Amazon Sidewalk Is Launching
Starting June 8, Amazon will flip the switch on Amazon Sidewalk, activating Sidewalk support for most Echo speakers, as well as Ring products, Tile trackers, and Level smart locks. Amazon is also partnering with CareBand, a line of wearable sensors for people living with dementia, to run a pilot test of Sidewalk-enabled indoor and outdoor tracking, analysis of activity patterns, and help button functionality.
The NPD Take:
- Even for the less privacy-sensitive among us, Sidewalk may raise some red flags, which Amazon has been doing its best to squash. They reiterate that data is protected with three layers of encryption, only accessible by the devices you choose, and automatically deleted every 24 hours. Meanwhile, as a launch partner, Tile is probably (desperately) hoping that extending its network to Sidewalk devices will help in the brewing battle with Apple AirTags. And finally, we are sure to see more partners lighting up as time goes on, perhaps smart garage door openers from Chamberlain or outdoor lighting from Philips or connected car tech.
Phyn Introduces New Affordable Smart Water Sensor
Smart home water monitoring and leak detection company Phyn has a new line of products out, including the $40 Phyn Smart Water Sensor – a battery-powered, hockey-puck sized device that can monitor for leaks and changes in temperature and humidity. When the sensor comes into contact with water, it pushes out mobile notifications, sounds an audible alarm and flashes LED lights on the device itself. If connected to the Phyn Plus Smart Water Assistant Plus Shutoff, the sensor can also trigger a shutoff valve to turn off the water supply. The sensor is on sale now on the company's website as well as at Home Depot and Best Buy.
The NPD Take:
- This new sensor brings Phyn’s water monitoring into a whole new (and much lower) price realm – though the comparative functionality is commiserate with price (primarily missing the water usage statistics and the ability to directly shut off water supply found in Phyn’s higher end products). Nevertheless, it is a good entry level price point for consumers interested in leak detection.
Google Assistant Gets More Family Friendly
Google is announcing some improved Assistant features for families. The first is an expansion of its Broadcast feature so that messages will now show up on your Family Group’s phones in addition to being broadcast to Assistant devices throughout the home; useful if you need to get messages to people outside the home, as well as around the home. Updates to the Family Bell feature now lets you automatically remind your family that someone needs to do something around the house. Assistant is also getting a few more entertainment features in the form of new stories and games, and an Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? game for the Nest Hub.
The NPD Take:
- A better way to communicate with the family? What’s not to like about that…(although the person on the receiving end of those reminders may feel differently!).