summer. With an influx o … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/iU3WTNd

The next humanoid robot might not look human at all

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The next humanoid robot might not have a head. It might not have legs. It might even sit on a wheeled base and fold down like a deck chair. But, as Genesis AI puts it , "humanoid robots don't need to look human." That explains the look of Eno, the new robot from the French startup backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Genesis says Eno is designed "around human capability" rather than human appearance and is intended as a fully "general-purpose" robot rather than a machine built around a single task, like folding laundry . One part is still very human though: its hands, which the company says are designed to "exactly match the form and fu … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/uWUmG9Q

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes is a great last-minute Father’s Day gift

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Father’s Day is nearly here. Hopefully, you already got a gift for dads you care about, but if not, here’s a quick, easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys a good comic strip. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes contains every one of Bill Watterson’s beloved strips made during the comic’s ten-year run from 1985 through 1995, packed in three deluxe hardcover books, for $89.48 at Amazon when you check the on-page coupon. The set originally sold for $225, but it’s often available for around $130. This is the best price I’ve seen it sell for. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Where to Buy: $225 $89.48 at Amazon (with on-page coupon) $225 $134.22 at Target The lighthearted, kid-friendly comics couldn’t be more different from Watterson’s darker, adult-themed The Mysteries , which brought him out of retirement with its 2023 launch. If you’re thinking of getting dad a book, but aren’t sure Calvin and Hobbes is the right pick, there are some good deals hap...

All the latest news on Android 17, Wear OS 7, and Android XR

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Google’s Android 17 update includes highlights like new floating “Bubble” app windows for easier multitasking, a Screen Reaction recording mode, and a 50/50 split gaming mode for foldable phones. Meanwhile, Wear OS 7 brings Live Updates, better battery life for smart watches, and prepares connections for new Android XR smart glasses that will launch this fall.  The update is rolling out to Pixel phones first, then other devices, with some features like Gemini Intelligence set to debut later this year. Follow along here for the latest updates. Android 17 arrives on Pixel phones today Android foldables are getting new gamepad controls. Google launches Wear OS 7 with Live Updates and a battery life boost The Google / Xreal Aura XR glasses are now available to preorder Android 17 is getting its own version of Apple’s Handoff Wear OS 7 wil...

Amazon’s Smart Thermostat is on sale for just $58

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Amazon’s Smart Thermostat looks surprisingly nice for such a cheap gadget. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge If your electricity bill climbs every summer, a smart thermostat could help keep cooling costs in check. The Amazon Smart Thermostat is an excellent option for its price, especially today. It’s down to just $57.99 at Amazon as a part of Amazon’s early Prime Day sale, which is the best price we’ve seen since Black Friday. Amazon Smart Thermostat Where to Buy: $79.99 $57.99 at Amazon $79.99 at Best Buy $79.99 at B&H Photo For a smart thermostat that costs under $100, the Amazon thermostat offers a lot of helpful features. One of its most useful is its ability to  learn and adapt to your routines, reducing the need to constantly tweak the temperature yourself. It’s also compatible with most 24-volt HVAC systems, and adjusts itself accordingly depending upon whether or not you’re asleep or at home. The app lets you creat...

The best early Amazon Prime Day deals so far

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The products pictured here aren’t on sale, but we certainly hope they will be soon. | Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge Amazon’s earlier-than-usual Prime Day doesn’t begin until June 23rd, but there are several even earlier deals on must-have products that you can check out right now. To name some examples, Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are selling at their cheapest-ever price. Also, you can grab Ring’s latest battery-powered doorbell for $60 off and it includes a free Indoor Cam Plus with purchase. While the pre-Prime Day deals are looking good so far, you may not see the brands or products you’re looking for — hopefully, those deals will come later in June. Still, we’ve only included early deals that meet the criteria we hold for all our commerce coverage: they’re good products sold at attractive prices. We’ll update this post frequently ahead of Prime Day. Logitech MX Master 3S The MX Master 3S is a favorite among many Verge staff members because of...

Honor’s Magic V6 sets three foldable firsts

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The crease isn’t quite invisible, but otherwise this feels like the complete foldable package — on the hardware side at least. On paper, the Honor Magic V6 sounds like a tremendous leap forward for foldable phones: It's the thinnest one yet, with the biggest battery, and the best water-resistance ever. In practice, only the bigger battery feels like a meaningful improvement. The other upgrades are only fractionally superior to what came before. This isn't entirely Honor's fault. It's getting harder to make a foldable phone stand out; even last year's offerings felt like complete flagship phones. Huawei's Pura X Max stood out for its odd new aspect ratio, which we're expecting to see both Samsung and Apple replicate later this year. Then there are the trifolds , whic … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/FIpKcw0