Technology News

Crestron Horizon Thermostat takes on Nest with smart home integrationBy Chris DaviesPosted by SlashGear 46 minutes agoCrestron has added a new smart thermostat to its connected home range, with the Crestron Horizon Thermostat promising touchscreen convenience along with remote sensors as it takes on Nest and others. Although designed to integrate with a Crestron Home smart home system, the Horizon will also work as a standalone WiFi thermostat. On the front there’s a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 color touchscreen, along with backlit capacitive buttons. Below that is a color-changing status bar, which indicates what mode the HVAC system is operating in, so that you don’t need to be up-close to see if the heating or cooling is running. When you do get near, a proximity sensor wakes the thermostat’s display up. Alternatively, you can control it remotely. For the most functionality that will be through a Crestron Home automation system, with the Horizon able to control other connected devices such as lights and shades. For example, if the temperature rises, the Horizon could work with motorized blinds to close them, saving energy rather than immediately turning on the A/C. As well as a thermometer, the thermostat has a humidity sensor built-in. It’ll also work with up to four remote temperature sensors, and up to two temperature/humidity combo sensors. That’ll allow conditions in other rooms to trigger different HVAC modes. It’s compatible with conventional 2H/2C systems, heat pup 4H/2C systems with auxiliary heat, and systems with radiant flooring and humidity control. There’s also support for fan circulation modes. As for installation, the thermostat is 14mm deep and can work with standard two-wire systems; Crestron has a Common Wire Adapter available for retrofits where the existing thermostat lacked a common wire. Using the Crestron Toolbox app, different configurations can be saved and remote support carried out; potentially useful if you have a Horizon installed at a vacation home. There are three color options: white, black, and almond. In addition to the current indoor temperature levels, the display will also show the current weather and forecast for the upcoming week. DIY smart home products may have increased in number of the past few years, but that hasn’t stopped Crestron from weighing in itself. While the company is best known for its often highly complex, professionally installed systems for deep-pocketed users, Crestron Home targets a slightly more mainstream space. Although still designed to be fitted by a pro, the architecture of the system – and its affordability – is designed to make that process more straightforward. The Crestron Horizon thermostat is available to preorder now, priced at $599.

Spout-Ify: Voice Command Becomes The Next Frontier For SpotifyBy Eamonn FordeForbes 22 minutes agoSpotify has made its biggest move to date into the booming voice market by rolling out the “Hey Spotify” feature to a test base of users. Initially limited to its Android and iOS apps in the US, the streaming service says it will slowly expand out from there. The company...www.forbes.com

Nubia RedMagic 6 ReviewBy Mark KnappIGN 2 hours agoThe market for dedicated gaming phones has bloomed in recent years, with a number of brands delivering devices specifically tuned for gaming. The Nubia RedMagic 6 is one of the latest competitors bringing some powerful internals, special features, and beefed-up cooling all for a surprisingly low $599 price. At such a low price, some tradeoffs are going to be unavoidable, but let’s see if they actually stand in the way of the RedMagic 6’s value.www.ign.com

The next Apple TV could have an integrated HomePod speaker and FaceTimeBy Joe Rice-Jonesknowtechie.com 24 minutes agoAccording to Bloomberg, Apple is working on a new Apple TV set-top box that adds a smart speaker and camera to the mix. That would make it a fully-contained entertainment device, competing against things like the Roku Streambar and Fire TV Cube. While Bloomberg does caution that the device is...knowtechie.com

Galaxy Z Fold 3 might be launching early with a smaller batteryBy JC TorresPosted by SlashGear 45 minutes agoDespite global economic and mobile market conditions, the Galaxy S21 series seems to be doing quite well. This might have emboldened Samsung to push through with its plans for the rest of the year, no matter how disruptive they may be to its usual rhythm. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is up next and, judging by leaks, it might be everything that some may have hoped it would be. Considering it would be taking the place of the Galaxy Note this year, however, there might not be much of a choice anyway. Samsung already admitted, though not yet officially stated, that there will be no Galaxy Note phone this year. The market and component situations are being blamed for this sudden change but, at least for the time being, there may be plans to continue the S Pen-toting phablet next year. For now, however, Samsung seems to be positioning the Galaxy Z Fold 3 to fill in the gap. That’s because Samsung will be announcing it along with the Galaxy Z Flip 2 sometime in July, a month ahead of the Galaxy Note’s usual debut and two full months earlier than the Galaxy Z Fold 2 last year, according to The Elec. Given the similarly early launch of the Galaxy S21 earlier this year, it’s not unreasonable for Samsung to also hold its next Unpacked earlier as well. The same report, however, may have some bad news for Samsung foldable hopefuls. According to sources, the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s battery will be rated at 4,380 mAh, slightly smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s 4,500 mAh but exactly the same as the first Galaxy Fold. If, however, this means that the foldable phone will be thinner and lighter, some might consider it an acceptable sacrifice. There are also rumors that the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s screen will be slightly smaller at 7.55 inches versus its predecessor’s 7.66 inches. Again, the slight reduction might not mean that much, especially if Samsung was making room for an S Pen inside to compensate.

