Ars Technicast Episode 20 – Lifestyles of the digital and automated

Automation has long been relegated to the nerd realm and the home tinkerer. Back in 2008 we reviewed automated thermostats like the Ecobee, and the Ars OpenForum also discussed it. Fast forward to 2013, and now general consumers can now also enjoy a lot of automation inside their homes. Automated gadgets like the Nest, and the Phillips LED lightbulbs, which come with an open API for inventors to devise their own solutions. Today on the show we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of automation, and we take our chat one step further into automated lifestyle gadgets, like Fitbit and the Withings scale. Senior Apple Editor Jacqui Cheng is joined by Senior Reviews Editor Lee Hutchinson and Social Editor Cesar Torres to talk about the issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices