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Will.i.am's i.am+ buys home hub manufacturer Wink

The Black Eyed Peas star could be taking on Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
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Will.i.am wants to take over your house. I.am+, the tech company founded by the erstwhile Black Eyed Peas star, has bought home hub manufacturer Wink.

Wink makes a smart home hub and platform in competition with bigger names like Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit , leading up to the Wink Hub 2 last year. It originally emerged from Quirky, a New York-based developer of crowdsourced inventions that went bankrupt in 2015 and sold Wink to chipmaker Flextronics for $15 million.

It hasn't been confirmed how much i.am+ paid for Wink.

From the wacky foto.sosho camera case to the critically panned Puls and Dial smartwatches, Will.i.am's startup has so far been notable for its nonstarters. Perhaps this move into the smart home automation market will, to borrow a phrase, get it started.

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