Anne Dennon

Technology and Finances Writer

Anne Dennon joined Reviews.com in June 2017. When she's not coming up with metaphors for Bitcoin, she writes about technology for the home and financial services. She previously worked in law, libraries, and English education.

The Latest from Anne

The Best Voice Assistants

Jul 16, 2019 | Review

Voice assistants, or virtual assistants, are more than just the cool, often-female voices that respond to your verbal requests to play a song or check the weather: They are the point of communication between you and all your connected devices. But whether your voice assistant is the hub of your smart home, or simply…

Video Doorbells Are the Best New Smart Home Devices. Here’s What to Know Before You Buy

Jul 01, 2019 | News

If you’re going to buy one piece of smart home tech, it should probably be a video doorbell. It’s one of the best new home security options on the market because it functions not only as a security measure, but as a useful, day-to-day tool. Video doorbells keep a vigilant eye on your front door…

Samsung Takes on Amazon, Google With Cheaper Smart Home Devices

Jun 28, 2019 | News

On Monday, Samsung released a trio of smart home devices — SmartThings Cam, SmartThings Wi-Fi Smart Plug, and SmartThings Smart Bulb. These first-generation smart home devices from Samsung solidify the company as a low-priced competitor on its own developer platform, Works with SmartThings, as well as those of Amazon and Google. The SmartThings devices themselves…

SimpliSafe vs. Ring

Jun 28, 2019 | Review

SimpliSafe vs. Ring Home Security Review The home security market in 2019 is flooded with players, both old and new. While old-guard security companies like ADT are busy cranking up their technological prowess, home security newcomers like SimpliSafe and Ring are working out some of the systemic kinks. Age-old stumbling blocks to home security —…

Protect America Home Security Review

Jun 25, 2019 | Review

Protect America Home Security Review Protect America offers a flexible range of home security options. Their plans and packages can suit households looking for a simple, landline-based system and those who want to support all the latest smart home tech. Prices range just widely: The advertised price of $20 per month only pertains to the…

Venmo Is the Gateway Drug to Digital Currency

Jun 19, 2019 | News

If you’ve shopped on Overstock in recent years, there’s a good chance you encountered a surprising payment option at checkout. Next to MasterCard, American Express, and PayPal, there’s Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency that investors are enjoined to hodl can now be spent on patio furniture. Unlike Bitcoin, PayPal is a familiar option at check-out. The payment…

CPI Security Review

Jun 18, 2019 | Review

CPI Security Review CPI Security offers a lot of the benefits of working with a large provider, with the added perk of actually being a regional company, and thus being more customer-focused. This Southeastern home security company operates in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Alabama, and Florida. If you live in the…

Xfinity Home Security Ups the Ante on Automation with Pet Detection

Jun 14, 2019 | News

What do our pets do all day? Telecom giant Comcast is gearing up to answer that question with a newly released camera feature for Xfinity Home Security. The technology uses artificial intelligence to distinguish pet movement from other movement in the camera’s line of sight, allowing pet owners to easily retrieve footage of their pets…

Xfinity Home Security

Jun 12, 2019 | Review

Xfinity Home Security Review The blue ADT sign has dominated front lawns for years. Lately, you may have seen a different sign frequently popping up— a red sign for Xfinity Home Security. Created by Comcast in 2011, Xfinity Home Security combines a focus on high-tech home automation — live video, sensors, comfort controls — with…

Guide for Nest Users Transitioning to Google Assistant/Google Nest

Jun 11, 2019 | News

If you built a smart home security and automation system with Nest, you’re going through some growing pains right now. The company, acquired by Google in 2014, has now been brought fully under the Alphabet umbrella to become Google Nest. We say “growing pains” but the transition process shouldn’t actually be painful: Google is making…