First announced in 2019, Alexa Guard brings a second layer of protection to your smart home by listening for certain sounds that indicate there’s an emergency. The service has a few limitations, but Amazon has addressed those drawbacks with Alexa Guard Plus — a premium subscription that offers tons of enhanced features. But what exactly […]

Alexa Guard and Nest Aware are two smart security systems that work alongside your existing lineup of smart home products. By enabling one or the other, your devices can provide you with additional home security features — such as alerting you when a smoke alarm is going off or turning lights on and off while […]

One voice does not fit all when it comes to virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, according to a team led by Penn State researchers that examined how customization and perceived similarity between user and voice assistant (VA) personalities affect user experience. They found a strong preference for extroverted VAs — those that speak louder, […]

The first step toward building a smart home is deciding which smart home platform to use. Google Home and Amazon Alexa are two of the best on the market, offering support for hundreds of third-party devices, powerful automation options, and intuitive smartphone apps that drive all the action. But which is the better smart home […]

When it comes to building a smart home, few steps are as important as choosing your smart home platform. Pick the wrong one, and you could be left using dozens of separate smartphone apps to control all your gadgets. Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa are two of the best options available today — but which […]

Star Wars is among the most popular multimedia franchises in the galaxy, so it should come as no surprise that it’s been given its own annual holiday. Celebrated on May 4 (for obvious reasons), most fans will dedicate Star Wars Day 2022 to rewatching their favorite movies, running through their favorite games, or picking up […]

Image used with permission by copyright holderWe find ourselves surrounded by helpful assistants these days, from Apple’s Siri to Microsoft’s futuristic Cortana to Amazon’s Alexa to … whatever the designation for “OK Google” is — and every one of them defaults to a female persona. In response, a lot of writers are asking if the […]

Alienware 34 QD-OLED MSRP $1,399.00 “The Alienware 34 QD-OLED is a glorious introduction to OLED for PC gamers.” Pros QD-OLED contrast is unbeatable Fantastic HDR performance Excellent color saturation Attractive, minimalist design Surprisingly affordable Cons SDR brightness is a bit low Color accuracy isn’t perfect Gaming monitors are fast enough. They’re sharp enough. And they’re […]

Alienware AW2524H MSRP $830.00 “The Alienware AW2524H isn’t for everyone, but it still delivers on what it sets out to do.” Pros Extremely fast refresh rate Great motion clarity Nvidia Reflex analyzer built into the display Handy headphone stand Sturdy, low-profile base Cons Very expensive Limited adjustments Lacking image quality No one needs a 500Hz gaming monitor, […]