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There is a good chance you’ve heard of the “smart home.” It gives you the ability to turn on a light, give power to something or lock your doors without getting up from your seat. With a smart speaker, you can even do all that without even lifting a finger. And thanks to Apple’s new “Home” app, they’re making it easier for homeowners to upgrade and maintain their smart home spaces.
In the newly redesigned app, Apple’s also added support for Matter which is derived from a connectivity alliance, which will allow smart devices from all different companies like Apple, Amazon, Samsung, Google and more, to all be controlled from one place.
Parade had the chance to speak with Cecilia Dantas, who works on Home within Product Marketing at Apple.
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Apple
Chances are, you’ve seen the white background icon with a golden, yellowish-orange house in it on your iPhone—whether or not you’ve opened it or set it up, is more of an unknown. But the Home app is essentially the hub where you’re able to control smart devices and get them online.
Using Home, you can control Belkin Wemo smart plugs, a Nanoleaf light panel, or even a HomePod Mini from any of your Apple devices. And Dantas is quick to point out that the Home redesign caters to both first-time users and long-standing ones, explaining: “We took the opportunity to rethink and redesign the Home app. It has this fresh new look and it scales beautifully, even for those who are just starting out their smart home with a few accessories or for those who have an advanced setup.”
Simply put, it’s a more customizable experience that allows you to choose how it looks. You can set up favorites for your most-used devices and then naturally scroll down, like any timeline setup, to quickly dive into all the accessories in your home—divided by the rooms.
As Dantas notes, the main Home tab now showcases everything. For folks with cameras, those live at the top of the app and provide a live view with just a simple swipe. One of my favorite aspects includes the category designations at the top, allowing you to see all of your lights, for example, with just one tap. And this categorizing works for any type of smart home device, be it thermostats or fans under “Climate” or things like locks or garage doors under “Security.”
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How do you set up a device? Well, it’s all done via the Home app with a simple tap of the plus sign. Previously (AKA pre-iOS 16 and this redesign), you needed to find a HomeKit-capable device—essentially a smart plug or device that included a “Works with HomeKit Badge,” as this was the connectivity standard that Apple required.
Now, Apple is ditching the kit and making things even easier with Home by rolling out “Matter.”
So, what exactly is Matter and how does this play within the Apple home ecosystem? Previously, HomeKit was more just for Apple, while Matter is all about expanding the possibilities of which devices can work in the Apple ecosystem—opening up ways to work with all major smart home ecosystems that are out there.
Dantas describes Matter in its simplest form as “language that helps control your smart home.” And that means from smart home accessory to accessory, but also to your HomePod (Apple’s smart speaker), your phone and other devices.
“It’s this language that bridges the gap across ecosystems as well,” explains Dantas. “So this means that you could have this light bulb that speaks to your Apple Home ecosystem, but it also speaks to other ecosystems out there. And that really broadens the capabilities of the choices out there.”
Ultimately, that is what makes Matter so unique and can really help clean up the confusion around the smart home ecosystem. The hope here is that accessory makers (the ones who create smart bulbs, plugs and locks) can just support this Matter standard, rather than needing to create an individual product for each ecosystem. So theoretically, Google could roll out a Nest Thermostat that can be used with the Google home ecosystem, but also Apple’s and Amazon’s. The eventual hope is that this universal language will allow you to connect a bevy of devices with all sorts of ecosystems!
For everyday folks, this should make the idea of a smart home more attainable and much less confusing. Hopefully, when you purchase a plug (one that supports Matter) you can easily set it up within the Apple Home app, and then also get the option to place it another if you wish.
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As for when these new Matter devices roll out, it’s not necessarily up to Apple but rather is on the folks who make them. Dantas explains that they’re expecting that to happen very soon.
So, that’s the waiting game we’re in for the time being, but it’s likely only a matter of time before these roll out. Dantas explains that it could come as a software or firmware update (like the example of the Nest thermostat above), or it could involve new smart home accessories being released as well.
Belkin
If you’re eager to use the Apple Home app and if you have an iPhone, a HomePod Mini, or an Apple TV 4K, any HomeKit accessories will support this. Here are a few:
Jacob Krol/Parade
Yes, you could get an Echo Dot and the same could be said for a Nest Mini, but if you’re after an experience that integrates deeply with your iPhone and other Apple devices. For $99, you’re ultimately getting a robust smart speaker with the HomePod Mini.
It’s pretty compact at about the size of an apple (the fruit, not the company) and delivers room-filling rich audio that comes in a few fresh shades—including orange, yellow, blue, space gray and white. And as a smart speaker, you’ll be able to talk with Siri by simply saying “Hey Siri.” You can ask topical questions, request personal things like messages or calls, as well as control your smart home.
As we approach the unveiling of Matter accessories for the smart home, the HomePod Mini can be especially useful since it acts as a Home hub. And in the meantime, it will let you access and control devices from afar, which is great.
In our testing, the HomePod Mini delivers rich audio that can get much louder than what you might expect from a speaker of this size. Additionally, it packs a significant punch with bass and, like AirPods Pro, adjusts the mix based on your space. Siri is also quite responsive and responds to questions or requests quickly.
Apple
So, to recap—you can open the Home app (from wherever) to ensure a door is locked, shut off or turn lights, and really check into the status of any connected device. It’s also about peace of mind in that you can monitor these things from anywhere. This connection is also secure—you need to be enrolled and have access to the home to control the devices.
