Apple Homepod 2 is Official -- Price, Release Date, Design, and Features Revealed

The company that invented the modern smartphone released its second-generation Homepod on Feb 3. Apple Homekit, the smart home wi-fi, audio-video, and home automation software app, will soon undergo a relaunch to boot. To integrate existing smart home devices or systems into Homepod, there is Homebridge.

The second generation Homepod retail cost is $299.00.

Out of the gate, the Homepod 2 has dual powerhouse features. 1) The music-industry-changing commitment to sound quality and audio design that Apple is known for. 2) Updated and reinforced privacy features that are the modern hallmark of the company.

Apples to Apples, or Android, Evolve Can Swing It

From audio-video; UHD, 4k and 8k hi-fi; home security; lighting; home automation, and control; Evolve does much more than Home Theater systems.

Less than 25 smart home install and service firms in Texas are members of the Home Theater Association. And Evolve is one of them. Whether you run an Apple ecosystem, Google/Android (Nest), or other platforms, our Control4 standard install platform can play nicely with all of it.

Groundhog Day, that quirky celebration, arrived in the Eastern U.S. with German immigrants. In the absence of badgers, they chose groundhogs as the new weatherman for the fun tradition. This holiday comes from medieval and ancient mid-winter ceremonies marking halfway between the winter solstice and the summer equinox. Back then, farming and agriculture could still affect survival, so an earlier, gentler spring meant much more than less snow shoveling. After the birth of Christ, the Candlemas celebration started.

|| BUT TEXAS DOES NOT HAVE EASY ACCESS TO GROUNDHOGS ||

In 2010, Texas began its own lighthearted beef with the famous Pennsylvania weather prognosticator, that groundhog Punxatawney Phil. Bee Cave Bob, a trusty armadillo from the ranching town of the same name, is the Lone Star State's answer to the Teutonic tradition of the Northeasterners.

Just for good measure, an East Texas TV station consulted Longview Senior Animal Control Officer Chris Kemper. He confirmed he has never had to tangle with these squirrel cousins. "I have never had a run-in with a groundhog here in East Texas," he told KLTV.

Whether or not an animal suggests more winter, critters of all kinds will soon return to Dallas lawns as the (usually) short and tolerable winters wind down. The sun will stay out longer, making the grass thirstier, and the furry friends we keep inside will soon be scrambling again for the stick or tennis ball in the backyard.

Evolve Technologies knows that Dallas' local weather-- despite being generally warmer than much of the country--can be crazy and can affect your lawn. This post will look at the best apps to connect all your home automation and smart device needs into an easy-to-use system. With that, your lawn and your pet experience are worry-free.

According to NOAA data, Dallas TX had just four rainy days in December with a monthly-low temp of 38 F. And for both December and January, there's still a full ten hours of sunlight per day.

Yet, for most of December, the family has been nestled in couches watching The Grinch in the home theater, and they've been wandering around until dinner in fleece robes. While the family may not have been very active, the Wi-Fi has been working like someone training for the Olympics.

With the good winter weather that Texas (usually) affords its residential communities, why not get outside? Integrate some fun, wacky science projects for the little ones in a backyard puddle. Do a hotdog roast for the big little ones. Play some late-night frisbee in a well-lit backyard with Control4 Lutron landscape lighting.

No need to ditch the digital completely. In addition to cutting-edge outdoor lighting, exterior-rated landscape Sonance speakers will season any backyard barbecue, pickup football scrum, or toddler's nature safari with the perfect playlist.

But first, back to the Wi-Fi

"Blitzen," German for "flash," is a name first given to a reindeer in Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas (The Night Before Christmas). Unlike St. Nick, we can't travel the entire globe in one night with a flying sled and sturdy ruminants. But if we have relatives far away who aren't in the home this holiday season, we can still see and hear them. 

Evolve Technologies can set up your smart home to share some holiday cheer. See those smiling punims from afar using a quality smart home device like the Portal hooked up to enterprise-speed data. 

|| UNEMPTY NEST AND THE BIRDS NEED WIFI || 

Throughout a normal life, a human will spend nine years on their phone, according to PCMag. It's a TV trope that Gen Z and most Millennials are almost organically attached to their smartphones. And they’ll also be there for the holidays.

WhistleOut, cited in PCMag, stacked the generations side-by-side in their phone use. Millennials spend approximately 42 minutes more per day on their phone than Gen X just one generation back. You will definitely get some "audience insights" if younger ones have slow internet for their smartphones. 

Of course, some of it is frivolous social media use. But some of it is important in social media use. And work and academic demands can also be addressed via smartphone. 

|| PART 2 OF 2 SMART BATHROOMS: A SANCTUARY, AN OFFICE ANNEX, AND MORE ||

In part one, we talked about the convenience of automated lighting, the wifi mirror, and window treatments for modern smart bathrooms. We also covered the science-backed benefit of a steam bath install for your shower (or spa room). The article also briefly discussed the spike in the popularity of smart bathrooms and related smart devices. Installing smart mirrors and bathroom speakers is a growing trend as well. 

In part two, we'll be talking about smart mirror screens, bathroom speakers and related audio options, and voice assistant/voice control automation from your bathroom vanity (or elsewhere). 

|| A BATTERY-POWERED MORNING ROUTINE || 

International business is sinking big money into the smart bathroom fixtures market as efficiency, sustainability, and water concerns--not to mention sanitation--are forcing their way further into everyday life. The smart toilet market alone generated a third of the industry's cash for 2019! Collectively, on-demand convenience and connection are much more available for the modern water closet. 

|| SMART BATHROOM SPEAKERS: MUSIC LOVERS AND GO-GETTERS' DREAM ||

If you've always enjoyed shouting out your jams in the shower, you're probably used to a tinny, low-volume version from a smartphone or spotty Bluetooth speaker. HTA-Certified Evolve Technologies installs the apex sound quality, internationally-awarded Sonance speakers. We also source Oregon's own, literally hand-crafted Triad speakers. 

The space-saving brilliance of speakers installed in the ceiling is a growing trend in Europe. With all the software, apps, and integrations for every device in Bluetooth and wired options, these brands featuring great sound can be installed as external, stand-alone units or recessed in-wall. And why not? The average UK home is almost one-fifth smaller than the US by square footage.