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Smart Home News 5 September 2025 - 16 December 2025

Newfoundland Power and Mysa Launch takeCHARGE Smart Thermostat Pilot: How NL Households Can Earn Up to $140 for Cutting Peak Demand

Newfoundland Power and Mysa Launch takeCHARGE Smart Thermostat Pilot: How NL Households Can Earn Up to $140 for Cutting Peak Demand

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A new winter pilot in Newfoundland and Labrador is offering cash-like rewards to households that help reduce electricity demand when the provincial grid is under the most pressure. Newfoundland Power, working with St. John’s-based smart thermostat company Mysa, is rolling out a limited-capacity “demand response” program aimed at trimming peak-time electricity use—primarily from electric baseboard heating—through small, automated temperature adjustments that participants can override at any time. Alapbs+2TakeCHARGE+2 The initiative is being delivered through takeCHARGE, the energy efficiency partnership backed by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Newfoundland Power. It’s designed to test whether coordinated, short-term reductions
16 December 2025
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Google Home’s Gemini Revolution: Can AI Fix the Smart Home and Win Back Your Trust?

Google Home’s Gemini Revolution: Can AI Fix the Smart Home and Win Back Your Trust?

Gemini Replaces Assistant: A New AI “Brain” for Your Home After nearly a decade, Google is pulling the plug on the original Google Assistant in its smart home products and swapping in something far more powerful. Gemini, Google’s latest conversational AI, will now handle voice interactions on Google Home speakers, displays, and other deviceswired.com. The trigger phrase “Hey Google” stays the same, but everything behind it is new – instead of the old scripted Assistant, you’ll be talking to a modern large language model that understands natural language and contextwired.com. Google Assistant debuted in 2016 as an answer to Amazon’s
5 October 2025
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Amazon’s Finance Teams Unleash AI for Complex Tasks – Transforming Corporate Finance

Amazon’s Fall Gadget Bonanza: Color Kindle Scribe, $40 4K Fire Stick, AI Ring Cams & More

All-New Kindle Scribe Lineup Amazon completely redesigned its Kindle Scribe e-reader/notetakers for the 2025 model year, focusing on productivity. The lineup now has three models (up from one): a base Scribe without a front light, a Scribe with a front light, and the new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. All share a new slim body (just 5.4 mm thick) and a larger 11″ E Ink display (previous Scribe was 10.2″). As Andrew Liszewski of The Verge reports, Amazon “got rid of the asymmetrical chin” and slimmed the device so it’s lighter – only 400 g (versus 433 g before) theverge.com. The bigger screen better matches a sheet of paper: users can view
1 October 2025
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Amazon’s AI-Powered Device Overhaul: Alexa+ Echoes, Color Kindle Scribbles & 4K Ring Cameras Unveiled

Amazon’s AI-Powered Device Overhaul: Alexa+ Echoes, Color Kindle Scribbles & 4K Ring Cameras Unveiled

Massive 2025 Hardware Launch Event On Sept. 30, 2025 in New York City, Amazon held its biggest hardware showcase in years – unveiling revamped gadgets across Echo speakers, Kindles, Fire TVs and security cameras. The headline was Alexa+, a generative-AI revamp of Alexa. Panos Panay (SVP of Devices & Services, formerly of Microsoft) led the presentations. He framed the event as the culmination of a multi-year “devices overhaul” aimed at making Amazon’s gadgets smarter and more polished aboutamazon.com. In his introduction to Alexa+, Panay wrote that with 600 million Alexa devices deployed, “advancements in generative AI have unlocked new possibilities”
1 October 2025
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SwitchBot’s New AI Hub, Art Frame & Robot Pets Stun IFA 2025 – A Smart Home Revolution?

SwitchBot’s New AI Hub, Art Frame & Robot Pets Stun IFA 2025 – A Smart Home Revolution?

