Olivia Lin

Olivia Lin

Vancouver

Tech journalist covering smart home, wearables, and consumer electronics. Former editor at TechCrunch.

Articles by Olivia Lin

Best Air Purifier for Allergies: Breathe Easy at Home
Air Quality

Best Air Purifier for Allergies: Breathe Easy at Home

If you're one of the 50 million Americans who suffer from allergies, you know the frustration. You can't control the pollen outside, but you should be able...

Best Robot Vacuum for Hard Floors in 2026: Tile, Laminate, and Vinyl Made Easy
Smart Home

Best Robot Vacuum for Hard Floors in 2026: Tile, Laminate, and Vinyl Made Easy

Hard floors—tile, laminate, vinyl, stone—are the easiest surfaces for a robot vacuum to clean. Dust and debris sit on top rather than embedding in fibers, so even moderate suction picks up everything. The real differentiator for hard floors is mopping capability and navigation quality.

The Best Smart Blinds to Transform Your Home in 2026
Smart Home

The Best Smart Blinds to Transform Your Home in 2026

Manually adjusting blinds throughout the day is one of those small annoyances that adds up. You're constantly getting up to let in light, block glare, or...

Best Robot Vacuum for Dog Hair in 2026: Keep Up with Your Pup's Shedding
Smart Home

Best Robot Vacuum for Dog Hair in 2026: Keep Up with Your Pup's Shedding

Dogs shed. Some shed a little, some shed enough to build a second dog every week. A robot vacuum running daily is the most effective way to keep dog hair under control without spending your evenings vacuuming.

Google Home vs Amazon Echo: Which Smart Speaker Ecosystem Is Right for You?
Technology

Google Home vs Amazon Echo: Which Smart Speaker Ecosystem Is Right for You?

Both ecosystems offer excellent smart speakers, vast device compatibility, and capable voice assistants. But they have different strengths, and the right...

Best Shark Robot Vacuum in 2026: The Complete Shark Lineup Ranked
Smart Home

Best Shark Robot Vacuum in 2026: The Complete Shark Lineup Ranked

Shark has quietly become one of the most popular robot vacuum brands in Canada. Walk into any Canadian Tire, Best Buy Canada, or Costco and you'll see Shark robots prominently displayed—often at prices that undercut iRobot and Roborock while offering competitive features. For Canadian shoppers wh...

Best Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum in 2026: Set It and Forget It
Smart Home

Best Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum in 2026: Set It and Forget It

The whole point of a robot vacuum is convenience—but if you're emptying the dustbin after every run, how convenient is it really? Self-emptying robot vacuums solve this by automatically transferring debris from the robot's dustbin into a larger base station. You go weeks—sometimes months—without ...

TP-Link Deco M4 Review: Affordable Mesh WiFi That Actually Works
Technology

TP-Link Deco M4 Review: Affordable Mesh WiFi That Actually Works

That one room where WiFi goes to die. If you've been fighting with your router to get decent coverage throughout your home, the TP-Link Deco M4 might be...

Best Smart Scales in 2026: Beyond Just Weight
Health & Fitness

Best Smart Scales in 2026: Beyond Just Weight

Let's get one thing straight: your weight is just a number, and honestly, it's not even a particularly useful one. What matters is body composition—how much...

Your Guide to Building a Smart Home from the Ground Up
Smart Home

Your Guide to Building a Smart Home from the Ground Up

A complete guide to building your smart home from scratch. Learn about planning, network setup, device selection, automation, and security.

The Best Smart Home Devices to Transform Your Living Space in 2026
Smart Home

The Best Smart Home Devices to Transform Your Living Space in 2026

Most of them will end up collecting dust in a drawer. The real winners—the devices that actually make your life easier—are the ones that solve genuine...

Best Smart Thermostat: Save Money While Staying Comfortable
Smart Home

Best Smart Thermostat: Save Money While Staying Comfortable

Your thermostat controls roughly half of your home's energy bill . Yet most people set it once and forget it, leaving money on the table every single day.