CNET Plans Smart Home Consumer Advisory Channel

CNET, one of the largest and most trusted online sources of consumer technology news and reviews, has announced that it will launch at CES 2017 a new editorial feature: the Smart Home Matrix. This Matrix is a new site feature designed to help consumers navigate the nuances of smart home technology.

Available exclusively on CNET, it will be the only tool currently available to help consumers quickly discover which connected devices will work with each other, and what features they can provide. It matches over 100 different smart devices like lighting, thermostats and locks with all major connected home platforms, including Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit.

The Matrix will be updated by CNET’s editorial staff as new products come to market or as existing devices receive new compatibility upgrades.

“We’ve seen smart home technology increasingly take prominence at CES with more products announced each year,” said Mark Larkin, SVP and GM, CNET. “From our own testing in the CNET Smart Home, we understand one of the largest hurdles in adopting smart home technology is getting multiple devices to work together. Our Smart Home Matrix helps consumers do just that by letting them know what devices are compatible with each other.”

While at CES, CNET will host several IoT-focused panels as part of its efforts to help consumers better understand the technology. They will include:

The Next Big Thing Super Session: Smarter Homes For Everyone

Featuring actor Carly Chaikin of “Mr. Robot;” CNET Editor-in-Chief Lindsey Turrentine and Editor-At-Large Brian Cooley; Mike George, Vice President of Amazon Alexa and Appstore; Rishi Chandra, Vice President of Product Management at Google Home; Alex Hawkinson, Founder & CEO of SmartThing; and Jason Johnson, CEO of August Home.

Autonomous Cars: The Future’s Biggest Surprises

Tim Stevens, Editor-in-Chief of Roadshow, CNET’s auto destination site, takes an in-depth look at what’s driving this new fascination around autonomous cars with a panel including: Dr. Stephen Zoepf, Executive Director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University; Dr. Melissa Cefkin, Principal Researcher – Human Understanding and Design, Nissan Research Center; Dr. Jim McBride, Senior Technical Leader, Autonomous Vehicles at Fordp; and Raj Rajkumar, Autonomy Research at Carnegie Mellon University.