Your front door is the key to the smart home | The Vergecast

01 Oct 2024 (6 days ago)

Intro (0s)

The speaker has been stuck inside for several days due to Hurricane Helen and his child being sick. (8s)
The speaker expresses sympathy for those affected by the hurricane and mentions that his location has only experienced rain for four days. (18s)
The speaker mentions feeling the need to go outside and that even his dog is becoming restless from being indoors. (45s)

There have been many new smart home gadgets released this summer, particularly at the IFA trade show. (1m7s)
The discussion will cover protocol news regarding Matter and Thread, updates from Google and Apple, and a range of other topics. (1m11s)
The episode will feature a segment with Chris Welch, who will discuss new earbuds from Apple, Google, Samsung, Bose, and Nothing, and conduct a microphone test. (1m24s)

The front door is becoming a key area of interest in the smart home market. (6m13s)
Battery life is a significant issue for smart locks, with frequent replacements needed, leading to user inconvenience. (7m49s)
Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is emerging in smart locks, enabling hands-free access and potentially addressing the power consumption concerns. (8m44s)

Wireless power technology for smart home devices, such as door locks, is being developed and some products are currently available on the market. (9m0s)
A new wireless power standard for kitchen appliances, called “Ki”, has been launched and could be a solution to common kitchen power challenges. (13m3s)
Smart locks are becoming increasingly popular, with many new products and features being released, including retrofit options, keypads with fingerprint readers, and compatibility with Apple Home Key. (16m59s)

A new smart lock protocol called Aero is being developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) to standardize how people access smart locks. (23m35s)
Thread 1.4, a new update to the Thread protocol, aims to address interoperability issues encountered with earlier versions of Thread, particularly concerning communication between Thread border routers from different manufacturers. (26m54s)
Apple's iOS 18 update allows users to add Matter devices directly to their Apple Home app without needing a separate hub or Thread border router, offering a temporary solution for connecting smart home devices. (32m46s)

Apple, Amazon, and Google are all working on integrating generative AI into their smart home platforms to improve ease of use. (34m56s)
Google plans to release updates that will allow users to control their smart home devices using natural language commands and receive more relevant notifications from their smart home cameras. (35m13s)
Amazon previously announced plans to incorporate generative AI into Alexa, but the release has been delayed due to the complexity of the technology. (37m30s)

The quality of microphones in headphones is important, especially with the rise of voice assistants and AI. (43m14s)
Many companies prioritize noise cancellation and sound quality over microphone quality. (43m41s)
Chris Welch is testing headphones in a coffee shop. (43m50s)

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are smaller and lighter than the previous model. (46m54s)
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 microphones have received mixed feedback. (46m57s)
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 microphones are not as good at noise cancellation as the Apple Airpods. (47m9s)

Samsung Buds 3 Pro have stems, similar to Apple Airpods Pro. (50m10s)
Samsung Buds 3 Pro compress audio heavily, prioritizing the elimination of background noise over a natural sound. (50m23s)
Feedback on the Samsung Buds 3 Pro suggests that voice calls sound clear to the recipient, but the user's voice may sound processed. (51m24s)

The Bose QuietComfort earbuds have effective noise cancellation. (53m59s)
The price of the second-generation Bose QuietComfort earbuds is $179, the same as Apple Airpods. (54m5s)
The Bose QuietComfort earbuds are small in size. (54m1s)

The Nothing Ear earbuds have poor microphone quality, making it difficult to understand the speaker's voice, especially in noisy environments. (54m24s)
The Nothing Ear earbuds prioritize noise cancellation over audio quality, similar to Bose headphones, resulting in a decline in sound quality when there is significant background noise. (54m45s)
The Nothing Ear earbuds have a unique, futuristic design that some people find appealing, particularly for activities like bike riding. (56m43s)

Apple and Samsung earbuds provide the best audio quality for phone calls. (1h1m58s)
Rayban Meta smart glasses are the best sounding glasses tested. (1h3m0s)
The Rayban Meta smart glasses are the most successful smart glasses because they have a similar value equation to regular sunglasses. (1h18m18s)