Connect your pets to the Internet to help you monitor, feed, and care for them when you can’t be there.
Smart home devices let you check in on your home when you’re not there, giving you peace of mind that everything is okay. But did you know they can help you look after your pets?
Read the full article and watch the video here.
A smart home doesn’t have to be an expensive home. Here are three ways you can add some cool, connected capabilities for under $200.
The idea of a fully automated smart home can be a little overwhelming, both in concept and cost. But you don’t need to go all-in on connected tech to benefit from it. Instead, install a few devices that address specific needs, provide some neat modern conveniences, and cost a lot less.
Read the full article and watch the video here.
Since my first child was born, bedtime has been the bane of my existence. From the early days through to elementary school, I really struggled to crack the nighttime routine.
Until I made my home smart.
Read the full article here.
From yesterday’s flip phones to today’s bezel-less glass screens, cellphones have evolved at a breakneck pace. A “phone” today bears almost no resemblance to the devices that we used for phone calls in the last century. And with cutting-edge features and futuristic technology, tomorrow’s smartphones are set to break conventions even further. The future of the smartphone may be bendable, embeddable, and entirely ambient.
Read the full article here.
When it comes to today’s smartphones, there’s always a shiny, newer device out there to tempt you. Most phones should last at least four to six years, but with technology moving so fast, it’s not uncommon to feel like your two-year-old device is obsolete.
Thankfully, smartphones are one of the easiest electronics to recycle, and there are many ways to put your old phone to good use. If you’re looking to upgrade, keep the “three Rs” in mind when disposing of your old device.
Read the full article here.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) most recent available data, nearly 3,500 people were killed in 2016, and close to 400,000 were injured in 2015 due to distracted driving. While distracted driving is defined as any activity that diverts attention from driving, cell phone use, particularly texting, is identified as one of the most alarming distractions. “Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds,” says the NHTSA. “At 55 miles per hour, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”
Read the full article here.
Studying abroad is a valuable and enriching experience, and a smartphone can be an essential tool to have on hand while exploring a new country. It can help navigate foreign streets, translate languages, find the best places to eat or shop, and decipher tricky public transportation systems.
Read the full article here.
Not worried about someone hacking your smartphone? From 2015 to 2016, mobile device malware infections jumped 96%, and mobile ransomware surged 415% in 2017. Smartphone infections currently account for 72% of all mobile virus infections.
Take a moment and think about what a person could learn if they had access to your phone. From bank details to family photos, important emails to social media accounts — an hour with your phone and someone could effectively gain access to all areas of your life.
Read the full article here.
Smartphones give you the ability to get things done no matter where you are, and they are quickly becoming an essential part of conducting business. But distracting notifications can take your attention away from what you’re doing and make it difficult to focus.
A study by the University of Texas at Austin found that the mere presence of your smartphone reduces “available cognitive capacity and impairs cognitive functioning, even though people feel they’re giving their full attention and focus to the task at hand.”
Read the full article here.
Do smart homes save energy? Are all our cool, connected gadgets really going to rescue the planet, one iconic design at a time? It’s an often-touted benefit of ditching your old, plastic white gadgets in favour of shiny new black ones. But is it accurate? Yes and no.
The sustainable living movement and the smart home have come of age together over the last few decades, enjoying a beneficial but sometimes uneasy partnership. Yes, smart home devices can save resources. No, not all of them will. Some, such as always-on smart speakers and connected cameras actually use more, because they’re not replacing an energy load, they’re adding one (although not a significant one). Others, including smart thermostats and AI-powered water and energy monitoring systems, are forging a path to a brighter, greener future – and saving us some cash along the way.
Read the full article here.
Do most people really want a smart home, they just don’t know it yet? That’s what Lennar, one of America’s largest homebuilders believes, and that is why the 65-year-old company announced last year that it would outfit all its new homes with home automation tech as standard.
Those new homes – equipped with Wi-Fi Certified home design, Alexa voice control, and a starter kit of smart home tech – have now started to roll on to the market. We went to check one out in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Read the full story here.
Whether you’re looking to completely revamp your apartment’s living space or simply want to freshen up a few pieces of your home décor, your phone can offer the insight and inspiration you need to nail the look you’re going for – all for much less than what an interior designer might cost.
Read the full article here.
![House Hunting](https://www.thehousedesigners.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Home_Search_Magnifying_Glass_Coins-768x512.jpg")
Whether you’re looking to buy or build a new home, just starting your home search, or deep in the process of finding your forever home, your phone can be a portal to all the information you need. From honing in on the perfect location to getting alerts when new listings hit the market, these tips for digital home searching can help you find your perfect home from the palm of your hand.
Read the full article here
Painter Christopher Florentino explains how he revived a 1963 house by modern architect Gene Leedy.
Most people buy furniture for their house. Christopher Florentino, aka Flore, bought a house for his furniture. The Brooklyn-born painter, whose work draws on graffiti and street art, has had a lifelong obsession with midcentury modern, amassing furniture from the period since he was a teen. His collection finally found a home when he discovered a Gene Leedy–designed 1963 ranch house in Winter Haven, Florida, on Instagram.
Read the story online here.
New York– and Miami–based artist Christopher “Flore” Florentino reveals how his picturesque midcentury in Central Florida inspires his life and work.
Read this web-exclusive companion piece to my print story on Flore’s house here.
As WiFi becomes more a part of our everyday lives, figuring out how to fix it when it’s “broken” is crucial. Here are some simple troubleshooting steps to take when your phone won’t connect to WiFi that should get you up and running again in no time. Enjoy WiFi access on the go with millions of free Xfinity WiFi hotspots nationwide.
Read the article here.
As a resident of South Carolina, my fall pastime these last few years has become evacuating for hurricanes. In 2016, it was Matthew, then came Irma, and this year, as the wrath of Hurricane Florence barreled towards the Carolinas, I packed up my family once again and headed for safety.
Read the full post here.
Programmers are very familiar with the phrase “If This, Then That” when it comes to building software, but did you know that you can also use these four words to run your everyday life, all through your smartphone?
Read the full article here.
One of the many benefits of smart home technology is the ability to keep tabs on your home when you can’t be there. Forgot to turn off the lights? Do it remotely. Not sure if you shut the garage door? Check on your smartphone and close it. But did you realize you can also use smart home devices to monitor the people in your home? More specifically and most importantly, you can use smart home devices to keep tabs on your children.
Read the full article here.
Smart doorbells are fast becoming the gateway drug to the smart home. Easy to install, insanely useful, and conveniently bypassing the privacy and security concerns of many smart home devices (because they’re outside the house), there really isn’t a good reason not to get one. So, the question is, which one?
Read the full article here.