ML Interest Tag: smart-home

The Home Depot Is Improving the Way We Do the Holidays This Year

by Jennifer Swartvagher

The holidays might be different this year, but The Home Depot is committed to keeping holiday spirits high and stress down for you and your loved ones this season. Starting with reinventing Black Friday, they are improving the shopping experience, with customer safety and well being as their priority. With so many affordable holiday offerings, Home Depot can be your one-stop destination for gifts and home décor.

For the first time ever, Home Depot is offering Black Friday prices throughout the holiday season. Savings will start in early November and last through December, both in-store and online Now you can enjoy Black Friday savings without having to deal with the crowds. 

Home Depot Holiday

From outdoor decorations to finishing touches on your table, season-long deals will be available on items like holiday décor, online home décor, appliances, smart home, and tools and hardware. 

Home Depot has DIYers in mind as well. In collaboration with Pinterest, you can expect to find more inspiration on how to give meaningful, handmade gifts this season on the website. 

Home Depot is offering free shipping on over 1 million items, providing flexibility with in-store pick-up or home delivery options. Fresh trees can even be shipped directly to your doorstep with no shipping fee.

For the first time, The Home Depot mobile app users will have exclusive access to view deals in November before they go live online. Simply download the Home Depot mobile app to your iPhone, iPad or Android to save time, money and stay organized. Use the app’s Product Locator feature to check inventory at your local store and find what you need fast this holiday season.

Following their long-standing tradition, all Home Depot stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this year so that our associates and customers can enjoy important time with family and loved ones.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Home Depot

RELATED STORIES

This Jack Skellington Inflatable Will Get You from Halloween to Christmas in One Epic Display

This Oogie Boogie Inflatable Stands Over 10 Feet Tall 

Home Depot Has Christmas Inflatables from “Christmas Vacation” & So Much More

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Why It’s Time to Teach Your Kid to Code

By Michelle Sun

One of the best things you can do for your child is to teach them how to code. Coding builds both job skills and life skills that can shape your child’s future success, whether they enter the tech field or an entirely different industry. The world is changing rapidly, but a foundation in coding can prepare your child to adapt to whatever changes may come. 

So why is coding education so important?

Opens the Door to a World of Opportunities

Parents want to prepare their children for the future and help them achieve their full potential. Learning to code provides a host of benefits that can give your child a leg up.

First, coding can help kids to see the world in a different way. Today, beyond our smartphones and tablets, computers drive many elements of our lives: our cars, air conditioning, thermostats, smart-home devices. In learning how to code, children move from just being a user of these technologies to understanding and appreciating the technology around them. It helps them further understand how their world works.

Coding also helps kids think more effectively and problem solve. In coding, they see a problem, brainstorm ideas, and work to come up with a solution. They create the program and then have to debug if anything goes wrong. They learn the art of problem-solving, which they can then adapt to other areas of their lives.

Coding is a valuable skill that stretches across most industries. The technology industry is expanding at a much faster pace than traditional industries, and when you analyze the public stock markets, the largest market capitalization stocks are those in technology. Seven out of the ten largest science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations in the US are computer-related.

Applications software developers lead at 750,000 jobs, followed by computer user support specialists and computer systems analysts at 500,000+ jobs each, respectively. Between 2009 and 2015, STEM occupations had above-average employment growth at 10.5 percent, or 817,260 jobs, compared to 5.2 percent net growth in non-STEM occupations. 

Even beyond the technology industry, there are a variety of coding employment opportunities in businesses. Programmers can solve many problems and challenges in traditional industries through technology. A company with logistic operations may need technology to automate their processes. They can implement robots to take inventory of the warehouse, which cuts down costs inherent on the logistical side of business. Programming robots requires coding skills, and companies need to hire or outsource coders.

To prepare for the opportunities in the digital future, it is imperative that children learn to code.

Shaping Future Creators

Robots will displace 75 million jobs globally by 2022, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) The Future of Jobs report. Another report by OECD states that 14 percent of jobs across thirty-two countries are “highly vulnerable” to automation.

