Image used with permission by copyright holderThis year’s Consumer Electronic Show hasn’t yet started, but we already can tell — just from the slew of emails in our inboxes — that Alexa and other voice assistants will be big. One of the major trends from last year’s show was Alexa in everything, but for CES 2018, Samsung is bucking the trend by adding a different voice assistant into its smart Family Hub refrigerator: Bixby.
In the Samsung Family Hub fridge, Bixby will activate when you say something like, “Bixby, add grapes to my shopping list.”
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Samsung announced the plan to put its voice assistant into its TVs and Hub fridges last year. Initially, Bixby launched in the U.S. in Galaxy S8 phones (after some delays), then slowly made updates and improvements over the next few months. Samsung claims Bixby is an improvement over Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa because its AI can adapt to you, learning from your habits and speech patterns. Not everyone loves it on their phones, but it’s still young compared to Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
In the Samsung Family Hub fridge, Bixby will activate when you say something like, “Bixby, add grapes to my shopping list.” The Family Hub also integrates with grocery delivery apps like Instacart. If you want to listen to music through the fridge’s speakers, Bixby can connect to Pandora or Spotify. The voice assistant can also take a few tasks away from the Family Hub’s screen, by telling you the weather or what events are on your calendar. The fridge has profiles to let family members get more personalized results, and Bixby is also supposed to be able to distinguish between users’ voices.
In addition to Bixby, Samsung’s Smart Hub gateway is getting an app overall, ditching the appliances app for SmartThings integration — an open platform that works with hardware from Philips, Netgear, ecobee, and many more companies, putting all your connected gear under one app.
Owners will also be able to browse new apps on the fridge, like Pinterest and Buzzfeed’s Tasty. A new Meal Planner gives families recipes based on what’s in the fridge, favorite foods, and dietary restrictions. With four new models coming later in 2018, Samsung brings the total to 14 Family Hub refrigerators, though as of now they all cost over $3,000.
Best elliptical machine deals: From $100 to $1,100
Going on a fitness journey can be quite difficult sometimes, especially if you're the sort of person who doesn't want to go to a public gym. Luckily, there are a lot of great devices that can offer good cardio, such as elliptical machines. While they can get quite expensive, we're happy to see that even some of the bbest smart ellipticals have solid deals on them, and if you'd rather go for something more budget-friendly, there are options for that, too. To that end, we've gone out and collected some of our favorite elliptical machine deals for you, although you could always check out these excellent treadmill deals if you want a different type of cardio machine.
Sunny SF-E902 Air Walk elliptical machine — $78, was $130
Workout warriors on a budget or with little space to spare should consider the SF-E902 Air Walk. It’s an incredibly simple elliptical machine, yet it still has plenty to offer. It folds up easily to a size half its length, which makes it great for apartment dwellers. It offers a total body workout and the non-slip pedals help simulate a slow walk or a full run. It even has an LCD monitor that displays time, count, calories, and scan.
Best Treadmill Deals: Get fit from the comfort of your home from $270
Cardio exercise is probably one of the most important to keep you healthy, and one of the best ways to do that is with a treadmill. Of course, there is a huge variety that you can go for, with everything from under-desk treadmills to high-end NordicTracks being available. While there are a lot of options, and some are quite expensive, we've gone out and collected our favorite treadmill deals that we think will give you the most bang for your buck. That said, if you don't quite find what you're looking for, be sure to check out these NordicTrack deals and elliptical machine deals for some alternatives.
Costway 800W Folding Treadmill — $270, was $310
This one is a bit smaller in size (and can get even smaller by folding) but if it is the right size for you then this could easily qualify as your personal best fitness deal of the moment. The Costway 800W Folding Treadmill has a running area of 39 x 14 inches and a weight capacity of up to 220 pounds. If you can fit it, you'll enjoy its LCD display, where you can find out information like your heart rate, current speed (this treadmill goes up to 6.5 MPH), total distance, and calories burned.
The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is a highly automated robot vacuum. Capable of vacuuming, mopping, and cleaning itself after each cycle, the premium gadget lets you go for days (or even weeks) without providing any manual input. However, like all electronics, it still needs regular maintenance. And while maintenance is fairly simple, there are still a lot of tasks you'll need to keep track of.
Here's how to clean the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra. This includes everything from checking its brushes and mops to cleaning its sensors and checking on its water reservoirs.
Check all the brushes, mops, wheels, and filters on the robot
