Ben PattersonSenior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices.
ADT will sell and install Nest devices under $450 million Google deal
Nest cameras and displays will soon become the “cornerstone” of ADT’s smart home offerings, Google says.
The revamped Alexa app features much more useful home screen
A simplified and more personalized version of the Alexa app for iOS and Android is rolling out over the next few weeks.
Wyze's new people detection forces a price hike, but existing subscribers get a reprieve
The pricier Cam Plus plan, complete with Wyze’s revamped people detection feature, is replacing the old Complete Motion Capture plan, but current subscribers won’t see any price hikes for a year.
Movies Anywhere unveils its own Watch Together feature
Now you can co-watch any title in your Movies Anywhere locker with up to nine friends, although your guests might need to jump through some hoops to start watching.
Spotify’s Group Session feature now allows for remote listening with friends
You no longer need to be in the same room to launch a Spotify Group Session with your buddies.
Nest thermostat won’t connect to Wi-Fi? Try these fixes first
Google will send you a free replacement for a Nest thermostat that’s suffering from the dreaded w5 Wi-Fi error, but there are also some troubleshooting steps you can try.
Reuters, Fubo Sports Network, The Bob Ross Channel, Kidoodle TV, and more are now streaming on Plex, and they’re all free (though ad-supported).
How to recover an accidentally deleted Spotify playlist
Did you just zap a Spotify playlist you’ve been working on for years? All is not lost.
Spotify now lets you watch podcasts as well as listen to them
Support for video podcasts is rolling out to Spotify users this week, starting with 'Book of Basketball 2.0,' 'The Morning Toast,' and a handful of other popular shows.
You can finally stream Netflix on a Google Nest Hub or Hub Max smart display
The Google Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max just became the first smart displays to support Netflix streaming.
Wyze backtracks on free people detection for all its camera users, but offers a novel alternative
While Wyze says it can’t afford free people detection for all its users, it’s proposing a name-your-price model for early adopters.
EU launches antitrust probe focusing on Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri
EU regulators want to know whether voice assistants are giving companies such as Amazon, Apple, and Google an unfair advantage by limiting choice and collecting data on their users.
Aura’s landscape-only Carver smart frame uses AI to pair portrait photos
Aura’s latest photo frame comes with unlimited cloud storage as well as Alexa and Google Assistant support.
Xiaomi has yet to reveal pricing or a release date for the Android TV-powered Mi TV Stick.
Spotify debuts charts for top and trending podcasts
Now there’s an easier way to find the hottest and most popular podcasts on Spotify.