Do you remember watching the TV show, The Jetsons about the futuristic Space Age family? I specifically bought into the idea of having elaborate inventions and robots to make the daily grind easier and more convenient. And it didn’t help that a friend named their dog, Astro to keep the story alive in my mind. I will forever be enamored by all the time-saving, step-saving, energy efficient gizmos and gadgets. Well, fast forward to the present day and now we have Alexa or Echo and Roombas to “help” us around the house. So when I came across this article about how 2 Seattle companies have built a smart home grabbed my attention. Imagine a home that according to the Creators “sort of manages itself” and “almost rubs your feet”! Read the complete article by Chelsea Lin and enjoy all the innovative things that await you.  http://www.seattlemag.com/home-and-garden/two-seattle-companies-have-built-smart-home-future 

No matter how you feel about AI (Artificial Intelligence) if Bill Gates who predicted in the ‘70’s that there’d be a computer in every home, is correct again with his prediction that by 2025, expect to welcome a Bot into your home.

Here is another link to an enlightening site called the “Best Smart Home Devices for 2018” Here you will find several short videos that will show you some very well-thought out and innovative technology driven devices. My favorites are: 1) The Amazon Cloud Cam for $100. Not only affordable but sounds easy to use with no pairing needed. Live streaming, night vision & 2 way-talk; 2) August Smart Lock is another affordable technological blue tooth app. $113. at Amazon.com. Easy to use, auto lock-unlock, works with Siri and Apple; 3) Three Hand-held mini Color scanners from $49. (Palette Pico rated 4 out of 18), $59. (Color Muse 5/18 ); $99. (Nix Mix has the best rating with 7/18) are able to match paint color by scanning your walls and getting all the info needed to help with touch ups. This is great for paint that may have faded over time to get the correct shade due to light exposure even if you think that you know the paint source. The color data info like HEX codes is sent to an app on your smart phone which then gives you suggestions for many major brands. 4.) Though not the most economical device, the features and flexibility of Lutron Serena Remote shades make them very enticing. The thought of being able to control shades remotely from anywhere with my smart phone is desirable. I could drop the shades because the sun has finally decided to come out. And if I had added Caseta Wireless lighting controls, I’d also be able to control the lights and thermostat so would be able to come home to a lit and warm home on dark and chilly days. Check out the website at: https://www.cnet.com/topics/smart-home/best-smart-home-devices/ and see the 14 Smart Home Devices that CNET reviewed.