The same WEF report noted that 133 million new jobs will also emerge thanks to increasing automation. In other words, machines are freeing us up to explore, experiment, and find interesting solutions to complex problems. 

With these fundamental changes, the most in-demand job skills are shifting. Per that WEF report, in 2015, the top three job skills were complex problem solving, coordinating with others, and people management. In 2020, the top three skills will be complex problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity—all skills coding helps to build. 

Coding is a skill with a wide variety of applications, in many industries. At First Code Academy, we have found that it is fundamentally more important to foster a child’s creativity via coding than to directly encourage a career in coding, as the applications of coding continue to shift with technological changes.

Coding is a skill that benefits all children, not just future software developers. It’s also a fun and rewarding activity that can begin as early as preschool.

For more advice on the benefits of coding and how to teach coding to kids, you can find First Time Coders on Amazon.

 

Michelle Sun is the founder of First Code Academy, a coding and STEM education institute for children. She is a certified Master Trainer for coding education by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and is author of the book First Time Coders: A Defintive Guide to Coding for Children.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Amazon Just Announced Several New Devices to Make Your Life Easier

by Shahrzad Warkentin

Amazon just revealed over a dozen new devices, from speakers to glasses and even a smart oven, aimed at making your home smarter and your life easier.

The new products include several Alexa enabled devices, like the all-new Echo, Echo Dot with Clock, Echo Glow, Echo Show 8 and Echo Studio. Amazon also announced the new Echo Buds, wireless earbuds, Echo Frames, smart glasses and Echo Loop, a smart ring. All three devices allow you to connect with Alexa on the go.

In addition to theses new devices, Amazon also announced some other new ways to make your home smarter, including the new Amazon Smart Oven, which is a combination convection oven, microwave, air fryer and food warmer that can be controlled by Alexa when paired with an Echo. Users can ask Alexa to preheat the oven, start or stop cooking, and be notified when the oven is preheated. The device is priced at $249.99 and includes an Echo Dot.

Amazon also revealed new features for Alexa like the new Smart Guard Alert, which will give you Smart Alerts if an Echo device detects the sound of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms or glass breaking in your home. Alexa will also soon be able to make managing WiFi access easier. You’ll be able to pause WiFi service until the homework is done or the beds are made simply by asking Alexa. The smart assisstant will also soon be able to help you with your shopping list by reminding you when its time to re-order supplies, like ink and air filters.

“Customers want their smart home technology to make everyday tasks easier, but not at the expense of spending their whole weekend, or hiring an expert, just to get everything setup,” said Daniel Rausch, Amazon Vice President, Smart Home. “We think customers will be delighted with what we have coming this fall—more ways to find smart home devices they can set up in minutes, new Alexa features that take the stress out of being away from home, and new products that help families enjoy great meals together or just have a little fun.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

All photos: Amazon

 

RELATED STORIES

The Spotted Zebra x Disney Collection Is Available On Amazon Right Now

Now You Can Shop On Amazon & Pay with Cash

Amazon’s List of Top 100 Toys & Games Has Arrived

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Now You Can Tell Alexa to Forget Everything You Say

by Shahrzad Warkentin

Worried about your smart home device collecting information? Now you can just tell Alexa to forget it all. Like a memory-zapping flash from the Men In Black, all you have to do is say “Alexa, delete everything I said today.”

Once you say the magic words, Alexa will wipe all recordings made from midnight that day until the moment right before you issue the command. The new function is part of an effort to push for greater privacy for consumers, so that they can enjoy the benefits of having a smart home assistant without any fear over privacy.

photo: Courtesy of Amazon

The new function come-on the heels of Amazon’s announcement of the Echo Show 5 smart-screen device, which is equipped with a physical cover for it’s forward-facing camera. This allows the device to still listen for wake word “Alexa” but disconnects the microphone and camera from functioning.

