Somfy shades are the last piece of the home automation puzzle
As we move further and further into a connected home and connected world, I regularly explore how we can integrate every device possible into one main system and network. For now, my favorite hub is SmartThings. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great home automation platform with a great community and support for a wide array of devices.
Window shades have been a bit of a white whale, though. This is an area I have always wanted to explore and I have heard that Somfy is without a doubt the leader in the space. In the past, not only have automated shades been a less-than-ideal solution with power having to be supplied to each noisy shade motor, but it’s also been prohibitively expensive for many people.
All of that has now changed, however.
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A MUST-HAVE FOR IPHONE USERS: Use this interactive map to find which Apple Stores will replace bent iPhones
Apple is still insisting that bent iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models are a tiny problem even though evidence piles up every day showing that the problem is much more widespread than what the company is letting on. Now iPhone users can take matters into their own hands by using and contributing to a new interactive map that is actively tracking which Apple Stores across the world have agreed to replace bent iPhones so far and which have not.
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Inbox vs. Gmail 5.0: The most in-depth comparison yet
Google may think of Inbox as the future of email but that doesn’t mean it’s hanging its Gmail app out to dry. In fact, the recently released Gmail 5.0 update is the most dramatic overhaul of Gmail we’ve seen in a very long time, as it marks the first time that Google has brought Material Design to its hugely popular email app.
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6 ways Android is still better than the iPhone
In the battle for mobile supremacy between Apple’s iOS platform and Google’s Android software, it is impossible to say which is better. The reason is simple: neither is better. Each platform has clear benefits over the other, and each one also has areas where it is lagging behind its rival.
The key, of course, is to find the platform that is better for you.
We often pit Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS against each other in different ways because comparing their features helps readers identify their key differences and decide how meaningful each discrepancy is to them, personally. We have hit a number of key points in the past, and now a newly published article identifies six areas where Android still has the edge over iOS and the iPhone.
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Your guide to new titles on Netflix this week: November 9th – November 15th
It’s that time of the week again, and BGR is bringing you a roundup of the best new content on Netflix for your streaming pleasure. A lot of your time is wasted by looking around Netflix for something you haven’t seen yet, so this update will save you some precious ticks on the clock.
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YOU NEED THESE: Download these free iPhone apps right now to save money while shopping for the holidays
It’s that time of year again, when people get ready to get ready for the holidays by rushing out to stores and trying to beat their neighbors to the best deals in town. Retailers have become masters of luring consumers in with crazy “doorbuster” deals that offer unbelievably deep discounts on everything from TVs and tablets to clothing and jewelry. But just because you go to a store on Black Friday doesn’t mean you’re going to get the best possible price.
We have plenty of info on hot Black Friday deals in our Black Friday 2014 hub, but you’ll need more than just a handful of fliers if you want to save as much money as possible while shopping this holiday season.
To get you started on your journey, we’ve found three key apps for your iPhone that will help you save as much money as possible — and in keeping with the theme of saving money, all three of them are free downloads.
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Yet another way net neutrality opposition is ruining the Internet
Isn’t it peculiar how everyone agrees that things like “Internet fast lanes” are bad except for the companies that stand to directly benefit from these net neutrality-bending ideas, and the lobbyists on their payrolls? The debate rages on, and net neutrality shot into the spotlight yet again earlier this week when President Obama came out in opposition of fast lanes, and in support of Title II of the Telecommunications Act, which would reclassify Internet service providers as utilities.
Shockingly, FCC commissioner and former top cable industry lobbyist Tom Wheeler doesn’t seem to agree.
We have covered a number of ways Internet fast lanes and other concepts that are outside the bounds of reasonable net neutrality are already ruining the Internet, and now we have another huge one to toss onto the pile.
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Here is everything on sale at Walmart for Black Friday
After the Black Friday 2014 ads for Best Buy, Target and Microsoft have already been revealed, Walmart’s full sales offer for this hotly anticipated shopping day has also been made available, with BFAds already having obtained a copy of it.
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FCC may give us Internet ‘fast lanes’ no matter what Obama says
President Obama this week caused quite a stir when he came out in favor of a bold plan to protect net neutrality that would involve reclassifying ISPs as common carriers. Unfortunately for net neutrality advocates, Obama doesn’t get the final say when it comes to this issue. Instead, that honor goes to the Federal Communications Commission, which is headed by a former cable lobbyist that Obama decided to appoint as chairman last year.
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The first smartphone to get Lollipop isn’t even a Nexus
Google has yet to roll out the official Android 5.0 Lollipop updates for its existing Nexus smartphones, including the Nexus 5 and Nexus 4, but it looks like Motorola has already beaten its former parent company to the punch. Ars Technica reports that one 2014 Moto G model has already been updated to Lollipop, and it’s the U.S. unlocked model, which has now received its 386.8MB Android 5.0 update.
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