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InnoFest 2018: LG envisions a connected home and here’s how it’ll work

Fresh from LG InnoFest 2018

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The year is 2018 and smart technology has transcended beyond your smartphone. As you were busy wasting your life scrolling away on social media, a revolution has been happening: Smart tech has slowly and surely crept into our home lives.

LG envisions the connected home, and artificial intelligence has been called in for reinforcement. True to their promise of “innovation for a better life,” the Korean tech company showcased what their new appliances can do.

At this year’s InnoFest (the brand’s annual innovation event), LG highlighted ThinQ, which is what the company calls their AI, and it paints a pretty picture of what could be your place.

Things your smart home can do

These smart devices can do so much. Take Cloi, for example. Aside from the great gift of cuteness with those wide virtual eyes, Cloi responds to voice and touch; you can actually pet it and it will respond. But, Cloi’s main function isn’t to be cute (though it does a very good job at that). It acts as a hub in your home that connects your appliances. Through voice commands, it can control everything — from lights, to air conditioning, to speakers, and even the refrigerator. It can even recognize your face and adjust home settings depending on your preference.

Meet Cloi. That’s the LG Hom bot on the carpet, and yes, Cloi can control it too using your voice commands

LG’s ThinQ-capable TV can respond to voice commands and it learns context which makes for better and more accurate answers. You can ask about the weather, programs, or even ask it to show you photos you’ve saved from that vacation ten years ago. Not to mention: The new W8 TV isn’t only smarter, it has better picture quality, too.

Better picture quality is because of the new A9 Intelligent Processor which allows for the perfect blacks, and in turn, the perfect color

The LG InstaView refrigerator has been my favorite from the whole LG roster ever since I laid my eyes on it at last year’s InnoFest. Yes, it’s still smart. Yes, it still answers to voice commands. Yes, you can still knock on it to show what’s inside. Yes, it will still tell you what’s about to go bad in the fridge and what possible recipes you can make. And also: This InstaView panel comes to more refrigerators, including LG’s multi-door refrigerators.

The best part? It can communicate to other appliances in the kitchen. You can literally send information from the fridge to the oven so that the oven knows what it’s cooking, what settings it needs, and when it should turn off. You will never go hungry again!

A quick knock and that screen becomes see-through!

This may look like your typical bathroom, but it’s definitely not. In a feat of engineering tech marvel, the toilet seat lifts automatically as you enter this room because it can detect people come in — no more toilet seat lifting, ever! Even the lights on the bathroom mirror know when you’re walking in, and it adjusts brightness based on that. There are sensors that check the humidity in the room and automatically adjust the temperature.

The bathroom of the future!

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg: There are automatic air filters, washing machines that know your laundry settings, and air conditioners that respond. The possibilities are endless.

Think about it…

This could be your connected life

On a Friday night, you’re exhausted from the work week but fulfilled by what has been accomplished. You look forward to a relaxing weekend at home. Before driving out, you tell your phone — an LG V30S ThinQ — to turn up your air conditioner. You arrive home and it’s nice and cool, you ask Cloi, LG’s home hub robot, to turn on the light and play music from your chill Friday Spotify playlist. Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious” starts playing on all speakers in your house — not exactly what you had in mind for this chill evening, but it’s enough to get you pumped as you get your place ready for guests. You tell your phone to start cleaning up and the LG Hom Bot (yep, that self-maneuvering vacuum) whizzes past you as you knock on your LG SmartInstaView fridge and its window becomes transparent to allow you to check what food you have left to feed the friends who are coming over. All pretty cool, yeah?

Did I mention, that smart apartment could look this chic and comfortable?

I’m telling you, AI and connected homes are the future. And, it’s looking like the future is here.

SEE ALSO: Lessons from household appliances

Accessories

Dyson Airstrait: Hair straightening with air, not heat

Less heat, less damage

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People may now straighten hair without worrying about heat damage. Dyson has launched the new Dyson Airstrait hair straightener, ushering a new era in hair straightening. As the product name suggests, this innovative tool introduces a new way to straighten hair using just air.

The Airstrait has a simple wet-to-dry straightening process. Airflow is accelerated through the two arms’ 1.5mm openings, creating a high-velocity downward blade of air at a specific angle. This creates a controlled downward force to straighten hair simultaneously as it dries.