Amazon also announced that it will be making it easier for users to access privacy settings by grouping Alexa settings into an online Alexa Privacy Hub. The controls will also continue to be available in Amazon’s Alexa apps.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

RELATED STORIES

Now Your Amazon Echo & Alexa Guard Can Protect Your Home

Amazon Just Launched a Free Music Service to Rival Spotify & Alexa–Play Music

The Ultimate List of Things Your Kids Can Ask Amazon Alexa

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

When Will Kohl’s Start Accepting Amazon Returns? We Have the Answer!

by Erica Loop

Forget about packaging up your Amazon rejects. Kohl’s recently announced that it has plans to expand its Amazon return program to all 1,150 plus locations across the United States, and your life just got easier.

Kohl’s shoppers already know that the store and the online mega-retailer already have a pretty solid partnership. In 2017 the brick-and-mortar store started selling an array of Amazon’s smart-home gadgets. The next step for the retailer/online giant’s collab happened when 80 Kohl’s stores started accepting Amazon returns. And, based on the latest development, it looks like the idea worked!

Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief executive officer said, in a press statement, “Amazon and Kohl’s have a shared passion in providing outstanding customer service, and this unique partnership combines Kohl’s strong nationwide store footprint and omnichannel capabilities with Amazon’s reach and customer loyalty. This new service is another example of how Kohl’s is delivering innovation to drive traffic to our stores and bring more relevance to our customers.”

So when will your Kohl’s store start accepting eligible Amazon returns? As of now the program is an option at 100 Kohl’s stores. If your Kohl’s doesn’t participate right now, it will starting in July!

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: Courtesy of Amazon

 

RELATED STORIES

The Secret Target Hack That Gives Shoppers a Disney Discount

This Home Furnishing Retailer Is Closing Over 100 Stores

Amazon Will Now Text You Delivery Updates

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Amazon Alexa Can Now *Literally* Make You Dinner

by Shahrzad Warkentin

As a kid, The Jetsons and their futuristic gadgets seemed like a galaxy away, but thanks to smart home technology, a Rosie of our own is even more of a possibility than ever. Amazon will bring households one step closer to the era of Jetsons-esque-living with the introduction of an Alexa-enabled microwave, among several other new smart home devices.

Just imagine the possibility of reheating your lukewarm coffee for the fifth time today without having to lift a finger. On Thursday, Amazon announced a whole new line of Alexa-powered gadgets to help make your life just a little bit easier.

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon

The new AmazonBasics Microwave might just be the coolest offering yet from Amazon. It will allow you to cook with your voice, by asking Alexa to defrost, microwave or reheat at whatever specifications you give her. Of course, you’ll still have to put the food in yourself (Rosie, we’re still waiting for you).

Besides the smart microwave, Amazon also announced a smart home plug that allows you to control lights, fans or just about anything you can plug in, using Alexa. Amazon also unveiled several new Echo models—as well as Echo Auto, which brings the power of Alexa to your vehicle. (Sadly, “Alexa, drive me to soccer practice” probably won’t work—we haven’t taken it out for a test drive yet.)

“We want you to have access to Alexa everywhere—in your kitchen, in your living room, in your office and now in your car or truck,” said Tom Taylor, Senior Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “Today, we’re excited to expand the number of ways that customers can add Alexa to their homes and their vehicles, so they can use Alexa to make their lives more convenient and easy—whether it’s asking for the traffic on your drive home, checking your email in the morning or simply saying ‘Alexa, good night’ to turn off your lights and lock your door.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

 

RELATED STORIES:

Whole Foods Amazon Prime Now Delivery Arrives in 10 More Cities

The Next Cashless Amazon Go Store Is Reportedly Coming to the East Coast

Amazon’s Next Big Thing Isn’t Stores—It’s Preschools

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

This Family Robot Will Capture Your Best Memories on Video for You

by Shahrzad Warkentin

photo: heykuri.com

From Siri to Lexa, robots and artificial intelligence are officially part of our daily lives, and now a new domestic robot promises to take that technology to a greater level with mobility. Say hello to Kuri your personal family robot.

