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The latest news and reviews of kitchen tech, home theater and smart home devices.

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Weber embraces modern grilling with a WiFi-enabled pellet model
WiFi-enabled pellet grills are having a moment, and rightfully so. They allow you to control and monitor your grill from afar, which is very convenient, especially you're smoking a piece of meat for eight hours or more. Several companies have already jumped on the bandwagon, with Traeger, Rec-Tec, Green Mountain Grills and others all offering models with built-in connectivity. Until now, one of the biggest names in backyard grilling had yet to do the same: Weber. Today, the company is changing that with the introduction of its SmokeFire grills.
The Morning After: iFixit looks inside the 16-inch MacBook Pro
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! Now that Apple's new laptop is here, it's time to tear it apart and look inside. Disney is responding to Simpsons fans, and Amazon has a new high-quality Echo speaker. Finally, there's a new episode of the Engadget Podcast and we'll look back at some highlights from this week like our hands-on with Motorola's new foldable RAZR.
How to hack your holiday meal
I don't think of cooking as a production or a nuisance so much as a sporting event, and holiday meals take the place of the Super Bowl. In our house, my husband Marcus and I train for months, testing out different recipes, techniques and timings so that on the big day no one runs out of steam at 2PM when it's clearly going to take another 10 hours to serve dinner. "Who are you competing against?" a possibly saner person might ask. If it's a potluck, the answer is apparent (everyone). When you're hosting, it becomes an internal sort of competition. In the perfectionist's case you can never really win, even if everyone says they love your slightly burnt pie crust and don't at all mind eating Christmas lamb at midnight.
The popular 8-quart Instant Pot Lux is at its lowest price ever
Instant Pot deals are becoming almost a daily occurrence. But since we're heading into the heart of holiday shopping season, all of them are worth considering for the culinary wizard on your list. Today, Amazon has the Instant Pot Lux 80 8-quart 6-in-1 model for just $55. What's more, that's the best price we've seen on this particular model, which typically costs $80. In fact, it's the lowest price ever on the Lux 80, according to Camelcamelcamel.
Traeger adds Alexa voice control to its line of WiFi-enabled grills
Traeger's WiFi-enabled grills have a lot of handy features that are made possible through wireless connectivity. You can control or monitor the temperature and more remotely, so you don't have to venture outside unless you want to visually inspect your progress. Today, Traeger is taking the connectivity tools a step further by adding voice control through Alexa to its WiFire-equipped grills.
The Morning After: Motorola RAZR returns as a $1,500 foldable phone
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Two of the most-leaked products this year have been officially unveiled. We knew they were coming, but now we've seen Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro (and put our fingers on its revamped keyboard) as well as Motorola's foldable RAZR. Beyond the new hardware, there's a deeply discounted iPad Pro to consider, and Netflix is teaming up with Nickelodeon to fight back against Disney+.
Siri can add items to your Walmart grocery order
Apple users who do their shopping at Walmart might be able to ditch their pen-and-paper grocery lists. Walmart Voice Order is now available in the company's Grocery App for iOS, meaning users can tell Siri to add an item to their cart, building their list until they're ready to pick up the order or have it delivered. The process seems straightforward -- say, "hey Siri, add to Walmart," and list out the items you want. This feature is only in Walmart Grocery app, as opposed the company's more general Walmart Mobile App.
Traeger WiFi grills monitor your wood pellet supply with an $80 sensor
When Traeger debuted its 2019 lineup of grills, one feature reserved for most expensive models is a sensor that will help you avoid "pellet panic." It's a tool that monitors the amount of pellets in the grill's hopper and alerts you when you're running low. Or if you happen to have the grill on while you're at the store, you can check to see if you need to pick up a refill. It can be a handy thing if you're doing longer cooks where you might not be near the grill the entire time. Starting today, Traeger is offering the same feature on the more affordable Pro and Ironwood Series models with an $80 upgrade.
Amazon discounts the Echo Show 8 by $30 before it's available
It looks like someone at Amazon missed the memo that Black Friday is at the end of November, not the start. Ahead of the Echo Show 8's release on November 21st, Amazon has discounted both the charcoal and sandstone models by $30, making them $100, instead of $130.
Amazon lets you connect Fire TV and Echo devices to create a home theater
You can now connect your Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices to create an Alexa home theater system. By linking your devices to the same network and accounts, you can get wireless audio via your Echo devices when you're watching favorite shows and movies. Amazon announced the change late last week.
