Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. An upcoming update will bring new features to existing HomePods. Jada Jones is a journalist based outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Apple's new HomePod Mini 2 debuted with several new features. Many advanced features will be available on the 2023 HomePod (2nd Gen).

Apple's much anticipated smart home launch event is here, and it has quite an array of new hardware to show off. In addition to the new HomeView smart display and updated Apple TV and HomePod mini, the company also announced an ecosystem of accessories that it designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. These include home security cameras, video doorbells, thermostats and sensors, with an entire ecosystem that the company is calling the Apple Home Collection. To be clear, these aren't just existing products that LG and Schneider repurposed to meet a set of specs just to qualify for a program. They were designed in collaboration with Apple, and are meant to be reliable, private and easy to set up.

Just ahead of Apple's smart home event on Tuesday, we may finally have a name for the long-awaited smart home hub. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the device that will serve as a Siri command center for a user's Apple-powered smart home will be called the "HomeView" and will make its big debut during the company's "Welcome home" event. The smart home hub is expected to pair with Apple's other smart home devices, like the HomePod mini that's also expected to get a refresh. However, Gurman explained that the "View" portion of the name is meant to convey that the device will be a display that is primarily controlled through Siri and voice commands, instead of something like "HomePad," which would imply a tablet experience. According to Gurman, the HomeView will come in a countertop version with a metal speaker base in space gray, silver, starlight and pink color options, as well as a wall-mounted model that will only come in space gray and silver.

I wore the world's first HDR10 smart glasses TCL's new E Ink tablet beats the Remarkable and Kindle Anker's new charger is one of the most unique I've ever seen I wore the world's first HDR10 smart glasses TCL's new E Ink tablet beats the Remarkable and Kindle Anker's new charger is one of the most unique I've ever seen Apple's smart home springs a leak - here's everything we expect to see in September We're already waiting for the new gen-AI-powered Siri, but a home hub may be on the way as well. Ten devices, including a new HomePod mini and security camera, were accidentally leaked. An Apple smart home display, rumored for years, also appears in the leak. We expect Apple's product launch event to take place within the next four weeks. A recent leak included references to unreleased Apple hardware, confirming that the company has been working on multiple smart home upgrades rumored for release over the next year.

Blink and you may have missed it, but Google gave us a peek at what sure looks like a new smart speaker during its Made by Google event on Wednesday. A "leaked" product is one that's been mistakenly revealed, whereas the speaker we saw during Google's Pixel event got a clear supporting role, with F1 driver Lando Norris cheerfully chatting with the device. Google meant for us to notice the new and unannounced smart speaker. So, what do we know about this little gray (or porcelain?) That may sound obvious, but so often with rumored or "leaked" new products, we're in the land of pure conjecture.

Well, it's official: Apple is finally nixing support for its old Home architecture, meaning those relying on the previous version of Apple's Home framework have some decisions to make. In a revision to a support article, Apple says that it will end support for the previous version of its Home app starting in fall 2025, right around the time when iOS 19 is expected to drop, MacRumors reports. If you don't update, you face "interruptions with your accessories and automations," Apple warns. In other words, you'll lose control of your Apple HomeKit-connected smart devices. Apple's move to ditch its old Home app has been a long time in coming.

Smart speakers have become the ultimate multitaskers for your home, combining great sound with the convenience of voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. Whether you're streaming your favorite playlists, checking the weather, controlling your smart home devices or setting reminders hands free, a good smart speaker can make your day-to-day life a whole lot easier -- and more fun, too. If you're an audiophile, some models prioritize high-quality sound that can fill a room. If you're on a budget, there are plenty of affordable options that still pack in tons of features. And if you're deep into the smart home ecosystem, finding a speaker that seamlessly connects to your devices will be a game-changer. We've picked out the best smart speakers for every need, whether you're after booming bass, a sleek design or advanced voice assistant capabilities.

If you've been thinking of buying Apple's HomePod (2nd generation), now's the time to act -- it's on sale right now at Verizon for 175. That's a significant 125 discount (42 percent off) and represents one of the best deals we've seen on the smart speaker to date. In addition, Verizon is currently offering a deal on the HomePod Mini, letting you get a pair for 150, or 25 percent off. The latest Apple HomePod speaker is on sale at one of the best prices we've seen to date. With sound that's clearer and richer than offerings from Amazon and Google, the second-gen HomePod garnered a solid 84 score in our review last year.

When we first reviewed Apple's HomePod mini in 2020, we had some reservations. While it was a much better value than the original HomePod, it still had some of the same limitations of its bigger sibling. Siri wasn't as bright as Alexa or Google Assistant, the HomeKit ecosystem was limited and there were no real alternatives to Apple Music for on-demand tunes. You bought a mini for Apple's tight integration, and not much else. Apple has significantly expanded the HomePod mini's functionality.

Voice assistants are everywhere now – on your phone, in your TV, possibly even in your kitchen appliances. But one of the most common ways that people interact with Siri, Alexa and the Google Assistant is through a smart speaker, and there are now a wide variety of such devices available at a wide variety of price points. There are downsides to having a smart home device that's always listening for a wake word, as giving more personal information to Amazon, Apple and Google can be a questionable decision. That said, all these companies have made it easier to manage how your data is used -- you can opt out of humans reviewing some of your voice queries, and it's also less complicated to manage and erase your history with various digital assistants, too. The good news is that there's never been a better time to get a smart speaker, particularly if you're a music fan. For all their benefits, the original Amazon Echo and Google Home devices did not sound good. Sonos, on the other hand, made great sounding WiFi-connected speakers, but they lacked any voice-controlled smarts. Sonos released its own voice assistant in 2022 and also supports Alexa on its latest speakers.