Not the most techie person on the planet but still want awesome smart home features? Don’t worry, Oomi has got you covered. Their new additions make IoT easy for all of us, and without sacrificing features or safety.

They also wanted to build in entertainment control to the system. In the past, this hasn’t been so easy in a touch screen environment because you’re looking up at the TV when the controls you need to view are down in your hands. So they developed tactile controls that can be programmed to your specifications to control all of your entertainment. Because let’s face it… we all need buttons sometimes.

The best part about this new in-home, whole-home controller is how easy it is to set up. It has a small orange button on the back of it. And each companion product also has a small orange dot. To pair everything together, you simply connect the dots and voila, setup is complete. They use NFC in the pairing process to make it extremely simple and user friendly. The touch screen has also been designed to be easy to use. You just name the rooms and the devices and you’re ready to go. The system is also able to accept some third party smart home devices, such as Amazon Alexa.

All of the new items are available now except the touch switch module which will be coming soon. It’s the only one that will need installation as it is also a scene controller in an elegant design that looks like a traditional wall switch.

To easily get started, kits are available, which come with the Oomi Touch controller, Oomi Cube hub and a set of sensors. The Lighting Kit retails for $499 and comes with 2 Oomi Bulbs and an Oomi Plug. The Automation Kit retails for $499 and comes with an Oomi Bulb, an Oomi Plug and an Oomi Door/Window Sensor. The Security Kit retails for $400 and comes with an Oomi Door/Window Sensor, an Oomi Multisensor and 4 Quick Tags. Other accessories are also available to expand your smarthome.

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The progression of the smart home went from manually adjusting your lights and thermostat, to being able to make changes on a mobile device, to using voice commands to control these and many other items in your house. How can it get any better than that? Well, if crea.vision has anything to do with it, it can get a lot better.

crea.vision is developing a product that will enhance your intelligent home without the need for a screen controller or even voice command. It will work quietly in the background, yet still be available when you need something. It uses a computer vision sensor that is capable of knowing the identity and location of the people in the home, works with long distances and combines all of this data to automate all of your connected devices.

This new hub will intelligently manage your lighting, climate and entertainment, by learning every user’s preferences and then personalizing each service. So, wherever you walk into the house, the system will make adjustments to your smart devices automatically for you. For example, if your phone is charging and a call comes in, the system will notify you wherever you are in the home and allow you to take it hands free. It will seamlessly follow you as you walk around the house, as will your music or TV shows. So when you are busily getting ready for work, you won’t miss a minute of your media as you move about the house. All connected devices that can be safely connected to the system will be able to autonomously adapt to each individual user.

Creators are designing it around all platforms. It is being built with the user in mind, to be as easy as possible, by integrating in many of the existing third party devices. Current development for consumer use will track as many as 10-15 people within the home. And based upon feedback, they are looking to expand into enterprise solutions as well as enterprise security solutions.

This whole new way of interacting with technology is still in the prototype phase. It should be on the market in about 6 to 8 months. Pricing is still pending, but they will be updating their website throughout the development process. Stay tuned to www.crea.vision for more information.

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In the beauty industry, there are a lot of gadgets. Whether you’re curling your hair or your eye lashes, there’s a device for everything. A lot of these devices, however, have remained unchanged for a long time. Take, for example, the blow dryer. The heating element used requires so much power that a special adapter is required to use one out of the country, and the cords are usually just long enough that you’re tethered to the wall while in use.

Ryan Goldman of VOLO Beauty has set out to change all of that. Their new cordless blow dryer is one of the first of its kind, but distinguishes itself in other ways, as well. Ryan didn’t just want to bring the same old dryer to market without a cord; instead, he wanted to make sure that the dryer was more energy efficient, so that it would last its longest on a charge. So, rather than a traditional heating coil, VOLO has designed an infrared heating bulb system, which uses 600 watts rather than the more traditional 1800 watts. As an added bonus, the infrared system dries the hair faster, and more evenly, making the product more healthy for the hair.

The product will be launching on Kickstarter this Spring, and will be available afterward on Indiegogo On Demand. The retail price will be $388, with discounts for preorders. You can also sign up for their waitlist so you can find out when the campaign launches.

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We all love the technical/mobile revolution that has been transpiring over the last few years, and we’re happy that it is moving forward at full speed. And even though it is great to have apps on our mobile devices to assist with our smart home products, it would also be really nice to have a control built into wall mountable controls inside the home. For this very reason, Brilliant has developed the Brilliant Control. This smart light switch replaces an existing switch in the home and gives you and your family touch and voice access to lighting and your other smart products in the house. It connects with Sonos, Nest and more without the need for a mobile app. Amazon Alexa is built in, as is video capability that allows you to video conference between one or more controls that are installed in the house.

And don’t worry about not being super handy around the house. Installation is a breeze and only takes 5-10 minutes to complete. Once installed, you will instantly have voice and motion control. All of which can end up saving you between an estimated 5-18% on your overall lighting costs. There’s also a convenient touch screen that allows you to swipe up/down to turn lights on and off, as well as adjust dimming.

They also worked hard to make the design simple and elegant, to compliment your home décor. It’s available in multiple colors and switch configurations and they even include seasonal art that is automatically updated. The single switch starts at $199. There are also 2, 3 and 4 switch designs that increase in price by increments of $50 respectively. Their preorder sale exceeded their expectations and they are working hard to have them available in February.

Take a look at the available options and purchase yours here

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