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IKEA gave Dubai customers discounts based on their Google Maps travel times
IKEA's sprawling blue and yellow stores are usually located on the outskirts of cities, so for most people a trip to the Swedish furniture kingdom is a big event in itself. To reward its customers for making the trek, the company has now launched an initiative called "Buy With Your Time," where shoppers can purchase products with currency accumulated on the basis of their travel time to the store.
The Morning After: Mobile World Congress 2020 is officially canceled
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. The world's biggest phone show isn't happening -- canceled roughly 10 days before it was meant to start. The coronavirus outbreak has put a stop to the Mobile World Congress 2020. LG, the first major company to cancel, may have started the ball rolling, but by the time companies ranging from Amazon to ZTE had pulled out, organizers GSMA really didn't have a choice. Mere days ago, though, they pretended like they did -- desperate to ensure the multi-million-dollar Barcelona event went ahead, like it has every year since 2006. Do I think the companies (and MWC) were right to close things down? Yes. It's a WHO emergency, and it was well within their power to stop anything that might spread the virus. I get it. It's bad news for business deals and getting the good word out about 5G, (God knows it needs the help). And while Apple and Samsung have the influence (and sell enough phones) to have their own independent product launches -- the same can't really be said for LG, Sony, Nokia and many others. While they'll have product briefings and launch livestreams, the halo effect will be less. The headlines, fewer. In the end, we're talking about Mobile World Congress: A show centered on digital communications. If any show can (should) be able to cope with conference calls, video streams and the rest, shouldn't this be it? -- Mat
The Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid works as promised, but only for small batches
The Instant Pot has garnered a huge fan base in recent years, and for good reason. Yes, it replaces your slow cooker and you can make yogurt in it (in some models anyway) but its real claim to fame is as an electric pressure cooker that can significantly shorten cooking time. Imagine braised short ribs in under an hour, or homemade pho in 30 minutes. The best part is that you can just set the timer and walk away, without having to tend to it like you would a stovetop version. It's been over two years since I purchased my Instant Pot Ultra, and it remains one of my favorite kitchen appliances. That said, I found myself lusting after yet another trendy kitchen appliance: the air fryer. The idea behind it is that it can "fry" foods with just hot air and without the oily mess that deep-frying entails. However, as publications like Wirecutter and Cook's Illustrated point out, air fryers are nothing more than re-packaged convection ovens. If you do want crispy "air-fried" foods, Wirecutter recommends getting a countertop convection oven instead, which obviously has a lot more features than just air frying.
The Galaxy Home Mini is finally available, but most people can't get it
After almost two years, it looks like at least one of Samsung's long-in-development Bixby smart speakers will finally make its way out to consumers -- though likely not in the way most of us imagined. After Samsung skipped announcing the Galaxy Home Mini at its Unpacked event on Tuesday, TizenHelp spotted that people in South Korea can get the device as a bonus for pre-ordering the Galaxy S20. The offer appears to be available until February 26th, but it doesn't look like they buy the speaker by itself.
Amazon is undercutting Facebook's own Portal sale
Ahead of Valentine's Day, Facebook is discounting its Portal products by $30 each -- and it's added $50 discounts for bulk-buying into the mix, too. While this isn't quite as good a deal as Facebook's previous Black Friday offering, the 'buy one, get one reduced for someone close to you' deal could well be appealing. Not one to be outdone, though, Amazon has gone one better and is right now not only matching these discounts, but beating them on most of the Portal models and including the $50 bulk-buy discount to boot.
All Nest accounts will require extra sign-in security this spring
It's not just Ring committing to improving the security of its smart home systems in 2020. Google's Nest has announced that, as of this spring, it will require email-based two-factor authentication for everyone who hasn't previously enabled the feature or migrated to a Google account. This reduces the chances of someone hijacking your smart home setup, even for more ambitious intruders who might use SIM swapping to intercept SMS-based two-factor sign-ins.
The Morning After: The last Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and S20 leaks
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Today, Samsung will reveal a few mobile devices well ahead of the MWC show, which is quickly racking up cancellations due to coronavirus fears. We've seen plenty of leaks, including a few from Samsung itself, so phones like the Galaxy Z Flip and S20 are as confirmed for unveiling as you'll get. Like most of you, I'm still skeptical about foldable devices, but there's a lot more than just those in store. We have a full rundown of what to expect available, here, so you can read through it and get ready for the event at 2 PM ET. -- Richard
What to expect from Samsung's Galaxy S20 event
We're less than a week away from Samsung's Unpacked event on February 11th, and, as in previous years, there's been a deluge of pre-release leaks and reports detailing almost every aspect of the company's upcoming devices. We expect Samsung to announce new Galaxy S-series phones alongside a clamshell foldable as well as several other devices. The company may also provide us with a release date for the Galaxy Home. Here's everything we know so far about the products Samsung will likely announce at the event.
Ecobee's Family Accounts put limits on smart home control
Ring isn't the only company giving you better smart home privacy controls. Ecobee is trotting out a Family Accounts feature that lets up to 15 people in your household control thermostats and other gear without having to hand over your sign-in details. They can steer devices and invite other people to the same group, but they can't add or remove devices, make account changes or sign up for Eco+ like the master account can.
