Texas homeowners startled by "hijacked" thermostats

Jun 23, 2021
The changes were made by utilities trying to manage overtaxed power grids.
Customers who found their homes warmer than they'd programmed had actually consented to these changes, which were made by an energy-management firm called EnergyHub.
George Frey/Getty Images

Who protects you from making a bad purchase... on your smart speaker?

Apr 29, 2019
Today's voice assistants and smart devices can act like salespeople who knock on your door.
Amazon’s patents show how voice recognition technology could be used to learn about users' physical and emotional states. Above, Amazon Echo Dots.
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Your smart speaker is always listening

Apr 12, 2019
And someone on the other side of it may be listening, too.
Ian Waldie/Getty Images

Do renters have the right to reject smart home technology?

Mar 5, 2019
Some tenants prefer to keep their apartments dumb.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Obstacles for "smart guns" are about ideology more than technology

Aug 13, 2018
Startups are making firearms that only registered owners can use, but the weapons face a tough road to market.
Assault rifles hang on the wall for sale at Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly, Virginia, in 2017.
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Amazon puts a Ring on it

Feb 28, 2018
Amazon’s purchase of Ring, a maker of video doorbells, could help it solve its problems with package theft by making it easier for packages to be delivered inside people’s homes. But Ring’s greater value may come in the extra juice it gives Amazon in the battle to dominate the connected home. Click the audio player […]