While Kuri isn’t exactly Rosie from the Jetsons, this adorable little robot, that could easily be Wall-E’s long-lost cousin, will revolutionize the smart home. Unlike tabletop systems, like Amazon Echo, Kuri can move throughout your home making it easier to communicate with. Besides maintaining smart home functions, Kuri is designed as a companion more than a mobile remote control. Kuri will keep you company, remind you of appointments and just simply be super cute to watch. Kuri doesn’t respond with words, but with its animated eyes, movements and robotic sounds, making it more like a pet.

photo: heykuri.com

Kuri is also outfitted with an HD camera behind one of its eyes. Besides acting as a sensor to capture information, it can also be used to capture off-the-cuff family movies. For all those precious moments when you look back and wished you had grabbed your phone or when you’re so in the moment that you don’t even think to do so, Kuri can be there to capture the memories. As TechCrunch explains, Kuri can be programmed to capture up to eight short videos per day that are sent directly to your mobile app.

Kuri is currently available for pre-order with a targeted ship date in early 2018. Kuri doesn’t come cheap, however, your new robotic personal assistant will cost you $799.

Would you use one of these robots in your home? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

13 Gadgets Every Parent Needs to Win at Parenting

by Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

Phone run out of juice? Forget to set the timer on your coffee pot? Attempting to actually cross stuff off your to-do list? All in a day’s work for a modern family. Take charge and calm the crazy with our roundup of some of the most innovative and stylish gear and gadgets that’ll help fuel your parenting universe. 

1. Just Charge It
Moms and dads alike will love these backpacks and messenger bags that serve double duty as both stylish carry-alls and convenient on-the-go chargers for mobile devices. In addition to each bag’s sporty good looks, a dedicated pocket hides a built-in lithium-ion battery that provides up to seven charges for various power-hungry mobile devices. Available in 21 styles that range from knapsack chic to executive mod, these totes are cool enough not to scream “diaper bag,” while durable enough to withstand hauling around the inevitable deluge of kiddie supplies.

Available at 1voicenyc.com, $159.

2. Flip the Switch
If you’ve ever had a panic attack on the way to work, wondering if you accidentally forgot to turn off an appliance at home, this handy product may help to alleviate your fears. Turn appliances and electronics on or off and monitor them from anywhere using the wi-fi enabled Belkin WeMo Insight Switch and the WeMo app on your smartphone or tablet. Now appliances such as A/C units, flat irons, lights, space heaters and more that are plugged into WeMo can be controlled remotely (WeMo also can be connected to your Amazon Echo!).

Available at belkin.com, $49.99, for Android and iOS devices.

 

3. The Button
Dubbed as “the simplest Internet user interface in the world,” Bttn allows users to program different functions for Internet-connected homes or workplaces. For example, Bttn can be programmed to send a text message to parents whenever their kids arrive home from school. Harnessing the power of various Internet technologies, such as IFTTT, OpenHome, SmartThings, Twitter, Facebook and SMS messaging, Bttn makes performing an Internet-enabled task as simple as pushing a button.

Available at btt.n/shop, $79.99.

 

 

4. Delightful Dot
Amazon ups the ante on being the operating system for your connected home with the recent introduction of Echo Dot, the diminutive companion to Amazon Echo. Echo Dot might be small, but it packs all of the voice-activated functionality of its larger predecessor into an adorable hockey-puck-sized package, which includes a surprisingly powerful built-in speaker. Use Echo’s Alexa Voice Service to play music, read the news, set alarms, control smart home devices or create shopping lists that feed directly into your Amazon account.

Pro Tip: If you have a child or family member whose name sounds like Alexa (like my daughter Aleksa), you can avoid confusion by changing Echo’s default voice prompt from “Alexa” to either “Echo” or “Amazon.”

Available at amazon.com, $89.99.

