Home8 prioritizes security with its Smart Garage device

Many people use their garage as much as their front door, so buying a device to remotely control or automate it seems like a pretty logical investment. But a new company called Home8 says simple app-connectedness isn't enough -- security is just as important. Enter the Smart Garage Starter Kit.

At $230, the Starter Kit costs about $30 more than Garageio and $100 more than the Chamberlain MyQ. But unlike both of those competitors, Home8's kit includes security gadgets, like a camera and an alarm. For anyone worried that the garage isn't just another door, but also another home security vulnerability, the Home8 Smart Garage Starter Kit could be a useful solution.

The Kit will contain three devices. First, you'll get the garage door opener itself. This will connect with the electric opener already in place, adding smarts retroactively. The second device is the Shuttle Intelligent Hub, which will act as a bridge between your phone and the opener. That means you'll be able to control your garage remotely. In addition, the Hub contains an alarm, so you'll be alerted in the case of a break-in.

The final device in the package is a Mini Cube HD camera. The camera itself is proprietary, so how well it works remains to be seen. But with 720p resolution, a ball-and-socket mount for manual swiveling, motion detection, night vision and two-way audio, it seems to have its bases covered.

While the $230 price tag feels a little high at first glance, for a high-quality cameraand a connected garage door opener, it could be a great deal. The Starter Kit also works with integration platform IFTTT, and Home8 is working on Amazon Echocompatibility as well.

Between these strategic smart-home integrations and the security-centric approach to garage door automation, Home8 is taking a big step in the right direction. Now the question is whether the Smart Garage Starter Kit's performance will match the idea behind it.

For four grand, an LG fridge that jams

Manufacturers are always looking for new ways to tempt you into upgrading your appliances. Most of the time, that means fancy, new designs and bold claims of better performance.

And sometimes, it means we get refrigerators with built-inBluetooth speakers.

Specifically, I'm referring to the LFXS30786S, a new fridge available now from LG. It's a pretty typical-looking, large-capacity French door model that slaps a Bluetooth speaker up along the top rim. Price? Four grand.

Now, in fairness, that's the same price that LG charged last year for a very similar fridge that had no speaker to speak of. In other words, this fridge is expensive because it was an expensive design to begin with, not because LG added in a Bluetooth speaker this year. The speaker is just an extra incentive to get you to splurge.

It's not the worst idea. Plenty of us listen to a kitchen radio as we eat our morning oatmeal, or stream a favorite playlist as we cook something up for supper. Packing a Bluetooth speaker into an always-powered appliance seems like a perfectly reasonable use of real estate, and potentially a good means of clearing some clutter off of your countertop.

It's also not an idea that's all that new. Whirlpool introduced its CoolVox fridge speakers at CES 2014, and was selling a French door fridge with built-in audio hardware as recently as last year. And let's not forget the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator, which has its own Wi-Fi radio and 21.5-inch touchscreen (and, you know, a set of speakers).

As for LG's fridge, it's a 30 cubic-foot model with LG's "Door-in-Door" feature, so if you press that button on the right door handle, the front panel of the door will open rather than the door itself, giving you quick access to the in-door shelves without actually opening the fridge. That's a pretty popular gimmick at this point, so if you want it, there it is.

As for me, I'm more a fan of the "Slim SpacePlus" ice maker, which simply means that LG packs the entire ice maker into the left door. Other models place it in the upper corner of the fridge, and since the ice needs to tumble down through the door into your glass, you end up with an unsightly hump in the inside of the door that blocks off the shelves. No such problem with LG models like these -- although the trade-off is that they make a little less ice.

The LG LFXS30786S is available now from select retailers. We'll try and test one out here at CNET Appliances HQ -- keep an ear out for a full review at that time

Heat your food anywhere with this mini microwave

Gone are the days when microwaves were relegated to the kitchen -- or even the house. Startup Wayv, in partnership withNXP Semiconductors, has created the $199/£135/AU$275 Wayv Adventurer, a handheld cooker that can go anywhere you go.

Intended for use during outdoor activities, as a backup cooker for busy parents in transit and even for defense and humanitarian purposes, the 200W thermos-esque Adventurer is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and is supposed to work for 30 minutes or more on a single charge. Wayv claims the Adventurer can work with solar energy, too.

While the team hasn't shared details on availability just yet, this $199 gadget has caught my interest. As someone who occasionally camps in areas where fires are banned, a device like this could really come in handy.

Weight is a slight concern, though. At 2.6 pounds (1.2 kilograms), I certainly wouldn't consider it an essential for a long-distance thru-hike, but it would probably be fine for a shorter trek.

And with just 200W of power, it will likely take longer than a regular microwave to heat up food or a drink (a traditional microwave typically has 600 to 1,200W; check out my microwave buying guidefor more details). That makes the 30-minute battery limit seem a little low. Still, I'm definitely interested in taking one on the road to see just how well it works.

This is the smartest makeup mirror we've ever seen

The new $250 Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Pro will work with Alexa, IFTTT, and Nest.
Simplehuman, a manufacturer of everyday household items ranging from a $26 paper towel holder to the $400 Wi-Fi Wide-View Sensor Mirror, just released a new product -- the $250 Sensor Mirror Pro.

The Sensor Mirror Pro has a lot of the basic stuff you'd expect from a pricey vanity mirror. It comes with 5x and 10x magnification for applying things up close and personal -- think liquid eyeliner, eyelash curling, foundation contouring -- and any other makeup application or general personal grooming that would be easier in tight focus.

It also has a "tru-lux light system" with a color rendering index (CRI) of 90. Check out this overview of CRI scores for more details, but generally the closer the number is to 100, the better a light approximates natural light. Professional hair and makeup artist Cynthia Laws told me that daylight is the best case scenario for applying makeup, so a CRI score of 90 seems like a very good sign for this mirror.

In addition, the mirror's built-in LEDs are designed to light up automatically when it detects your presence. This feature is also available with the Wide-View Sensor Mirror, but it didn't always work. The lights would shut off unexpectedly when I was applying makeup on occasion (see the video review below). Hopefully Simplehuman made some improvements with this latest iteration.

This new mirror also does some things you wouldn't expect. It has an app and anIFTTT channel so you can create custom rules like, "If it's overcast out, then set the Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Pro to overcast preset." Nest also added Simplehuman to its Works with Nest smart-home integrations platform on May 17. With this partnership, you're supposed to be able to sync the light settings from your Nest Cam to the LEDs in your Sensor Mirror Pro.

Simplehuman also has plans to add Amazon Alexa integration into the mix in early June. While this isn't available just yet, you should be able to say things like, "Alexa, ask the mirror to set brightness to 50 percent" and "Alexa, ask the mirror to use the office setting." I'm not convinced that these smart features add much value, but it will be fun to test them out all the same. Stay tuned.