Bring your own bulb to HomeKit with the iDevices Socket
Fit your ordinary bulb into this HomeKit connected socket and you'll be able to control it with Siri.
I'm a fan of retrofit smarts, and the iDevices Socket fits the bill. Screw it into your lamp, then screw any standard bulb into it. Voila -- your old bulb just gained connected smarts. Not only that, the iDevices Socket works with Apple's HomeKit, so you'll be able to control your newly smartened bulb with Siri.
Introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Socket also features a color-changing nightlight, setting it apart at least a little from the similar Emberlight crowdfunded in 2014.
Available later this winter, the iDevices Socket will work with any bulb with a standard screw base and allow remote control and dimming via its iOS app and Siri. It could be a nice entry point for those still attached to their regular bulbs who want to try out automation without messing with the warmth of their room.
The Socket is the most uncommon of four new offerings introduced by iDevices at CES. The Wall Switch, Dimmer Switch, and Wall Outlet look similar to plenty of other connected gadgets we've seen, but they do round out both the iDevices lineup and HomeKit's still growing catalogue nicely. And if they can perform as well as the iDevices Switch we reviewed this past fall, they'll be welcome entrants into a crowded field still working out the kinks. iDevices hasn't confirmed the price for any of the devices, but stated they'll all fall between $50 to $70.
The Socket and the rest of the iDevices gadgets work well on their own. None requires a hub, keeping the barrier to entry low, and they scale easily both with other iDevices gadgets and with any HomeKit devices.
HomeKit's the smart-home language built into iOS 8 and iOS 9, and it allows you to group compatible gadgets from different companies into single commands for Siri -- Apple's voice assistant.
- The Wall Switch and Dimmer Switch are due out this spring for an unknown price, and also feature remote functionality and a built-in nightlight. They'll support single-pole and three-way switches
- The Wall Outlet's due out in the summer. It'll provide energy usage information, both in current and average wattage of devices plugged into it.
- All iDevices gadgets will enable remote functionality, scheduling, and rules, and all are compatible with HomeKit.
Check out the rest of CNET's CES 2016 coverage here.