The best gifts for the home
Maybe you already have a smart speaker or hub. (And if you don't, we have suggestions...) But your home, and kitchen, can benefit from more than just a voice assistant to offer timers and weather forecasts. Yes, everyone's favorite cooking gadget, the Instant Pot, made our nice list once again, but we've also got some more advanced tools like the Thermapen (so someone nails that holiday roast) and Anova's smallest sous vide gadget. We've also included picks for any coffee fanatics you might be buying for, including the Pearl Bluetooth coffee scaled, and the Stagg EKG kettle, which is far more attractive than a kettle needs to be. Speaking of coffee gear, we have a whole guide to that coming later this week -- stay tuned! If you're looking to make a relative's home a little smarter, we like the ecobee Smart Thermostat, while we believe devices with displays like the Amazon Echo Show 5 and Google's Nest Hub Max make for more useful assistants than standalone (but cheaper) smart speakers.
Amazon Echo Show falls victim to an old flaw at hacking contest
The latest iteration of the Pwn2Own hacking contest just underscored an all-too-common flaw with smart home devices. The security research team Fluoroacetate hacked into an Amazon Echo Show 5 by taking advantage of its "patch gap" -- that is, its use of older software that had been patched on other platforms. Brian Gorenc, the director of contest host Zero Day Initiative, explained to TechCrunch that the smart screen uses a not-so-current version of Google's Chromium browser engine that leaves it vulnerable to attacks. Fluoroacetate exploited this out-of-date code by using an integer overflow JavaScript bug to hijack the device while it was connected to a malicious WiFi network.
Google Nest WiFi review: A solid mesh network with built-in Assistant
Google's been trying to make the perfect WiFi gear for nearly five years, and Nest WiFi is its third-generation attempt at it. Like its predecessor, Nest WiFi, Google hopes, is pretty enough that you won't shove it in a cupboard or behind your TV. After all, operating in plain sight is better for wireless performance. And Google had nailed ease of use and power last time around. But Nest WiFi isn't just about celebrating a new name, it's a big departure from what went before. And it comes with a voice assistant, built-in -- whether you want one or not.
Best Buy's massive Apple sale includes a $250 iPad offer
Best Buy has already unveiled its Black Friday ad, but if you're in the market for some new Apple gear you can get your hands on some pretty hefty discounts right now. There are good deals to be had across the board, but its deals on iPads, HomePods and Apple Watches are where the major savings are.
Amazon discounts some Echo Show devices to their lowest price ever
Little known fact: today is Alexa's 5th birthday. To mark the occasion, Amazon is of course holding a sale. And like a lot of the company's sales, there are a lot of questionable offers (free TP Link Smart Plug with Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch, anyone?). To save you time, we've highlighted a couple of the better deals below.
Google updates the Nest Hub to sense where you are without a camera
If you've been patiently waiting for Google to update your Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max with the cool ultrasound sensing feature it unveiled last month, today is the day. According to Android Police and confirmed by Google, the company has started rolling out the feature to both devices.
The Morning After: A 900HP electric Mustang with a stick shift
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. This year at SEMA, the stick shift is back, and Xiaomi has taken smartphone megapixel wars to a new level. Also, we've reviewed macOS Catalina and Facebook's Portal TV, and the FCC has given its blessing to the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.
Barsys Smart Coaster tells you how to pour the perfect cocktail
Mixing a cocktail requires skill and precision -- or the Barsys Smart Coaster. The new device is a small disc that connects to the Barsys app. To mix a drink, you simply place a glass or pitcher on the smart coaster and select the drink you'd like to make. The app will tell you which ingredients to add and the coaster will change colors indicating when to start and stop pouring each ingredient.
Ecobee's eco+ update adds five cost-saving features (updated)
Smart thermostat maker Ecobee has just announced a new free update called eco+ that it claims will save you even more money when you use one of its devices. Ecobee is first rolling out eco+ to its latest product, the SmartThermostat. It'll push the update to its other thermostats -- including the Ecobee 4, Ecobee 3 and Ecobee 3 Lite -- starting in early 2020. To get the update, you'll need to download the latest version of the Ecobee mobile app.
The red Instant Pot Duo is $40 off today
After discounting the Ultra model last week, Amazon is back with another Instant Pot deal ahead of Black Friday. This time around, you can get up to $40 off the Instant Pot Duo, making the family-sized six-quart model $59.99.

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