Here’s what’s on my mind.

Wacom today announced the Bamboo Sketch, a new precision stylus for drawing and sketching on both iPad and iPhone devices through a Bluetooth connection. The company said that the stylus mimics a traditional pen-and-paper writing and drawing experience thanks to two customizable shortcut buttons and two interchangeable pen nibs, in both soft and firm.

The Bamboo Sketch can be used within apps like Bamboo Paper, ArtRage, Autodesk SketchBook, Concepts, and MediaBang Paint, and when it’s in use the stylus boasts 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity.

“Visual thinkers who use an iPad or iPhone for their notes and sketches require a pen that offers precision and individualization,” said Mike Gay, Senior Vice President of the Wacom Consumer Business Unit. “Bamboo Sketch offers an advanced writing and drawing experience for those whose first instinct is to reach for a pen and paper as soon as inspiration strikes.”

To charge the stylus, users will be able to connect the magnetic charging port on the pen to a USB dongle accessory, which can be plugged into any traditional USB 3.0 port. The company said that the Bamboo Sketch stylus can last for up to 15 hours on one charge.

The stylus comes with a carrying case that holds the Bamboo Sketch, two pen nibs, and the USB charger. Wacom said that the Bamboo Sketch will launch online and in select retailers at a price point of $79.95 beginning in June.

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Elgato today announced the latest product in its Eve series of HomeKit-connected devices, debuting the Eve Degree. Eve Degree is a HomeKit-compatible temperature and humidity monitor with a fresh design featuring a large display housed in a sleek aluminum body.

Elgato already makes a temperature and humidity monitor, the Eve Weather, but the new Eve Degree features an entirely different design and a visible temperature display for instant feedback with no need to check the Eve app to get a reading.

While the display means a quick temperature or humidity check doesn’t require opening the accompanying Eve app, the app does store additional information, including climate data over time presented through graphs.

Eve Degree works indoors or outdoors thanks to a splash proof IPX3 water resistance rating, and it includes a replaceable battery that will allow it to function for several months at a time without needing to be recharged.

“Eve Degree is a luxurious and classy thermometer but, more importantly, it is seamlessly integrated into iPhone,” says Florian Albrecht, Director User Experience, Elgato. “By leveraging the strengths of HomeKit and the Eve app, Eve Degree offers reliable usability, superior privacy, and advanced security.

With HomeKit support, temperature readings from the Eve Degree show up in the dedicated Home app, and it can answer to Siri queries and interface with other HomeKit-compatible products. With an Apple TV Home hub, Eve Degree is able to serve as a trigger for scenes, doing things like turning on a fan when the humidity gets too high, or turning on a humidifier when it’s dry.

Eve Degree will be available from the Elgato website starting Tuesday, June 6 for $69.95.

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Amazon today announced that users will now be able to sync their iCloud Calendar information with devices that support Amazon’s smart assistant Alexa. With the update, users can ask Alexa what’s coming up on their calendar, or issue commands so new appointments are added to the schedule. Anything added from an Amazon device is then synced with iCloud and added to the Calendar app on iOS and macOS devices.

To sync an iCloud account with Alexa, the company said that customers will have to sign in to their Apple account within the settings tab of the Alexa iOS app. Users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany will gain access to the new update beginning today, representing the current countries where Alexa is available.

Starting today, you can now link your Apple iCloud Calendar to Alexa. To do this, iCloud Calendar customers can simply link their account in the settings tab in the Alexa app. Once linked, just say, “Alexa, what’s on my calendar today?” or “Alexa, add lunch with Sarah at noon to my calendar.”

iCloud Calendar support has been a top requested feature from Alexa customers, and we’re thrilled to bring this to Alexa devices in US, UK and Germany today.

With the inclusion of Apple’s Calendar, Alexa device users now have access to five total calendar services, also including accounts for G Suite, Google/Gmail, Office 365 users with Exchange Online mailboxes, and Outlook.com.

Alexa is available in a variety of hardware devices sold by Amazon, including the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Look, and new Echo Show, as well as on the Amazon Alexa iOS app [Direct Link].

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