news
Unlocked Phones Grow To 12% Of U.S. Market: NPD
The advent of bring-your-own-phone wireless plans and the end of carrier- subsidies is fueling double-digit growth for carrier-agnostic handsets. According to a new report...
Smartphones/Tablets
Home Automation
Sony, Google Home Get Hitched
Google Home users can now stream music and video to several models of new and existing Chromecast built-in Sony speakers and Android TV Sony...
Home Automation
Room At Wynn’s Inn For Alexa
Guests at Steve Wynn’s Wynn Las Vegas casino may find themselves sharing a room with an unexpected guest next month. That’s when the hotel...
news
Samsung Bricking Remaining Galaxy Note7s
Samsung said it has collected more than 93 percent of all Galaxy Note7 phablets in the U.S. under its refund and exchange program since...
news
T-Mobile To Allow Multiple Numbers On A Single Phone
T-Mobile is beginning consumer trials of a new service that will allow customers to use their phone numbers on virtually any Internet-connected device, and...
Home Automation
Audyssey Unveils Enhanced Far-Field Voice-Recognition Technology
Audyssey has unveiled eVR, a suite of audio technologies that can be licensed by manufacturers to enable far-field voice recognition in CE products that...
news
Strong Tablet Branding Can Sway Comparison Shopping
Brand image does seem to indeed matter when it comes to tablets. That’s the finding of J.D. Power’s most recent study on the device,...
news
Already? New OnePlus 3T Gets Pixel Phone Processor
Updated! Most phone makers wait a year before updating their flagships with better specs and a letter (think iPhone 6 and 6s). Not so...
news
Samsung Tops Global Phone Share In Q3
Worldwide smartphone shipments grew 6 percent annually in Q3, to reach 375 million units, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics. Samsung topped...
news
Alcatel Offering Flagship Idol 4S With Win10
Alcatel, a TCL Communications brand, will begin selling a more muscular Windows version of its flagship Idol 4S smartphone exclusively through T-Mobile on Nov....
news
Alcatel Offering Flagship Idol 4S With Windows 10
Updated! Alcatel, a TCL Communications brand, will begin selling a more muscular Windows version of its flagship Idol 4S smartphone exclusively through T-Mobile on Nov....
news
How Much Damage Has The Galaxy Note 7 Recall Done To Samsung’s Brand?
Exhale. The high-profile Galaxy Note7 recall Samsung faced this fall won’t cause any long-term damage, according to one IDC study. The market research firm...
Computers
Apple Launches Its Thinnest, Lightest, Brightest MacBook Pro Ever
Twenty-five years after launching its first notebook, Apple introduced what it called its thinnest and lightest MacBook Pro ever. (Note the Pro in there,...
news
Samsung Tops Global Smartphone Share In Q3
Worldwide smartphone shipments grew 6 percent annually in Q3, to reach 375 million units, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics. Samsung topped...
Home Automation
Staples’ Easy Button Now Really Works Thanks To Watson
Watch out Amazon Dash: You’re not the only button in town anymore. Geared toward small-business owners, Staples unveiled one of its signature red Easy...
Home Automation
EZViz Welcomes Smart-Cam Trio
EZViz continues its growth into the connected home with three new smart-home security cameras, all geared toward different consumers. The company has also updated...
Home Automation
Emerson Wins J.D. Power’s 1st Smart-Thermostat Customer Satisfaction Ratings Report
Emerson and its Sensi Wi-Fi- smart thermostat — not Nest — took top honors in J.D. Power’s inaugural “2016 Smart Thermostat Satisfaction Report.” The...
news
LG, Mobile Carriers Spicing Up V20 Pre-Sale
LG Electronics and its carrier partners are throwing in a number of added incentives on pre-orders of LG Electronics’ new flagship V20 smartphone to...
Home Automation
GE Adds Dishwashers To Amazon Dash Contingent
GE Appliances, an early adherent of Amazon’s Dash automatic reordering system, has added dishwashers to its laundry list of compliant products. The benefit: GE’s connected...
news
Samsung Incentivizing Galaxy Note7 Owners To Stay With Brand
As part of its expanded recall of original and replacement Galaxy Note7 phablets, Samsung is offering a total bill credit of $100 to customers...
news
Samsung Pulls The Plug On Galaxy Note7
Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 is no more. A Samsung spokesperson confirmed to TWICE that “For the benefit of consumers’ safety, we stopped sales and exchanges...
