10 bits of impressive home tech that will save you time and money
Words: Alex Woodhall
The Internet of Things is up there with smartwatches and virtual reality in trends that the tech sector is gushing over. A buzzword that’s bounded about probably a little too much, IoT simply put is things, usually home appliances of sorts, that are network connected and can interact in intelligent fashion, even without human interference. It’s all very sci-fi – think The Jetsons or iRobot.
Apple, Google and Amazon have all made significant moves in smart home tech this year alone and the home of the future is very quickly becoming a reality. These are the 10 pieces that will make your life that little bit easier and, in the long term, your wallet a little bit heavier – hopefully.
AMAZON ECHO
The e-tail giant are quickly becoming the force in IoT with a slew of releases this year. Echo is easily the most impressive. Essentially it’s a more intelligent version of Siri but for your home. It can answer your questions, play music, update your shopping list, set an alarm – you name it. Whilst it may not save you a huge amount of cash, at $199 it’s hardly going to break the bank for the convenience it offers.
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AMAZON DASH
Unveiled just before April Fools’ Day, it initially was met with scepticism as an elaborate joke complete with marketing strategy, but no, Dash is very much real. Dash is a button that when pressed orders a product to your door and you can set up multiples for various products – the last minute addition to the shopping list is no more. More time than a money saver, it does however cost no more to any product order via Dash.
NEST THERMOSTAT
Nest are a big name in home tech and were acquired by Google at the start of last year for a cool $3.2 billion. Its flagship product, a learning thermostat, has been a revelation. It learns your schedule and programmes itself to turn off or down the heating when you’re gone and can be controlled from anywhere via a smartphone app with the goal of saving you a bundle in wasted heating costs.
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LG SMART WASHING MACHINE
The Smart ThinQ Washer makes the chore of cleaning you clothes easier, smart and more efficient, it can even troubleshoot any problems it has, in the unlikely chance they do arise. LG’s range of smart appliances, including an oven, refrigerator and the dryer, can all be controlled and monitor via your smartphone.
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SMARTER COFFEE MACHINE
Control your coffee machine from your bed or have one waiting for you the moment you wake up or go home. This in-house automated barista from Smarter will save you splashing out on coffee each day as you can have on-demand brews without lifting a muscle.
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GREEN PLUG
The smallest change can make a huge difference. Green Plug’s product range is designed to switch off appliances that are accidentally left switched on or left on standby. They claim to reduce average electricity consumption by 41%. Whilst not as high-tech or sci-fi flick appropriate as the rest on this list, they’ll save you a considerable amount of money.
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NEST PROTECT
A smoke alarm is an essential; it’ll save your life. It’s also annoying as anything when it goes off because you’ve overdone your toast. Nest want you to expect more from your smoke alarm so they’ve introduced the Protect. It’ll give you a friendly warning when there’s smoke but won’t go into alarm mode unless it’s something more serious. There’s also a CO sensor guaranteed for 10 years and no more standing on a chair to quieten it down, you can turn if off from your phone.
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MELD
If you’re not a dab hand in the kitchen, Meld is designed to make every meal almost perfect. It can’t magically make your ingredients work together or make a pizza healthy but can ensure everything is cooked to precision. Whether slow cooking, simmering, poaching and more, Meld will upgrade your existing cookware and stove with automatic temperature control, all controllable with an app, nautrally.
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PHILIPS HUE LIGHTING SYSTEM
Give your home’s lighting a lift with Philips’ innovative product. Change the tone, contrast and colour of your lights to set the mood all from your phone, or set a timer to be woken up in a more gentle manner than an alarm clock. Controllable from anywhere, it’ll help cut down on electricity wastage and make your abode look better than ever.
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IKETTLE
Like the Smarter coffee machine, the iKettle (no it’s not from Apple) can be set on a time or controlled from the app to boil when you want it, even if you’re not there. It even has a keep warm mode and multiple temperature settings to guarantee that perfect cup of tea.
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