Home automation has long been relegated to the realm of nerds and home tinkerers. Back in 2008 we reviewed automated thermostats like the Ecobee, and the Ars OpenForum also discussed it. Fast forward to 2013, and consumers can take advantage of a lot of automation inside their homes with gadgets like the Nest and 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.

Are you down with automation? Or would you rather just use manual controls? If there are other automated home appliances and gadgets you want to talk about, share them with us in the comments section.

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