Belkin's WeMo smart switch lost a lot of weight

Meet the new WeMo Mini Wi-Fi Smart Plug. It's the new generation of Belkin's popular smart home gadget, and it'll let you automate anything you plug in behind it.

The smaller design is dramatically less bulky than the original WeMo Switch.

That's a good thing, because the original switches tended to block off adjacent outlets. The new WeMo Mini won't.

In fact, Belkin claims the new switch is designed specifically with this in mind. Ideally, they want you to buy two and plug them in right next to one another.

Other than the new design, the new WeMo Mini works just like the original WeMo Switch, and uses the same app for Android and iOS devices.

That app is still a little bit laggier than I'd like.

I even encountered a couple of glitches as I tested the WeMo Mini out. For the most part, though, it worked like a charm.

Like the rest of the WeMo lineup, the WeMo Mini enjoys compatibility with a lot of popular products and services, including IFTTT, Google Home, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Amazon's Alexa.

Connect it with services like those, and you'll be able to automate the plug in all sorts of ways, or even turn it on and off using voice commands.

The WeMo Mini is available for preorder now for $35. At launch, it'll only be available in the US and Canada, but other WeMo products are sold internationally, so don't rule out a global rollout later down the line. The price converts roughly to about £30, or AU$50.