TECH NEWS
Google's latest smart speaker -- called the Google Home Speaker -- has arrived, starting at $100. It's the first new speaker line Google has introduced since 2019, offering a more affordable alternative to Apple's HomePod and competing with Amazon's smaller Echo speakers
TECH NEWS
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways * A cheap $7 board can turn its hand to ad blocking. * It works as a DNS sinkhole, stripping out ads before download. * Other options include using a Raspberry Pi and buying hardware. They say that
TECH NEWS
Google is retooling its smart Home Speaker with an infusion of Gemini and you can perorder it in a variety of colorways for $99.99 ahead of its June 25th release. The refreshed Google Home Speaker is the company's first audio device built for Gemini, and with that
TECH NEWS
The last time Google released a smart speaker, the world was in the throes of a pandemic. Yes, it's been six years since the company trotted out a dedicated speaker. However, this newest Google Home Speaker brings a big change with it: The device has been redesigned to
TECH NEWS
Google’s first new smart speaker in six years starts shipping on June 29th, narrowly missing its promised spring launch window. Preorders for the Google Home Speaker open today, June 17th. Nothing has changed hardware-wise in the nine months since the $99 speaker was announced. It has the same slightly
TECH NEWS
The smart home networking protocol Thread is adding a new way to onboard devices without a Thread border router. The feature, called Thread Direct, is designed to let users set up Thread-powered devices — such as smart plugs and smart locks — using only a phone or mobile device equipped with a
TECH NEWS
The new Thread Networks Diagnostics Tools app from Thread Group, the standards body behind the wireless IoT protocol, officially launches in beta today. The app, which arrives on iOS and has been available on Android in alpha for a few weeks, is the first dedicated tool to provide visibility into
TECH NEWS
The Matter 1.6 specification standardises offline NFC commissioning and Joint Fabric network administration for industrial IoT environments. The CSA released the latest Matter spec this week to equipment manufacturers and platform developers. The engineering focus targets the operational mechanics of hardware deployment rather than expanding consumer device compatibility. Facility
TECH NEWS
CIO Review Europe | Tuesday, June 09, 2026 “How can I help you today?” That simple question, once answered by a human on the other end of a phone line, has evolved into something extraordinary. Today, it might come from a chatbot that remembers your preferences, anticipates your needs and delivers
TECH NEWS
Matter, the smart home interoperability standard, might finally get a feature that should have been there from day one: a single shared Matter network managed by multiple ecosystems. With this feature, called Joint Fabric, smart devices added to the network will be controllable by any authorized platform — Apple Home, Google
TECH NEWS
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
TECH NEWS
* Cybernews found exposed Elasticsearch database with 24 billion plaintext credentials from 36 sources * Archive (~8TB) compiled infostealer logs, Telegram leaks, and prior breach data; regularly updated * Owner unknown; mix of English/Russian sources, including 260M records tied to “Darkside” channels A colossal database containing 24 billion records was found sitting
