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This week’s Smart Living roundup features a smart sous vide accessory, a no-fuss intuitive Wi-Fi speaker, and get rewarded for using a smart thermostat. .
General Electric Co. released its new Monogram Induction cooktop that features touchscreen controls, LED lights and display, and a hefty price tag. The new Monogram Induction cooktop starts at $2,600 for the 30-inch range, and climbs up to a whopping $3,100 for the 36-inch. Some may forgive the price tag if they are into the art of sous vide, a slow cooking process that results in melt-in-your mouth steaks, perfectly slow-cooked eggs and other dishes expected of Michelin-star restaurants.
For an additional $149, you can get the smart sous vide accessory, which consists of a digital thermometer and wireless Bluetooth transmitter to communicate with the Monogram Induction cooktops. You can use the accessory to set the temperature and how long you want the dish to cook, or use a smartphone app to do that. Just set the temperature, and the induction cooktop will automatically adjust to the dish’s needs.
If you’re looking for a way to enjoy music more, a new project on Kickstarter Inc. might interest you. Named Sugr Cube, this Wi-Fi speaker is dubbed as the first intuitive wireless speaker. It streams music directly via Wi-Fi and has no buttons.
To interact with Sugr Cube, you either use your smartphone to set an alarm, choose songs, or just tap, touch, hold, rotate or flip it to make it do what you want. Tap on the Sugr Cube to play or pause a song, rotate it to the left or right to skip to the next song or go back to the previous one, hold the cube to instantly share your music to your friends, and if you’re using it as an alarm, flip it so you can catch some more z’s.
The Sugr Cube has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to seven hours of music playback, which makes using it a truly wireless experience.
State Farm is a group of insurance and financial services companies that’s teaming up with smart home device makers to reward homeowners. State Farm partnered with ADT and Lowe’s in 2013 as its customers receive discounted prices when they purchase connected home devices from the two home automation and security providers.
State Farm is not the only insurance company looking to reward its customers. According to Tim Arone, VP of Risk Management at Pure Insurance, his company wants to see smart thermostats, smart doorbells, smart locks and other connected devices in their clients’ homes as these devices add value to their homes.
“When I sell my house,” says Arone, “this could make it a little more valuable, what distinguishes my house versus my neighbor’s house.”
Arone mentioned that insurance companies offer discounts to home with these smart devices installed, and this trend could spread widely as more homeowners become interested in putting connected devices in their homes.
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