Gadgets

A lot of us are installing smart home devices into our home and making life a little simpler and more organized. Through different devices and different apps, we can control everything through a centralized system or through our phone, like lighting, music, locks, etc. What isn’t commonly found, however, is motorized window shades. Usually any sort of motorized window shades are customized, are expensive and may not be compatible with your smart home. AutoShades, created by Dreamer Technologies, are motorized window shades that are easy to install on your own and are compatible with most smart home central systems like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant and the AutoShade app.

Specifically designed for Dometic fridges and freezers, the Dometic PLB40 Power Pack is a powerful solution to give you enough power to cover your weekend. The PLB40 uses a lithium iron phosphate battery, which ensures stable power delivery. It has a more stable power supply and is longer lasting than lead-acid batteries. The powerful battery cells provide 512 Wh of energy and 40 Ah. It has dual USB ports to charge your important devices while you are off the grid and has a 12V power port that allows you to charge the device while you are driving to your destination. It can also be charged via solar power or through AC home power. The built-in 8A charger allows for fast charging of the device.

Commuting to work on a bike, scooter, or e-bike can be dangerous because of fast cars and trucks that share the road, especially during rush hour. To tackle this issue, the Lumos Smart Helmet was introduced through kickstarter but the designers have upgraded the original smart helmet to the Lumos Matrix Helmet. This smart helmet has more LED lights than the original and is brighter.

It’s hard to know how frequently to water house plants or give them sunlight. With a busy work schedule, kids, and plants, I often forget if I have even watered my plants. For those of us who love plants but often kill them, there’s a new planter to help those plants stay alive. The Lua Smart Planter turns your houseplant into a virtual pet. The planter shows 15 different emotions to show you how your plant is doing and what it needs. The planter has special sensors that measure different things like moisture, temperature and sun exposure. The planter is connected to an app so you simply choose the type of plant, which in turn creates a QR code and the planter will scan the code. The app and the planter direct you on how to take care of it.

The weather is warming up and it’s hard to stay cool. A lot of us don’t have air conditioners in our homes but there are smaller, portable versions. If you don’t like those portable A/Cs with the hose system, the EvaChill EV-500 is perfect for you. It has a nice design and can look cool in any room. Although not as powerful as other A/Cs, it will cool a room quickly and you don’t have to worry about hanging pipes out of the window.

IK Multimedia first entered the guitar world when they created AmpliTube, amp modelling software, which brought electric guitar sounds to your home. AmpliTube is now available as an app for all devices such as phone, tablets, and computers. Now IK Multimedia has created the iRig Micro Amp which is a portable miniature amplifier you can connect to your phone, iPad, PC or Mac. The connection, however, is through wire connectivity only and not Bluetooth.

Ever want to go back in time, and remember the good old days when times were simpler? Although we can’t really do that, sometimes listening to oldies helps us to relax and forget about our current day problems. What’s even better is actually taking out a cassette player and listening to those good oldies. NINB Lab has now created a cassette player but with 5.0 Bluetooth capabilities, which means you can put in those old cassettes you’ve been saving in the attic but hook up your new wireless Bluetooth headphones or even Bluetooth speakers. You can get rid of those annoying 3.5mm headphones and not get trapped up in those wires. Or if you really do want that 80’s experience, this cassette player also supports the 3.5mm headphones in addition to Bluetooth. Although there have been other versions of bluetooth cassette players, It’s OK has a better, faster and greater transfer rate of music. It’s also has a better transfer distance, allowing you to enjoy music at a greater range.

With the amount of technology usage, we do on a daily basis, most of our devices like phones, tablets and laptops run out of battery pretty quickly. We want our devices charged super fast so we can get back to socializing online. Sometimes, we don’t have the time to sit and wait, especially when we are on the go and need to use our devices. The newest gadget that’s about to hit the market is the Monster X – the most powerful 100W, portable charger.