On a rainy Tuesday in San Francisco, Apple executives took the stage in a crowded auditorium to unveil the fifth-generation iPhone. The phone, which looked identical to the previous version, had a new feature that the audience was soon buzzing about: Siri, a virtual assistant. Scott Forstall, then Apple's head of software, pushed an iPhone button to summon Siri and prodded it with questions. At his request, Siri checked the time in Paris ("8:16 p.m.," Siri replied), defined the word "mitosis" ("Cell division in which the nucleus divides into nuclei containing the same number of chromosomes," it said) and pulled up a list of 14 highly rated Greek restaurants, five of them in Palo Alto, Calif. "I've been in the A.I. field for a long time, and this still blows me away," Mr. Forstall said.

On a rainy Tuesday in San Francisco, Apple executives took the stage to a packed auditorium to unveil the fifth-generation iPhone. The phone, which looked identical to the previous version, had a new feature that the public was quick to comment: Siri, a virtual assistant. Scott Forstall, then Apple's chief software officer, pressed a button on the iPhone to call Siri and asked questions. At his request, Siri checked the time in Paris ("20:16," Siri replied), defined the word "mitosis" ("Cell division in which the nucleus is divided into nuclei containing the same number of chromosomes," he said) and has published a list of 14 Greek restaurants highly regarded, five of them in Palo Alto, California. "I've been in the field of artificial intelligence for a long time and it continues to amaze me," Forstall says.

Smart home technology has made home security systems cheaper than ever. And while you can still pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a comprehensive system covering the interior and exterior of your property, it's possible to pick up an internet-connected, high definition security camera for significantly less. While many readers will be aware of smart security cameras from Nest, Ring and Arlo, these generally carry three-figure price tags. For this article, we're focusing on security cameras that cost significantly less, and which are closer to the $50 level. This means they don't necessarily have the same intelligence as more expensive options, but they still get the job done, and provide your smart home with an extra level of security.

The smart home has never been more accessible, with more affordable entry points than ever. From security cameras to smart light bulbs, pretty much any internet-connected device that you can control via an app is enough to get you started on your smart home journey. But before you dive in, we advise taking a few preliminary steps. For one, don't try to outfit your entire smart home in one go. Not only can this be quite expensive, we think it's generally best to buy just one or two items first to see if you like them. From there, you can figure out if you want to buy more devices, making sure that they're compatible with one another.

If you're looking for an attractive, easy-to-use smart filament bulb that won't break the bank, this inexpensive model from Bulbrite's Solana line makes for a solid choice. Available for $20, The Smart LED Filaments Tunable White A19 is a Wi-Fi-enabled bulb that doesn't require a hub, and unlike other smart filament bulbs in its price range, you can tune it from a warm white to a cool daylight temperature. Easy wireless setup and a sleek, intuitive app should please newcomers to the smart home market. Some key features are missing, however, such as proper sleep/wake modes as well as a vacation mode. And while the Bulbrite Solana bulb does support Alexa and Google Assistant, it lacks support for Apple's HomeKit and IFTTT.

It sure took long enough for Wyze Labs to unwrap a color smart bulb, but the Wyze Bulb Color was worth the wait. Available in a four-pack for $35, the Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled Bulb Color doesn't need a hub, and it packs features that most color smart bulbs in this price range don't, including sleep/wake routines and a vacation mode. The new Wyze bulb is also unusually bright given its price range, while the slick, intuitive Wyze app makes it easy to group multiple bulbs together. Tempering our enthusiasm is the fact that one of the Bulb Color's most enticing features--the ability to change color depending on triggers from the Wyze Cam, Wyze Lock, and other Wyze Labs devices--is a work in progress. This review is part of TechHive's coverage of the best smart LED bulbs, where you'll find reviews of the competition's offerings, plus a buyer's guide to the features you should consider when shopping this category.

If you're looking for an affordable color smart bulb that works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, the Sylvania A19 Smart Full Color bulb is a fine candidate, although you can't buy just one. This standard A19 bulb connects directly to Wi-Fi networks, meaning there's no need for a bridge or smart-home hub. Sylvania's mobile app offers a variety of grouping options, lighting scenes, and powerful automation tools. That said, we still prefer the more polished apps that come bundled with our favorite A19 smart bulbs from LIFX and Philips Hue. The Sylvania bulb also lacks the HomeKit support that LIFX and Hue bulbs deliver, but that will matter only to Apple users who use that ecosystem.

The voice-first community on social media continues to grow almost as quickly as the adoption of voice AI technology itself. In 2018, we identified 15 voice AI influencers to follow on Twitter and heard from a lot of our readers on how much they loved the list--an inspiring mix of engineers, entrepreneurs, academics, linguists and journalists. Two years later, we're updating our list to include 40 experts we recommend you follow to keep up with the latest in voice AI news, trends, predictions, and successes. As we are all in planning mode for 2021, we thought this would be a good time to publish a new list to help inspire you. If you know someone who should be included in our next list, please let us know.)

Here are the Wyze Outdoor Cam's specs: The Wyze Outdoor Starter Bundle includes one Outdoor Cam and one base station required for use. Running on two 2,600 mAh integrated rechargeable batteries, Wyze's Outdoor Cam is completely wire-free and claims a battery life of three to six months for normal use (about 10-20 events per day). A base station is required to use the camera, but it's included in the Wyze Outdoor Cam Starter Bundle, so there are no additional products to buy. Up to four total cameras can be added to the base station, allowing you to outfit the exterior of your home with multiple cameras for less than the cost of one Arlo Pro 4, our No. 1 pick for outdoor security cameras. Wyze's outdoor camera delivers 1080p video and night vision that are easy on the eyes, as well as two-way talk functionality that's clear and easy to understand.

It might sound like hyperbole, but I don't believe it's an exaggeration to say that the Sonos One speaker has improved my quality of life. Prior to my experience with the Sonos One, I primarily listened to music on small smart devices like Echo Dot, my phone, or at best through my car speakers. The touch controls on top of the One can turn the mic on/off, play/pause music, and adjust the volume. It wasn't until my work at Reviewed allowed me to try out a pair of second-gen Sonos One speakers that I realized the extent to which I had been depriving myself of a quality music experience, and how the right music can change the way life feels. In the hellscape that has been the year 2020, it's been more important than ever to find ways to decompress and allow my mind to escape to a happier place.