SwitchBot’s Big Reveal at IFA 2025 At the IFA 2025 tech expo in Berlin, SwitchBot made waves by unveiling a trio of AI-driven smart home devices that blur the line between utilitarian gadgets and personable home companions. SwitchBot – known previously for quirky, clever add-ons like robotic button-pressers and smart curtain motors – stepped into the spotlight with its new “Embodied AI” lineup prnewswire.com. Announced on September 4, 2025, the lineup comprised: This breadth—from a home automation hub to an AI art display to literal robot pets—shows SwitchBot’s ambition to integrate AI “in every room,” from the living room to
18 September 2025
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19,500Pa Suction & AI Mop: Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone Takes Robot Vacuums to the Next Level

19,500Pa Suction & AI Mop: Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone Takes Robot Vacuums to the Next Level

The Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone is a new flagship robot vacuum-mop announced at IFA 2025, boasting unprecedented suction power (19,500 Pa) Vacuumwars, a bagless self-emptying base, and advanced AI features. Priced around $1,499, it promises nearly hands-free cleaning with minimal maintenance. Below we break down its specs, innovations, and early impressions – and see how it stacks up against top rivals like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, DreameBot L20 Ultra, and iRobot Roomba Combo j9+. Key Facts at a Glance: Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone robot vacuum and mop at its base station – the X11 introduces a bagless cyclone dock and
18 September 2025
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Google Nest Hub vs Nest Hub Max: The Ultimate Smart Display Showdown (2025 Edition)

Smart Home Showdown 2025: Google Nest vs Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit & More

(Today’s smart home battlefield is fiercer than ever, with Google’s Nest lineup facing off against Amazon’s Alexa/Ring empire, Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem, and a host of specialized rivals. Who’s winning in thermostats, speakers, cameras, and beyond? Read on for the ultimate 2025 smart home showdown.) Key Facts Thermostats: Nest vs Ecobee (and the Rest) Google Nest Thermostats: Google’s flagship thermostat is the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen), launched in 2024 as the first major update in nearly a decade tomsguide.com tomsguide.com. The 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat features a premium bezel-free glass display and built-in AI smarts that make it more context-aware
16 September 2025
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Smart Home Showdown 2025: Google Nest vs Alexa, HomeKit & the Rest – Which Ecosystem Rules?

The Post-Assistant Era: Google’s Gemini Comes Home – What It Means for Your Smart Home

A New AI Voice Assistant for the Home: Gemini for Home Nearly a decade after introducing Google Assistant as a handy voice helper, Google is now giving its smart home ecosystem a radical upgrade. Gemini for Home is an all-new AI voice assistant that will “eventually replace Google Assistant” on all Nest-brand smart speakers and smart displays theverge.com. Announced in August 2025 by Google’s Nest team, Gemini for Home is built on the company’s latest large language model (LLM) technology (the same family of AI models behind Google’s Gemini chatbot). This means it can understand and respond to far more
14 September 2025
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Smart Home Showdown 2025: Google Nest vs Alexa, HomeKit & the Rest – Which Ecosystem Rules?

Smart Home Showdown 2025: Google Nest vs Alexa, HomeKit & the Rest – Which Ecosystem Rules?

Key Facts at a Glance Google Nest Ecosystem in 2025 – Smarter Assistant, Unified Platform Google’s smart home universe, branded Google Nest, spans thermostats, smart speakers, displays, cameras, video doorbells, security alarm systems, smoke detectors, and Wi-Fi routers. All these devices integrate with the Google Home app and respond to Google Assistant voice commands (“Hey Google…”). A key selling point of Google’s ecosystem is how well it ties into the everyday services many people already use: Android phones, YouTube and Chromecast streaming, Google Calendar, Gmail, etc. If you’re an Android user, controlling a Nest device can feel seamless – the
6 September 2025
Google Nest Hub vs Nest Hub Max: The Ultimate Smart Display Showdown (2025 Edition)

Nest Hub vs Nest Hub Max: Google’s Smart Displays Face Off in 2025 – Which Should You Pick?