GTA 5: Test NAT type glitch not working (2021)gamerevolution.com 1 hour agoPlayers are logging into Grand Theft Auto Online to find that the GTA 5 test NAT exploit isn’t working anymore. This bug allowed users to enter single-player lobbies and avoid constant grief from randoms in free roam. Since it improved player quality of life, naturally, users are wondering what’s going on. Here’s the latest on the GTA V test NAT type glitch not working for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One in 2021.www.gamerevolution.com

Google Shopping app axed – Here’s where you’ll shop insteadBy Chris DaviesPosted by SlashGear 1 hour ago Google is axing its Google Shopping app, with the iOS and Android app expected to disappear within the next few weeks. Intended as a way for Google to serve up retail-specific results – and squeeze some extra advertising revenue from retailers, of course – the Google Shopping app had increasingly been looking pointless given there’s a Shopping tab in search results these days. Now, it seems, Google has decided the same thing. Signs that the app might be facing the end were spotted first by xda-developers , which caught “sunset” in a number of strings in the latest version. It indicated that, when users opened the software after Google threw a server-side switch, a message warning that it would no longer be functional would be shown. Google subsequently confirmed the decision to 9to5Google . The Google Shopping app for both Android and iOS will continue working through June, the company said, but beyond that it’s expected that people will use Google Shopping in search instead. “Within the next few weeks, we’ll no longer be supporting the Shopping app,” a spokesperson said. “All of the functionality the app offered users is available on the Shopping tab. We’ll continue building features within the Shopping tab and other Google surfaces, including the Google app, that make it easy for people to discover and shop for the products they love.” Though many were unaware of it, the Google Shopping app has been a reasonable success in terms of downloads. More than 1 million installs have been counted for the Android version alone, according to its listing in the Google Play store. Google’s pitch has been not only flagging deals across multiple retailers, but support for promotions and discount codes, and free shipping for some orders. It also worked as a shopping research tool. Still, having a team working on a standalone app, along with the Google Shopping functionality in search, was an unusual duplication. It’s unclear just how many people opt to use the Shopping tab in search results through the regular browser, versus installing the Google Shopping app, but it’s not hard to imagine that being a much larger number overall. Meanwhile reviews of the app have been dwindling in positivity. Although it’s still rated at 4 out of 5 overall, reviewers this year have criticized its browsing tools, complained that their saved lists have disappeared, and said that they’re increasingly getting pointed to the browser-based version. Google Shopping app axed – Here’s where you’ll shop instead is written by Chris Davies and originally posted on SlashGear .

Google and Apple block update to England’s contact-tracing app over privacy violationBy Thomas MacaulayThe Next Web 1 hour agoWriter at Neural by TNW — Thomas covers AI in all its iterations. Likes Werner Herzog films and Arsenal FC. Writer at Neural by TNW — Thomas covers AI in all its iterations. Likes Werner Herzog films and Arsenal FC. An update to England and Wales’ contact-tracing app has been...thenextweb.com

Meet the Xenobots: Living, biological machines that could revolutionize roboticsDigital Trends 1 hour agoIn 2020, a new lifeform arrived on Earth. More specifically, it arrived in a lab — the Levin Laboratory at Tufts University in Massachusetts. As alien species go, these were no little green men or any other science-fiction cliché. They looked more like tiny black specks of fine sand moving slowly around in a Petri dish. And while they’re not alien in the extraterrestrial definition, they certainly are in the sense that they’re strange. These so-called “xenobots” are living, biological automatons that may just signal the future of robotics as we know it.www.digitaltrends.com

Apple is reportedly developing a TV box with a smart speaker and cameraDigital Trends 1 hour agoApple’s next Apple TV might not look much like the existing models if a new report from Bloomberg is accurate. The publication says that Apple is working on a new device that will combine the functionality of a streaming media device and a smart speaker. It will also be equipped with a webcam.www.digitaltrends.com