Teenage Engineering wants you to 'hack' its IKEA line with 3D printing
Teenage Engineering's IKEA collection, the FREKVENS line, arrives in stores this month, and Teenage Engineering is already helping customers hack the products. The company has released free, downloadable CAD files for a handful of DIY accessories that you can 3D print at home and attach to your FREKVENS speakers and lights.
Philips patched a longstanding Hue bulb security flaw
Philips and its parent company Signify have patched another Hue smart light bulb vulnerability. Fortunately, the flaw was discovered by security researchers at CheckPoint Software, and it's unlikely that it was exploited in the wild. But this isn't the first time researchers have shown how smart home products, and Hue lights specifically, could give hackers access to entire home or business networks.
Google Assistant can now say where your Tile is
Tracking gadget Tile has been a boon to the forgetful, and now it's set to get even more helpful. Previously, you could use Google Assistant to ring your Tile, so finding your keys or wallet was a matter of listening out for the beep. Now, though, it's able to give you a location of where your stuff is.
Samsung accidentally announced the Galaxy Home Mini's release date
Early today, on its South Korean website, Samsung posted that the Galaxy Home Mini will be released in South Korea on February 12th for 99,000 KRW, approximately $83. The post has since been removed, but it was online long enough to give us a few new details about the Galaxy Home Mini and suggest that rumors the device will arrive in early 2020 could be true.
Ring update gives you more control over police video requests
Ring is acting on its promises to improve privacy and security in 2020. The Amazon brand has introduced a Control Center in the Ring mobile app that aims to deliver more control over access and sharing. Most notably, there's a toggle to opt out of law enforcement video requests -- you don't have to wait to receive one before making a decision. Ring is unsurprisingly encouraging customers to leave it on (it has police partnerships to maintain) in the name of neighborhood security, but it's at least acknowledging that some users are uncomfortable with serving as de facto eyes for police officers.
Anyone with a camera and $5 can now have a license plate reader
Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), software that allows computers to separate and analyze license plates from camera footage, could soon become ubiquitous in American neighborhoods thanks to a company called Rekor Systems. On Thursday, the firm started selling a product called Watchman. The $5 per month subscription allows homeowners to add the company's OpenALPR software to almost any home security camera.
How would you score IKEA’s Sonos-powered smart speaker?
We've reviewed a lot of products on Engadget, from drones to automobiles, but the Sonos-powered SYMFONISK were the first IKEA products we've officially ranked and scored. The two models of speakers -- one that doubles as a lamp and the other designed to sit on your bookshelf -- were positively received by senior editor Nicole Lee. Though she preferred the sound on the lamp model, Nicole was impressed by their style and ability to work well within an existing multi-room audio setup. Despite their lack of a native smart assistant and no default dimming, the duo earned overall scores of 86 and 84 -- largely due to their reasonable pricing.
Nest thermostats will warn of possible problems with your AC or furnace
You might not have to wait until your home is frigid to find out that there's a problem with your furnace. Google has started testing a Nest thermostat feature that sends email alerts when the device detects unusual patterns in your HVAC system. If it's taking an oddly long time to warm up your house, you might get a notice well before there's a full-fledged breakdown.
Benjamin Moore's ColorReader can match your paint with your shirt
Benjamin Moore thinks it has a more reliable way to match house paints than taking photos and comparing them with examples at the store. It's releasing two ColorReader devices and a companion Color Portfolio app that can match colors sampled from any flat surface with not only Benjamin Moore's paint selection, but those of "other leading brands." You could find the exact shade of crimson for your living room by sampling your shirt, if that's your thing.
Dyson hopes you'll throw down $650 for its lamp that mimics candlelight
Dyson's newest light, the Lightcycle Morph, is its most flexible lamp yet. At first glance, it looks similar to the Dyson Lightcycle, introduced last year, and it has many of the same key features -- like the ability to automatically adjust based on your local daylight. It also has three axes which allow it to rotate into different positions and the ability to emulate candlelight, but you'll have to shell out a minimum of $650 for this updated version.
Engadget giveaway: Win a Google Pixel 3a courtesy of TurboTax!
It's tax time again, and while Intuit's TurboTax has free filing options, it also offers online services with premium support from credentialed CPAs, tax attorneys and advisors. If you're curious about going beyond a basic W2-and-done filing and would like to leverage informed assistance without office visits, TurboTax Live could be a helpful option. The service can save you a lot of research and also guide you towards maximizing your income, especially if you're self-employed. You can scan and upload documents, file from your computer or mobile device and chat with tax pros on-demand or at scheduled times. If you're not that chatty, there are even expert offline reviews via email. This week, Intuit has offered us a Google Pixel 3a for one lucky reader, along with a TurboTax Live code to enjoy filing and credentialed support to help you cruise through this year's taxes with confidence. The Pixel 3a continues to be a solid smartphone with an especially good camera for taking everyday snaps or capturing your W2 in a click to save yourself some data entry. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to four chances at winning. Good luck and get those taxes done! Winner: Congratulations to Art M. of Breckenridge, CO!

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