Key Facts Overview: Google’s Two Smart Displays in 2025 Google offers two smart display devices in its Nest smart home lineup – the standard Nest Hub (2nd Generation) and the larger Nest Hub Max. These devices combine the voice-controlled intelligence of Google Assistant with a touchscreen, allowing you to not only hear responses and music but also see visual info, watch videos, view cameras, and more. Despite sharing an almost identical design language and software, the Hub and Hub Max cater to slightly different needs. The Nest Hub (7-inch screen) is the second-gen model released in 2021, succeeding the original 2018 Google Home Hub. It deliberately omits a
6 September 2025
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NexLawn Master X Series: The Robot Lawnmower That Plays Fetch and Picks Fruit

NexLawn Master X Series: The Robot Lawnmower That Plays Fetch and Picks Fruit

Key Facts NexLawn’s Master X Series Concept Unveiled The NexLawn Master X Series Concept robot mower equipped with its versatile mechanical arm, which folds down when not in use. This ambitious prototype can not only cut grass but also interact with the environment – from picking up yard debris to playing fetch with a pet. From Dreame’s Labs to the Lawn The Master X Series Concept marks the global debut of the NexLawn brand, which was introduced at IFA 2025. NexLawn is a gardening and robotics arm of MOVA, itself under Chinese smart appliance maker Dreame (known for robot vacuums).
5 September 2025
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Eufy’s MarsWalker: The Stair-Climbing Robot That Carries Your Vacuum Upstairs

Eufy’s MarsWalker: The Stair-Climbing Robot That Carries Your Vacuum Upstairs

Summary of Key Facts What Exactly Is the MarsWalker? The Eufy MarsWalker is essentially a robotic stair-climbing transporter designed to carry a robot vacuum cleaner from floor to floor. Unlike traditional robot vacuums (which are limited to one level and typically avoid stairs for fear of tumbling down), MarsWalker actively navigates stairs while carrying a vacuum on its back. Eufy describes it as the “world’s first stair-climbing carrier for robot vacuums,” a kind of elevator or “stairlift” for your robo-vac Theverge Globenewswire. In practical terms, MarsWalker is a separate robotic base that your compatible Eufy vacuum can dock into when it needs to change floors. The unit has four motorized legs/arms that can extend, lift and stabilize,
5 September 2025
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Stock Market Today

Walmart stock jumps to $131 as traders brace for CPI and Feb. 19 earnings

Walmart stock jumps to $131 as traders brace for CPI and Feb. 19 earnings

7 February 2026
Walmart shares rose 3.3% Friday to $131.18, up 10% since Jan. 30, as the Dow closed above 50,000 for the first time. The retailer’s market value crossed $1 trillion this week. Investors await January inflation data on Feb. 13 and Walmart’s quarterly results on Feb. 19 for signs of continued momentum.
Caterpillar stock price jumps 7% to $726 as Dow cracks 50,000 — what matters next week

Caterpillar stock price jumps 7% to $726 as Dow cracks 50,000 — what matters next week

7 February 2026
Caterpillar shares surged 7.1% to $726.20 Friday, driving the Dow above 50,000 for the first time. The move erased recent losses and followed insider selling by Group President Bob De Lange earlier in the week. Deere and CNH Industrial also gained as investors rotated into industrial stocks. Markets await next week’s U.S. jobs and inflation data.
Amazon stock slides as $200B AI spending plan meets cautious profit outlook

Amazon stock slides as $200B AI spending plan meets cautious profit outlook

7 February 2026
Amazon shares fell 9% Friday after the company announced plans for $200 billion in 2026 capital spending, mainly for AWS and AI, and issued a first-quarter profit outlook below estimates. The stock drop could erase $200 billion in market value. Fourth-quarter net sales rose 14% to $213.4 billion, while free cash flow declined due to higher spending on AI infrastructure.
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