Apple is bringing its acclaimed HomePod speakers to Malaysia. The HomePod lineup offers stunning audio experiences for every corner of your home. Starting May 10th, both the full-sized HomePod (2nd generation) and the compact HomePod mini will be available for purchase.
Source: Apple
The lineup delivers powerful, room-filling audio that will elevate your listening experience. The larger HomePod boasts rich bass and crisp highs, perfect for audiophiles. It utilizes advanced computational audio and a custom-engineered woofer to deliver clear vocals and immersive instrumentals. Additionally, room sensing technology adjusts the sound based on its placement, ensuring optimal acoustics in any room.
Source: Apple
The mini, despite its size, packs a punch. Its Apple-designed acoustic waveguide delivers rich 360-degree sound, while the S5 chip and software work together to optimize volume and clarity.
Your Smart Home Command Center
Both models go beyond just music. With Siri built-in, you can control your smart home with simple voice commands. Set lights, adjust thermostats, or even check the temperature in a room – all hands-free. They also act as a smart home hub, allowing you to connect and manage various smart home accessories through the Apple Home app.
Source: Apple
The HomePod lineup integrates seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem. Handoff allows you to transfer music playback between your iPhone and HomePod effortlessly. Multiroom audio lets you play the same song throughout your house or create different sound zones with multiple HomePods. Additionally, pairing with Apple TV 4K unlocks a powerful home theatre experience, complete with enhanced dialogue clarity.
Pricing and Availability
The HomePod (2nd generation) will be available in Malaysia for RM1,549, while the HomePod mini comes in at RM529. Pre-orders start May 1st through Apple’s online store and app, with in-store availability starting May 10th.
Signify has unveiled a security tech suite under its Philips Hue brand. While maintaining a focus on lighting innovation, Philips Hue now integrates smart cameras, sensors, and app-controlled security features.
Keep Watch with Philips Hue Secure Cameras
The Philips Hue Secure camera lineup offers both wired and battery-powered options, ensuring versatile home monitoring. These cameras provide a clear 1080p HD video feed with night vision capabilities for real-time surveillance, both indoors and outdoors. Instant motion notifications keep you informed about any activity around your home.
Unique to Philips Hue Secure is its integration of smart lighting and sound alarms. In response to detected motion, these cameras can trigger a combination of light and sound alarms to deter intruders. Additionally, two-way communication allows you to interact with visitors or delivery personnel remotely.
Security and privacy are paramount. Philips Hue Secure cameras feature end-to-end encryption by default. All video clips, snapshots, and live feeds remain private, ensuring your data’s protection. Notably, the cameras perform person, pet, or package recognition locally, preserving your privacy without relying on cloud processing.
Versatile Options for Indoor and Outdoor Use
Philips Hue Secure offers flexibility with both wired and battery-powered camera versions, available in black or white. The Secure-wired camera comes with a desktop stand for easy placement, while the battery-powered option provides the freedom to position cameras anywhere. For outdoor surveillance, a camera mount with a ground spike is available.
Enhanced Security with Contact Sensors & Philips Hue App
Complementing the camera system is the Philips Hue Secure contact sensor, compatible with doors, windows, cabinets, and more. These sensors send real-time notifications when opened or closed. Use them to automate your lights when doors are opened, enhancing security and convenience.
The Philips Hue app will also come with features of a Security Center for comprehensive control of your smart home security system. Receive notifications, trigger light and sound alarms, or contact local authorities directly from the app. You can also personalize camera settings, create blackout zones for privacy, and set activity zones to avoid unnecessary notifications.
Subscription Plans for Added Features
Philips Hue Secure offers two subscription plans for enhanced functionality. The Basic plan, priced at $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year per camera, provides 30 days of video history. The Plus plan, priced at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year for multiple cameras, offers 60 days of video history and additional features.
New Lighting Innovations
Philips Hue continues its commitment to lighting innovation with new products:
Philips Hue Festavia String Lights: Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, these string lights offer a cosy ambience with customizable colours. Available in three cord lengths and featuring new light effects.
Philips Hue MR16 Smart Bulb: Bring smart lighting to conventional spotlights with this 12V smart bulb, compatible with most transformers.
Perifo Track Lighting and Hue Centris Indoor Spotlight: Explore new lighting possibilities with these additions to the Philips Hue lineup.
Interoperability with Matter Standard
An upcoming software update to the Philips Hue Bridge, set to launch in September 2023, will enable compatibility with the Matter standard. This update ensures seamless integration with other Matter-compatible smart home devices and apps.
Pricing & Availability
Product
Price (EUR)
Price (USD)
Philips Hue Secure Wired Camera
EUR 199.99
USD 199.99
Philips Hue Secure Wired Camera with Desktop Stand
Samsung Electronics has unveiled the BESPOKE AI™ Washer & Dryer Combo, showcasing it at IFA 2023 in Berlin. This all-in-one washer and dryer combo is powered by cutting-edge Digital Inverter Heat Pump technology and is touted to redefine your laundry experience.
