C by GE is Now Cync
GE sold its lighting business to Savant back in mid 2020, and we are about to see the first major changes coming out of that move, with a switch from the C by GE moniker to a new brand name, Cync – and more importantly, an expanded product line beyond smart lighting. Among the new product offerings will be the Cync Indoor Camera, with options for cloud or microSD storage and a privacy shutter to cover the lens. No pricing information has been available yet, but the Indoor Camera is supposed to ship in May. Also in the works is a smart thermostat (no launch date yet), an outdoor smart plug (coming in March), and a ceiling fan smart switch (coming in June). The C by GE app is supposed to transition to Cync in March as well.
The NPD Take:
- C by GE smart bulbs continue to face strong competition from market leader Philips and brands like Merkury, Sengled, and Feit that are gaining share by providing more affordable alternatives to the leader. While there are certainly benefits to having all your smart home gadgets made by the same brand, a successful product expansion (particularly into cameras) from Cync is going to require distribution with the right retailers, a compelling price point, solid product specs and reviews, and some good fortune.
Tile Will Launch UWB Item Tracker?
The item tracker space (or at least rumors within…thanks to those elusive Apple AirTags, and more recently Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTags) are heating up, with the latest rumor coming in the form of a new ultra-wideband tracker from Tile. The new tracker is also supposed to leverage augmented reality – allowing users to launch an AR-enabled camera view in the app to help guide them to the item’s lost location using overlays such as directional arrows and an AR view of the item’s location. The new tracker is supposed to be released at some point in 2021 at a price point yet to be revealed.
The NPD Take:
- Because UWB offers spatial awareness, the new trackers should make it easier to locate missing items even when you can’t hear the tracker’s ring. With all the new competition set to come to item trackers (if and when rumors turn to reality), this UWB-powered tracker should help Tile maintain at least some of its sales momentum. That said, Apple-branded products do very well once they launch, and with the tight integration that AirTags are sure to have with iOS, its item trackers should be no exception to that rule.
Google Will Launch a New Nest Hub?
According to a new FCC filing, Google is likely to release a new Nest Hub in 2021 – which would be the first update since 2018. The company registered a new “interactive device” that features a screen, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Google’s Soli radar gesture technology. 9to5 Google reports that Soli will be used to track sleep patterns, leveraging the fact that smart displays are often placed on beside tables to act as alarm clocks. Soli could also be used for gesture control, such as today’s Nest Hub Max uses its camera to play/pause tracks when you hold up a hand.
The NPD Take:
- It is still early in the rumor stage and not much is known about the size of the new display, the price, or when it will become available. The addition of sleep tracking – if it works well – could be a very interesting value add – it certainly beats wearing a smart watch for sleep tracking…and draining the battery, to boot. Zigbee, meanwhile, should facilitate better smart home integrations.