Ben Patterson

1 week ago | pcworld.com | Ben Patterson

The Philips Hue app has grown in complexity over the past several years, with more and more new features and settings being tucked into the user interface. That makes it all too easy to miss the latest and greatest in Hue functionality. Besides such newer features as light alarms and “mimic presence,” there are also old favorites like light timers and fade durations.

2 weeks ago | pcworld.com | Ben Patterson

The new Matter standard is getting better at helping Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings play nice with each other, but it often does so at the expense of finer-grained features. Some Matter-enabled smart lights, for example, can be turned on or off via Matter or change their color, but Matter controllers might not be able to access their lighting scenes or advanced animation modes.

2 weeks ago | pcworld.com | Ben Patterson

An AI-powered smart home voice assistant that amiably chats with you, follows your orders with ease, and does your bidding in the background? It’s a tantalizing idea that seems so close, yet remains stubbornly far away. The big prediction last year was that a new Apple smart hub powered by an AI-augmented Siri would arrive by spring 2025—right around now—complete with a touchscreen and smart home controls. It was a device that would vault Apple back into the smart home game.

2 weeks ago | pcworld.com | Ben Patterson

Anyone who owns a Roku streaming player is familiar with the Roku remote, the one with the four “shortcut” buttons in the bottom third of the device. The buttons are marked with a revolving door of streaming service logos, from Netflix and Hulu to Max and Apple TV+. Press one of the buttons, and you’ll jump directly to that streaming service.

2 weeks ago | pcworld.com | Ben Patterson

Everyone’s talking about Severance, that twisty, creepy Apple TV+ thriller starring Adam Scott–except you. Feeling left out? There’s still time to catch up, and you can do it for free. Unlike some streaming services, Apple TV+ offers a variety of free trials, including one option that spans a full three months. Students can also grab free Apple TV+ access, and there’s even a mobile carrier that offers Apple TV+ as a freebie, provided you’re signed up for the right service plan.