Month: November 2016

As I mentioned earlier, Christmas is fast approaching.  And because of this, we’re all gearing up to buy lots and lots of random thangs for all those random people on your shopping list.  For many of us, however, we’ll turn to the ever popular Amazon for assistance.

This year, Amazon is heavily pushing its Alexa-enabled smart devices – the Amazon Echo and the Echo Dot.  The Echo Dot is simply a miniature version of the Amazon Echo and comes to the public at a reasonable price of $49.99.  So, I don’t know about all of you guys, but nearly every person on my Christmas list this year will be getting a Dot… whether they like it or not.  And it’s probably safe to assume that a lot of other people out there have the same idea as I do.

Why?  Because it makes sense and allows you to avoid the Target parking lot.

So, this being said, I thought it’d be a pretty good idea to provide all you people out there with a list of things those Alex-enabled devices are capable of.

Play stuff.

At the end of the day, these particular smart gadgets are all about the music.  The sound quality is superb, and you can even provide Alexa with audible commands when the music is at full blast and you’re halfway across the room.  And asking Alexa to play music is incredibly simple.  Tell her to play a specific artist or a pre-built playlist on your Spotify.  Ask her to turn up the volume, switch to the next song, or add a track to your library.  You can even play music by genre or ask Alexa to turn the music off in one hour.

Track stuff.

With an Echo or Echo Dot, tracking time is almost too easy.  Set a timer, turn on an alarm, ask what the time is, or figure out what day it is.  And language is definitely not a barrier here, which means you can provide Alexa with commands in a variety of ways.  “Alexa, set an alarm for 8 AM.”  Or, “Alexa, wake me up at 8 AM”.  Or, “Alexa, wake me up in 7 hours.”  She understands it all.    

Check stuff.

The time isn’t the only thing you care about.  You want to know the weather, the news, and the results of the game last night.  And with Alexa, this is all possible.  Ask Alexa if it will rain today, what the weather will be like this weekend, what the latest news is, and how the game turned out last night.

Order stuff.

Run out of toilet paper?  Alexa can reorder that for you.  Looking to catch an Uber?  Alexa can call one for you.  Thinking about pizza for dinner tonight?  Alexa has you covered.

Control stuff.

Sooooo… these devices are pretty darn awesome.  Why?  Well, because not only can they track all that stuff we’ve already hit on, but with the help of Alexa, they can also control all those smart gadgets in your home.  From Philips Hue and Wink to SmartThings and Belkin WeMo, Alexa can work with them all.  Turn on your lights, adjust the temperature of your home, or lock your front door.  All it takes is a simple command.

Hear stuff.

Not in the mood for music?  Well, that’s entirely okay.  Alexa can read you a story.  You can ask her to pause, reread a section, or stop reading after an hour has gone by.  You finally have someone willing to read you a bedtime story again.

We all have those people on our Christmas lists.  Those people who aren’t normal.  Those people who never like anything you get them because they’re just too darn weird or way too eccentric.  But at the same time, you can’t not get these people a gift.  At the end of the day, you still sort of like these people.  They’re your friends, your family members, your loved ones… a gift is simply a requirement.

So I’m here to help you step up your game.  It is possible to find these people a great gadget that’s just as eccentric as they are.  You just have to do a little research.  But before you go and do that, take a look below.  You might find the gift you’ve been searching for.

A Hair Dryer

This one isn’t cheap.  In fact, you should really, really love the lady you get this for.  But if you’ve gotten your wife, girlfriend, or mother every appliance, necklace, and gift card out there, then this Dyson designed hairy dryer might be the way to go.  Coming in at $399.99 (gulp), the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is engineered much like their vacuums are – expertly and intelligently.  This bad boy will never damage your hair, never leave your hand in pain, and dry your hair quicker than the Sahara can in the middle of the summer.

A Candle

Just as people love that new car smell, people love that New Mac smell.  Is it weird?  Most definitely.  Are we going to question it any further?  Not a chance.  If there’s someone in your life who loves their Mac a little more than they should, then this candle should find its way into a gift bag somewhere.  But then again, this candle isn’t a great idea for Mac lovers alone.  Any tech, nerd, or geek out there would get a kick out of it.

A Pet Camera

There are Mac lovers and then there are animal lovers.  Both equally as weird.  And both equally hard to shop for.  But this gadget might change things for you.  Say hello to the Petcube Camera.  And yes… it does exactly what you think it does.  Set it up, and you’ll have the ability to watch, talk to, and play with your furry little creature.  Watch a livestream of your pet directly from your phone and use a built-in laser toy to play with your animal.  Will the animal be completely and utterly confused?  Probably.  But will the pet lover in your life be absolutely filled with joy?  Yes.  Yes, they will be.

A Football

Is there a smart version of everything out there?  Of course, there is… like the Wilson X, a smart football that will make the perfect gift for any son, husband, or brother out there.  This football connects to your phone to deliver play-by-play statistics, like how far you throw, what your spin rate is, and how efficient your spiral is.  And how exactly does it do all that?  With a teeny, tiny, undetectable chip.

A Bike Navigator

It seems like riding bikes is the cool thing to do now.  All hipsters everywhere are turning towards super slim bikes with no brakes.  While I don’t get it, they seem to love it.  This being said, you should turn your attention towards Smarthalo.  This smart gadget attaches to the top of your bike and connects to your smartphone.  Tell the app where you need to go and the gadget will provide you with turn-by-turn, color-coded directions on how to get there and will even supply you with thorough biking stats after the ride.  Know how long it took you to get there, how far you traveled, how many calories burned, and what your average speed was.  Any hipster anywhere would love it.

Home security is a huge concern for basically anyone with a pulse.  No one wants to face an intruder and most anyone will do whatever it takes to avoid that frightening possibility.  But thankfully, technology is making it a little easier to both manage and build up your home security.

Smart locks, doorbells, cameras, and alarm systems give you the ability to see things in a more controlled setting.  Know who’s at the door before you get up and figure out why your dog is barking without walking outside.  Technology makes securing your home simpler, safer, and more user-friendly.  And now, Sunflower Labs has decided to take this a step further.

Although you can only reserve their product at this point, there are more than a few reasons you should consider bolstering your home security with the Sunflower Home Awareness System.

Solar Powered

Part of the Sunflower Lab security system consists of motion-activated smart lights.  These lights look like your run-of-the-mill garden lights, but they’re completely solar and turn on when they detect motion.  You can even apply designer light themes to change the mood of your environment.  So say you’re having a backyard party, you can lower the brightness and opt for warmer lighting.

Alerts

When your lights do detect motion, you’ll receive a notification on your phone.  This notification will let you know where the motion was detected and ask if you’d like to check it out.

Live Video

If you want to check out a notification, then you can through a live video feed.  However, this close-up shot won’t come from the lights themselves; it’ll come from a connected flying camera.  Tap the option to check out the motion, and your camera will fly to the area in question.  You can see who’s there or what’s going on with nothing but your phone.  No need to guess where it came from or to take a late-night stroll in a dark backyard.  The Sunflower system has you covered.

Easy to Install

The Sunflower Home Awareness System is incredibly simple to install.  Stick the lights into the ground, download the app, and then, at this point, it’s just a matter of connecting your camera and lights to the app.  It’s as simple as that.