And with the Matter ecosystem, Dantas explains that Apple “continues to apply the same lens for privacy that we do across all of our products and services. So all the data is stored using end-to-end encryption. So there’s no way for Apple to read this data. And Apple doesn’t build a profile around what accessories you use, or how you use them.”
This extends to how these smart home accessories can tap into the Apple Home ecosystem—like when using an app that wants access to photos on iOS, a smart home needs to request what information it wants to access within Home.
Version one of Matter doesn’t yet support video cameras or doorbells within this framework. But a Home hub like an Apple TV 4K or a HomePod Mini can power the HomeKit Secure Video feature, which allows you to securely view those cameras from anywhere.
A key advantage for Apple Home and Matter, as a whole, is that you’re not locked into just one ecosystem with a Matter accessory. Dantas dubs it as “giving users more choice and flexibility, and really helping fulfill the vision that matter has for greater interoperability.” And that’s a pretty big step for the smart home world.
Next up, We Spoke With Apple to Learn How Crash Detection Works on the iPhone and Apple Watch, Including How It Can Tell if AirBags Were Deployed
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The four winners of the 2022 myBurbank Information Halloween Residence Decorating Contest have been selected!
Listed here are the victors for every of our types:
Our Spookiest Decorations winner is: Pam Elliott of 427 N Reese Pl.
Elliott’s aim was to make “a spooky haunted graveyard” outdoors of her household this yr. The Burbank neighborhood member used visible outcomes to make chilling scenes in her entrance home windows and festive additions like singing Halloween pumpkins, ghosts and dancings skeletons.
“I did some investigation on how to do projections and hollusions so that ghosts would be hanging out among our tombstones, make pumpkins arrive to daily life with singing enjoyment tracks and show some scary scenes happening in the household,” Elliott explained. “I also uncovered how to generate 5-foot tall tombstones and make them appear practical.”
Elliott will be presented a box of spooktacular Halloween cookies from Present day Chunk, in which buyers can purchase tasty personalized cookies with remarkable types for special events like weddings, birthdays, child showers and much more.
“I truly feel honored and psyched to have won! And I’m seeking ahead to having some yummy cookies for my birthday coming up,” Elliott said. “Thank you so much for placing on this contest for Burbank … there are so several wonderful houses in this spot – I’m certain it was difficult to choose!”
The Most Distinctive Decorations winners are: Arnulfo Padilla and Tina Schaefer of 1505 N Valley St. The pair developed a stunning Wizard of Oz scene at their property that attributes lifetime-dimensions figures of the most important characters from the movie, a yellow brick road, a glowing apple tree, and a duplicate of the Emerald City that addresses the exterior of the property.
Their reward is a $50 reward card from Tequilas Cantina & Grill, a energetic Burbank eatery that supplies delectable Mexican foods and incorporates services these kinds of as patio eating, to-go orders, and catering for personal activities.
The Adorable ‘N Creepy Decorations winners are: Natalie and Jimmy Escobar of 1821 Bonita Ave. These champs made a decision to use a Nightmare Before Xmas theme for their decorations after currently being inspired to do so by their son, who is a enthusiast of the animated film. Figures from the movie and information such as the Town Square Fountain, the Holiday break Doorways and the Xmas tree with presents are incorporated into the eye-catching decorations.
“This was a labor of love, and to be even deemed with Burbank’s very best decorators is truly worthwhile in alone,” the pair said.
They will get a $50 present card to MA’s Italian Kitchen area, a homey eating location with delightful, classic Italian meals at fair price ranges for the complete household.
And finally, our Ideal General Decorations winners are: Michael, Kathy, Sam and Noah Reyes of 814 N Bel Aire Dr.
Drawing inspiration from various sources, the family created a “Voodoo Village” notion for their entrance lawn display. This features a lit-up environmentally friendly swamp location comprehensive with a 4-foot inflatable alligator, wrong rats, snakes, insects and a frog, as perfectly as an archway adorned with bones and branches. This structure is illuminated with purple LED lights and was created working with “old two-by-four lumber, fallen wooden and bark from our community mountains, old bones, skulls, fingers and toes typically made use of in most of [the family’s] Halloween shows,” Michael explained. Additionally, spooky fog blows by way of the property when the sounds of thunder, lightning, and banjo audio can be listened to on display screen nights.
“We took a minimal of Disney’s Princess and the Frog, Mardi Gras, the Bayou and voodoo magic and blended them alongside one another to give you our eyesight of the Voodoo Village,” Michael reported.
They have gained a $100 reward card to Crimson Maple Cafe. This restaurant serves coffee, espresso, tea, a entire breakfast menu, sandwiches, salads, bowls and additional to buyers in a warm, welcoming setting.
Upon acquiring the award, Michael described his family’s pleasure in witnessing the community’s enthusiastic reaction to their elaborate Halloween lights.
“It is these an honor to acquire finest total decorations! Doing the job on this challenge for most of October offers me and my family satisfaction that we ended up capable to execute a exhibit that brought out some emotion from every single of you,” Michael reported. “Whether it be happiness, fear or pleasure … we are so pleased to have been portion of this!”
Thank you to everyone who entered their properties in the competition, and Happy Halloween to all!
Below is a list of properties that have been chosen for honorable mention of the contest:
1738 N Evergreen St.
2352 N Orchard Dr.
1921 N Rose St.
532 S Mariposa St.
2028 N Maple St.
2020 N Manning St.
511 N Parish Position
1021 N California St.
1621 N Frederic St.
1030 N Cordova St.