Source: Samsung Electronics
Samsung’s BESPOKE AI Washer and Dryer Combo streamlines your laundry routine into a single, efficient step. You will be able to wash up to 25kg of laundry and dry up to 13kg without sacrificing too much space. Unlike having two separate machines, this combo unit takes up less space, leaving you with more room to spare. Its sleek and flat BESPOKE design can complement your home’s interior, blending seamlessly with other appliances and furniture.
BESPOKE AI for Intelligent Washing Even from your Phone
The BESPOKE AI Washer & Dryer Combo puts control at your fingertips with an intuitive Wide LCD display. The display lets you effortlessly choose washing and drying settings. Once the cycle is complete, it provides informative reports for your reference.
AI Wash intelligently detects the fabric’s weight, softness, and level of soiling based on water turbidity. Using this information, it optimizes water and detergent usage and fine-tunes soaking, rinsing, and spinning times for swift and efficient cleaning.
Nearly everything about the BESPOKE AI Washer and Dryer Combo is automated. After a cycle concludes, the door automatically opens, simplifying laundry retrieval. This also releases humid air and heat while bringing in fresh air to maintain optimal drum conditions. There is also a Heat Exchanger Auto Cleaning System that preserves drying quality. Additionally, the AI Energy Mode, part of SmartThings Energy, enhances energy efficiency.
Speaking of SmartThings, as with all Samsung devices, the Washer and Dryer combo can be remotely controlled with the SmartThings App. You’ll be able to set your washing to complete as you return from the gym or work. It’s also worth noting that the washer and dryer combo can also be controlled via other Matter compliant IoT apps.
Samsung’s CES 2023 keynote and unveiling is nothing extraordinary or surprising. They have been teasing a bunch of IoT smart home integration and hardware all month long from the end of 2022. Of could there are the new TVs they launched with Micro LED technology for even better images on your Samsung TVs than ever before. Where LG tries to expand on their OLED line-up, Samsung is pushing on the display panel technology itself. Still, all of this is sitting in the product line-up within the Smart Things ecosystem. In the middle of all that new connected technology is Samsung’s brand-new Smart Things Station.
Samsung’s CEO teased IoT focus for CES 2023 before the convention even begun. If we are being honest, we expected new TVs, new home appliances, and even a new SmartThings interface for your TV and your smartphones. We also expected Samsung to announce updates for all their connected appliances and devices with Matter support alongside newly launched products. What we were not prepared to see was the new SmartThings Station.
It is not the sheer size of it that shocked us. It is not even a technological marvel or breakthrough. It looks just like any other wireless switch you can find in your home. In fact, if you mount it to the wall, you can easily mistake it as one of your light switches. It is not meant to be mounted on your wall though. Rather, it is meant to sit on your end tables, coffee tables, or even your home office table.
An All-in-One Wireless Charger
Source: Samsung
It is technically meant to double as a wireless charger, and it looks the part. It is a tad thicker than the run of the mill wireless chargers you might find today, but it is does more than charge your smartphone, at least if you have a compatible device (Galaxy devices only for now). It is meant to turn your smartphone into your SmartThings hub.
The SmartThings Station is not just meant to be a one-stop-shop control and connected hub for all your smart home things. Apart from seamlessly integrating all of your smart home in a single interface, it is also meant to seamlessly fit into your home and your lifestyle. In that case, as soon as your Samsung Galaxy device gets in touch with the puck, the connection prompt and process gets started automatically. That promises simple few minutes to set up as soon as you bring your new wireless charging puck home.
While Samsung did not mention Matter support in their own new release, the SmartThings Station supports Matter. That means that the Samsung SmartThings Station is not just meant for SmartThings enabled items. You can technically connect any sort of smart thermostat, lighting, power outlets, and even appliances as long as they are Matter enabled. In that case, you can buy that new ‘made for Apple Home’ or ‘supports Google Assistant’ appliances with little to no concerns of spending more money for compatibility and interoperability purposes.
Source: Samsung
You can also trigger your ‘routines’ via the SmartThings Station too. Of course, you want to edit your Routines on your SmartThings app before the hub can activate any of your routines. The Station can store up to three routines with three separate interactions with the puck.
If you misplaced your smartphone in your home, for example, a double press of the button on the puck can trigger SmartThings Find. Your smartphone will start ringing, even if it is in silent mode, so that you do not have to spend hours turning your house upside down to find your smartphone. At the same time, all registered Galaxy devices can be kept track via SmartThings so that you know where your things are within your home at all times, or even when a member of your household gets in and out of your home.
Availability
For now Samsung only mentions a U.S. availability in February 2023. Smart home adoption in Malaysia is admittedly at its infancy, which also means that your might not see Samsung’s SmartThings Station in Malaysia anytime soon. There are no mentions on its official pricing just yet too. You can choose between Black and White when it is available. We also expect Samsung Bespoke to get their hands on it and then you can have your Station in any colour you can imagine.