With the tool, stylers can achieve a naturally straight and shiny finish that maintains the hair’s strength and healthy look. The Airstrait also speeds the process up by about 25%. What’s best is there is no heat damage, unlike traditional straighteners.

Designed for multiple hair types

The Airstrait runs on a specifically-engineered Hyperdymium motor, a 13-blade impeller that spins up to 106,000rpm and generates 3.5kPa of pressure. Like Dyson’s hair care range, the Airstrait features intelligent heat control that measures the airflow’s temperature to ensure there is no damage.

Users may switch between two styling modes: Wet and Dry. The Wet and Dry modes are pre-set with specific heat and airflow combinations for the best results. A Cool mode is also available to set the style. Moreover, the airflow control has two speed settings, low and high. Drying, meanwhile, can be set to cold shot or root drying.

The science

Dyson has constantly invested a lot financially in research and technology development to craft innovative products in its specific industry. In creating the Airstrait, Dyson engineers studied every detail, from airflow dynamics to hair structure. They also considered thermal, mechanical, and chemical damage and their effects to hair health.

In the end, the Airstrait works based on one key principle. In styling hair to a new shape, hydrogen bonds from each hair strand are broken down. Traditionally, this is done through heat or moisture. But Dyson came up with a tool that just lets water weaken the hydrogen bonds, and then style hair with the optimum level of heat and controlled airflow.

Price, availability

The Dyson Airstrait is available starting April 16 in two colorways: Bright Nickel/Rich Copper and Prussian Blue/Rich Copper. It is priced at PhP 33,900.

Those interested in preordering may already do using this link: Dyson Airstrait

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Filipina who created Window Garden joins Google Play program

More indie games to come?

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Filipina-owned CLOVER-FI Games is taking the next step to build more accessible mobile games through Google Play. One-woman developer and publisher Camilla Santiago is representing the country at Google Play’s Indie Games Accelerator (IGA) program this year.

Her CLOVER-FI Games studio is behind hit local game Window Garden. The idle game lets players plant and decorate their own virtual indoor garden while relaxing in chill vibes, lo-fi music, and a cottagecore aesthetic. It was released in October 2021, back when Santiago learned app development amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Windows Garden has since amassed a million downloads. In almost three years, it has been received well by gamers with a 4.7 rating based on more than 8,200 reviews.

Google Play IGA

The Google Play IGA is a 10-week course designed for high-potential indie game studios. The program allows these startups to access the best of Google’s programs, products, people, and technology to be able to build and improve a successful organization.

The last Philippine representative in the program was Ranida Games, which had created one-on-one fighting game Vita Fighters. Through IGA, the title received benefits, allowing the developers to improve it.

Like Ranida Games, Santiago’s CLOVER-FI Games is just getting started. Her studio’s goal is to ultimately create more cozy-themed games that are accessible to everyone through mobile platforms.

With the help of the IGA, Santiago will be equipped with the necessary skills and experience needed to create another potentially successful title just like Window Garden. We can only wait as she empowers Filipinas through her craft.

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Dyson unveils ‘most intelligent hair dryer’ yet

The Supersonic Nural

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During its global launch event in Seoul, South Korea, Dyson has unveiled its “most intelligent hair dryer” yet: The Dyson Supersonic Nural.

The styling tool harnesses Dyson’s new automatic Nural sensor technology to protect scalp health and enhance hair’s natural shine.

One of the Dyson Supersonic Nural’s key features is a Scalp protect mode which is activated by the Nural sensors.

This automatically reduces the dryer’s heat as it nears a person’s head, protecting the scalp from damage. The process is done by having the sensors recognize when the dryer is already nearing the person’s head.

In addition, the Supersonic Nural’s LED light automatically changes under Scalp mode, depending on the distance from the head. Users will see yellow for low heat, orange for medium heat, and red for high heat, for convenient usage.

Moreover, the tool intelligently remembers your last used heat and airflow settings and will apply them the next time it is in use.

Price, availability

The Dyson Supersonic Nural comes in two color palettes: Ceramic Patina and Topaz or Vinca Blue and Topaz.

The entire package will come with five attachments, including two new ones:

  • Gentle Air Attachment
  • Styling Concentrator
  • Smoothing Nozzle
  • Diffuser
  • Flyaway Smoother

However, the technology has not been made available in the Philippines yet as of writing time. To be the first to know when it arrives, sign up here.

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