5. Clean Calls
Not-so-fun fact: each square inch of your mobile phone contains roughly 25,000 germs, making it one of the filthiest things you come in contact with on a daily basis. For parents whose kids invariably put their sticky paws all over our smartphones (then into their mouths, yuck!), mobile phone hygiene is an often-neglected chore. Phone Soap 2.0 comes to the rescue with an easy-to-use, efficient UV phone sanitizer that also acts as a charger while it cleans. For those of us with phablet-sized devices, Phone Soap XL is expected to ship in late June.

Available at phonesoap.com, $49.95.

6. Sunny Smiles
You will make a fashion statement with these solar powered watches that also support socially responsible causes. Made with recycled materials, Q&Q SmileSolar Watches are water resistant and require only sunlight to power them. Each watch can operate for more than three months on a full charge. With every SmileSolar Watch purchase, a portion of the proceeds are donated to Table for Two, an international nonprofit that helps to deliver healthy school meals to children in Africa and Asia.

Available at Q&Q Online Store, $40.

7. Chill Out
Forgot to chill that bottle of Sauv Blanc (or any other beverage) before you left for the day? No worries. By stashing this gadget in the freezer you’ll be activating the internal cooling coils, which means you’ll be able to pour yourself a chilled, freshly aerated glass anytime. Ahhh, the glory of modern technology!

Available at quirky.com, $34.99.

8. Rad Remote
With the proliferation of devices connected to your home entertainment system (i.e., digital set-top box, DVD player, Apple TV, Roku, etc.), chances are good that you’re juggling a panoply of remote controls just to watch TV. The Ray Touchscreen Super Remote hopes to end remote control clutter with its ultimate universal remote. With Ray, a simple tap seamlessly switches between any of your entertainment devices. The touchscreen interface is lovely and intuitive.

Available at ray.co, $249.

9. Put a Ring on It
This collection of smart, Internet-connected jewelry is as powerful as it is pretty. Fashionistas can program their Ringly accessories, rings, or bracelets (shipping this summer) to notify them via light and vibration when they receive important appointment alerts, e-mails, phone calls, texts, or social media updates—without having to look at their smartphones.

Available at ringly.com, $30 – $279.

10. May the Charge Be With You
Prepping for a family road trip often means calculating how long the family stash of mobile devices will konk out before invariably hearing, “Are we there yet?” If your objective is to keep all of your kids’ mobile devices charged while on the road, this is the droid you’ve been looking for. This little BB-8 unit fits neatly into a standard cupholder and plugs into your car’s 12-volt power adapter. Little Star Wars fanatics will be captivated by how the droid’s head rotates and makes sound and you’ll like the fact that the unit comes with two USB charging ports, compatible with most USB charging cables.

Available at thinkgeek.com, $39.99.

11. Tech Tracker
Tired of losing your keys, wallet, or phone? Misplacing important belongings becomes a thing of the past with TrackR Bravo. This coin-sized tab attaches to any possession and the TrackR smartphone app lets you quickly recover your lost or stolen item via GPS tracking. You can even set a two-way separation alert that notifies you before you’ve left an item behind. Originally started as an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, TrackR raised nearly $1.7 million in initial seed money.

Available at amazon.com, $29.99.

12. Cool Cuffs
Let’s face it: most dads have been gifted their fair share of neckties and socks, when what they really want is more tech gadgets. For dapper dads who need to carry around at least 16GB of flash storage at all times (and who doesn’t need that?), these sleek and practical silver cufflinks feature 8GB USB flash drives discretely hidden in each link, perfect for carrying important business documents or equally important family pics.

Available at uncommongoods.com, $100.

13. Cuppa Joe on the Go
Your quick-pour coffee might only take five minutes, but it’s five precious minutes that you could use to rematch your toddler’s socks or looking for missing keys. Switch up your routine with this self-brewing coffee cup that lets you take your cup of joe on the go.

Available at heyjoecoffee.com, $99.

What’s your favorite sanity-saving gadget? Tell us in the comments below!

—Christal Yuen & Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement