Smart home
Siri May Soon Be Able to Control Robot Vacuum Cleaners for You
Apple Home App Updates
At WWDC 2024, Apple announced that it will soon allow users to control their robot vacuum cleaners via the Home app. After the functionality is rolled out later this year, commands may be relayed to the vacuum cleaners via Siri. These include commands to clean floors, change cleaning modes, or check the battery status.
The core functionality of robot vacuum cleaners will be supported via the Apple Home app, according to the company. These include managing power controls, setting the cleaning mode, and performing vacuum and mop cleaning, and checking charge status.”
Guest Access on Apple Home
Device owners will be also able to provide guest access to smart home devices to those people who don’t visit their homes too often. In addition to that, they can also set schedules for when guests can access their homes with smart home keys utilising the ultra wide-band (UWB) technology, it further added.
This functionality will be rolled out when iOS 18 is released to the public, which Apple says will happen in the Fall. As per the previous trends, this might coincide with the launch of the upcoming iPhone 16 series in September.
iOS 18 Eligible Devices
While iOS 18 is bringing upgrades to existing features in addition to new ones, not all iPhones will be eligible. As per the company, only the iPhone XR and newer models up to the iPhone 15 Pro Max (as of now) will receive the update. This means the iPhone models that received the iOS 17 update last year will also be updated to iOS 18.
However, the newly announced features powered by Apple Intelligence (or artificial intelligence) will only be available on handsets running on the A17 Pro SoC, which means the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to the company.
LG Smart TVs Showing Screensaver Ads
Earlier this month, LG Ad Solutions announced the launch of Native Screensaver Ads, a full-screen advertising experience which activates on the home screen of LG smart TVs. The company added that this “ad format capitalises on idle screen time, turning what may be perceived as a period of downtime into a valuable engagement opportunity.”
According to a Flatpanelshd report, users are now seeing these ads on their smart TVs, including the high-end G4 OLED TVs. These ads are said to be displayed in either carousel format or full-screen. The content of the ads is said to be unrelated to the TV experience, and are largely brand-focused. These screensaver ads reportedly appear before the regular screensaver appears, and are localised in the language of the region the smart TV is set in.
LG Ad Solutions highlighted in its press release that similar ads will also be hosted on LG Channels (the company’s free and ad-supported streaming service) and Content Store. Highlighting the decision to introduce these ads, Dave Rudnick, Chief Technology Officer at LG Ad Solutions, said, “Now, 93% of viewers multitask while watching TV, engaging in activities like messaging, shopping, browsing social media, or playing games on their phones. Through testing, we validated that Screensaver ads present a valuable opportunity for brands to be front and centre on the largest screen in the room.”
Notably, many streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar either have ad-supported tiers or show ads in between the shows. Technically, users do not own the content on those platforms and pay for a service, which is how these companies justify ad-based revenue. However, LG’s decision to show ads on the screensaver screen is unique in the consumer tech space as users have to watch ads despite paying for the smart TV upfront.
Apple HomePod With Touchscreen Features (Expected)
According to a 9to5Mac report, the purported device carries an identifier “HomeAccessory”. This leak corroborates a previous report which also hinted at a code discovered at Apple’s backend that referenced a new identifier category “HomeAccessory17,1”. It is reportedly codenamed J490.
Apple’s rumoured in-development device may be powered by an A18 chipset which also powers the new iPhone 16 series. As a result, it is speculated to have support for Apple Intelligence – the company’s suite of AI features for iPhone, iPad, and other devices. If this comes to fruition, it would be the first Apple HomePod device to do so.
In addition to AI capabilities, the purported HomePod with touchscreen is also said to feature a square display rather than a rectangular one which is commonly seen on tablets. The screen could reportedly come with a customisable lock screen with multiple clock faces, similar to the Apple TV interface. Notably, references for a customisable lock screen with touchscreen support were reported to be discovered in a tvOS beta update.
The report suggests it may also have an in-built camera that would support video conferencing apps like FaceTime and others. With this camera, the device would reportedly be able to recognise hand gestures which may be used to control it.
Additionally, it is also speculated to enable user identification, allowing them to make personal requests — a feature that already exists on the HomePod and can be used with voice commands. It may also have media playback capabilities and could also work as an AirPlay receiver, the report adds.
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Dreame X40 Ultra Price in India
Dreame X40 Ultra is priced at Rs. 1,29,999 in India and will go on sale via Amazon. It comes with a one-year warranty. The robot vacuum and mop combo will be available for a special promotional price of Rs. 99,999 during the upcoming Great Indian Festival sale. The sale will open to all shoppers on September 27, after providing early access to Amazon Prime subscribers on September 26.
Dreame X40 Ultra Specifications, Features
The newly launched vacuum cleaner from Dreame features an inbuilt RGB camera and 3D structured light technology for obstacle detection. It creates a four-level detailed map of the room for cleaning and is claimed to identify and avoid up to 120 types of objects, including shoes, cables, and more.
The Dreame X40 Ultra features a turbidity sensor that ensures mops are rewashing when necessary and has an anti-tangle TriCut rubber brush for removing hair, pet hair, dust, and larger debris. The self-cleaning machine comes with 12,000Pa of suction power.
The vacuum cleaner sports dual rotatory mops to vacuum and mop your home. The side brush can lift up to 10.5mm and extend to reach wall corners and curved furniture legs. This feature is claimed to prevent cross-contamination between dry and wet messes. The robot can extend its mop up to 4cm. It has a 3.2-litre vacuum bag, and the machine is advertised to require emptying only once every 75 days of use.
Users can customise their cleaning tasks with the compatible Dreamehome App. Users can set no-go zones and virtual walls for planning. There is a new curtain zone in the app that will assist in cleaning under curtains without getting stuck on them. The Dreame X40 Ultra supports Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri as well.
The base station of Dreame X40 Ultra handles automatic dustbin emptying, hot water mop cleaning (70 degrees Celsius), self-cleaning washboard, automatic mop drying, and refilling of both water and cleaning solution. The clean and used water tanks have a 4.5-litre capacity. After cleaning the rotary mops blow-dried for two hours with warm air. The Dreame X40 Ultra packs a 6,400mAh battery.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.
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