Home Automation
TWICE/CSS Survey: Security Is Smart-Home Entry Point For Shoppers
Home security is the primary connected-product category that initially brings smart-home shoppers into stores, retail sales associates report. According to an exclusive new survey,...
Home Automation
Google Furthers Smart-Home Ecosystem With New Product Line
With the availability of Google’s new smart-home hub, the company has marked its “move from mobile-first to AI-first,” stated CEO Sundar Pichai. Google Assistant,...
news
iOS Devices Tops In Retail Traffic: Clarus
Although the majority of U.S. smartphone owners have Android devices, most of the traffic coming to Clarus Commerce’s free-shipping cash-back site FreeShipping.com originates from...
Home Automation
GE Appliances Adds Voice Control Via Amazon Alexa
GE Appliances, which has collaborated with Amazon on its Dash automated replenishment system, has tapped into the e-tailer’s technology yet again. Effective this month,...
news
Samsung Galaxy Note7 Recall: Replacement Devices Now Available
Consumers waiting for their Samsung Galaxy Note7 replacement need not wait any longer. Samsung released a statement that said over 500,000 new Note7 replacements...
Home Automation
TWICE/CCS Survey: Security Trumps Price As Consumers’ Chief Smart-Home Concern
With data breaches and hacked email servers making headlines, it should come as no surprise that personal data security is the No. 1 concern...
news
A Tale Of Two Sevens: Samsung Galaxy Note7 And Apple iPhone 7
Updated! It’s been the best and worst of times for two of this season’s most anticipated and, for different reasons, hottest mobile phones. Apple’s latest iPhone iterations...
Home Automation
CEDIA 2016: Crestron Adds Alexa To Its Smart-Home Roster
Custom home automation and control supplier Crestron is the latest company to incorporate Amazon’s Alexa smart voice assistant into its products. Crestron-certified installers will...
Computers
Lenovo Yoga Book 2-in-1 Has Touchscreen Keyboard Cover
Lenovo has taken the Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface and Surface Book and merged them all into a new Yoga Book two-in-one. The...
Home Automation
Amazon Debuts Cheaper Dot That’s Better At Talking With Alexa
Amazon has improved its portable Echo Dot device, shaving a few millimeters off the top and dropping the price down to $49.99. It also...
news
Qualcomm’s Clear Sight Wants To Be The Human Eye Of Smartphone Images
The iPhone 7 Plus and LG V20 both captured headlines for their dual cameras last week, and Qualcomm wants to make it easier for...
Home Automation
CEDIA 2016: URC Offers MX HomePro Smart-Home System
URC is introducing a new a new Cloud-based smart-home control system for the CEDIA channel. MX HomePro offers users one-touch control of home entertainment...
news
Alexa Coming To Amazon’s Fire Tablets
Yakety yak, Fire tablets talk back. Or at least they will, with the forthcoming release of a new, Alexa-enabled Fire HD 8, and an...
news
Apple Drops Headphone Jack For iPhone 7; Debuts Apple Watch Series 2
Apple had several big product introductions on Wednesday, uveiling the second generation of its Apple Watch and the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus....
news
LG Formally Unveils V20 Flagship Phone
After weeks of tidbit teasers, and just hours ahead of Apple’s expected iPhone 7 announcement, LG Electronics has formally launched its latest cellular pocket...
news
Samsung Announces Trade-In Program For Faulty Note7
Samsung released more details on its worldwide recall of the Galaxy Note7 phablet. The company has offered consumers two choices under its U.S....
Home Automation
IFA: Philips’ Hue Motion Detector Turns On Light Bulbs When You Walk Into A Room
Next month, Philips will start shipping its new Hue smart-bulb motion detector, which will allow consumers to control their Philips Hue smart bulbs by...
Home Automation
Capitol Spotlights Connected Home At CEDIA 2016
Installer-focused distributor Capitol is focusing on the connected home market at this year’s CEDIA. Video will be one of the most prevalent categories in...
Home Automation
LG Expands SmartThinQ Ecosystem To Include Amazon’s Alexa
LG expanded its smart-home ecosystem at IFA, announcing a series of partnerships that were highlighted by cooperation with Amazon to allow voice control of...
news
Samsung Halts Worldwide Sales Of Galaxy Note7
Samsung announced it has stopped all sales of its Galaxy Note7 worldwide because of battery cell issues. The full statement is as follows: “Samsung...