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Smart home

Amazon's purchase of iRobot is a step toward more robots in our homes

by Stephanie Hughes
Aug 5, 2022
During the pandemic, people have become more comfortable with robots. Now Alexa could control a household army of Roombas, one expert says.
Amazon announced Friday that it's purchasing iRobot, the company that makes Roomba vacuum cleaners, for $1.7 billion.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Americans added a few hundred million smart devices to their homes in 2020. And they're learning a lot about us.

by Stephanie Hughes
Jul 29, 2021
There are no federal laws governing what technology companies can do with what they learn.
An assortment of recently launched Amazon devices, including an Echo Input, Echo Show, Echo Plus, Echo Sub, Echo Auto and Fire TV Recast are pictured at the company headquarters in Seattle in September.
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
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Do renters have the right to reject smart home technology?

by Molly Wood
Mar 5, 2019
Some tenants prefer to keep their apartments dumb.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Smart homes for the holidays?

by Molly Wood
Nov 20, 2018
Consumers aren’t stopping at just one connected device.
The Vivint doorbell camera, a smart home device, is displayed at CES 2016 in Las Vegas.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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Las Vegas is the tech capital of the world — temporarily

by Cerise Castle and Molly Wood
Jan 4, 2017
For four days, CES offers a look at new technology for the year.
A robotic figure interacts with members of the media during a press event for CES 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on January 3, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 
Alex Wong/Getty Images
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Codebreaker, by Marketplace and Tech Insider

LeVar Burton on "Smart House" and the rise of AI

by Tony Wagner
Nov 11, 2016
He's best known for "Star Trek" and "Reading Rainbow," but in the '90s Burton directed an oddly prescient TV movie about how gadgets run our lives.
Ryan Merriman as Ben Cooper and Katey Sagal as virtual assistant Pat in "Smart House," directed by LeVar Burton.
Courtesy: Disney Channel
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The Dispatch, Ep 10: Beware the vapor-gadgets

by Molly Wood
Apr 8, 2016
A look at smart homes, Oculus Rift, and Tesla Model 3 sales.
Nest Labs has decided to close down its Revolv smart home hubs.
Image via MyRevolv/YouTube
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Google acquires Nest for $3.2 billion

by Molly Wood
Jan 14, 2014
Google could be moving in. The tech giant bought smart home thermostat maker Nest yesterday for $3.2 billion.
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