As you wake up to your alarm on a Monday morning, bleary-eyed, and vaguely conscious – you mentally list all the things that you need to get done before you’re able to head out the door to work.
Fast forward a few hours, while working on a report due in an hour, you realize that you completely forgot to switch off your heater. While this is not something that is liable to break your bank, it is definitely a minor irritant that would make you grumble.
Modern life has a lot of things crammed into it, and it is easy for mortals like us to lose track of a few. Don’t you wish you had something that could make life easier for you?
We know exactly what you mean.
We’ve highlighted a few gadgets that are cutting edge which can reduce frustration and improve your productivity at work and home.
Ease up your life
There are several areas of life you can streamline and avoid stress in the process. Imagine if you had all your keys in one place, your thermostat set to exactly the temperature you want before you get home, supplies ordered automatically and so on. All this is possible with technology, and it can make your life a lot easier.
Tile Pro
Image Source: Slashgear
The best of us have spent considerable time looking for things that we’ve misplaced. What if you could tag important things with a tracking device and never lose them again? Well, that is coincidentally what the Tile does for you.
It is an innocuous looking plastic square with space for a keyring. It comes in a variety of eye-catching designs which complements what you’re attaching it to.
Notable features
- The Tile app runs on either Android or iOS and is designed to help you interact with/locate your Tile. You can make the Tile ring through the app, so you have a better chance of locating it.
- The Tile Pro is trackable for up to 200 feet, which is almost double the range of the older Tile device.
- Tile batteries have a long life – they work for close to a year before you need to change them out.
- You can use your phone’s built-in voice assistant (Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa) to find out where your Tile is by asking for it.
- It is also water resistant to a depth of 1.5 meters.
- The Tile app features a signal meter that has been improved since the last iteration. You can also add more Tiles to the app so you can choose which one you want to track at any given time.
Amazon Dash
How many times have we forgotten to order household stuff such as detergent, dog treats, or garbage bags? The Amazon Dash is a device with a clickable button that lets you minimize the amount of time you spend on ordering stuff. You just stick/hang it on to the fridge, washing machine, or bathroom and once you need to order supplies, just press it.
Notable features
- It is simple to use – all you need to do is push the button, and stuff is ordered.
- Saves a lot of time searching through the website and placing orders.
- Super portable because of the small size.
- The dash buttons are unique to products – you can’t use the same button for other products.
WeMo Switch
If you are looking for a home automation solution that is easy to configure, then Belkin’s WeMo Switch is what you need. The WeMo, a smart switch, is designed as the first easy step to home automation. It comprises a Wi-Fi equipped power outlet and a motion sensor. The WeMo controls power to the device you connect based on your inputs on their app. For example, you can turn your lights on and off or program your heater to turn on and off exactly at the set times and much more.
While the app by itself is a powerful tool, the integration of IFTTT makes this even more customizable. You can use “recipes” on IFTTT to perform specific actions when the conditions are met. There are also specific IFTTT channels where you can search from a large number of useful recipes.
Notable features
- Good design and durable build quality. It is a bit expensive, but it delivers in spades.
- Very handy – with enough outlets and some planning, you can run important electronics in your house even when you’re away on holiday.
- You can get increased security for your house. Coupled with the motion sensor, you can actually get apps such as IFTTT to call you.
- The app is intuitive and easy to use. You can download the app from your respective marketplace, Android or iOS, set it up and you’re done!
Keyport Pivot
Another inexpensive device that can help us keep all those keys in one place. The Keyport Pivot is like a Swiss knife of your most used items like keys, bottle opener, and USB drive to name a few. You can even add a flashlight and a Bluetooth tracker to it without any fuss. The best part of this device is that you can customize it and add what you want to suit your needs. The Keyport Pivot is a definite must-have traveling companion.
Notable features
- Sturdy build and simple design. This will last you a long time to come.
- Fully customizable – add keys, pen, screwdriver, USB memory, LED torch, Bluetooth tracker, pliers, scissors, tweezers and much more.
- It can hold a lot up to 15 keys depending on the thickness of your keys.
- It comes with a free KeyportID which you can use to register your device on their website. Once registered, other people can get in touch with you through their website if you’ve lost your Keyport.
- The USB inserts come in 8, 32, and 64 GB sizes. Of these, the 32 and 64 GB are USB 3.0.
- You can also add a Griffin Multi-Tool which includes a bottle opener, screwdriver, and pry tool.
Conclusion
These are some of the tools that we think can add to your home and take away some of the stress of the daily routine. Leaving things on after having got out of the house and losing important stuff like your keys and phones are things that can significantly increase stress levels. These are gadgets you will use every day. They are not that expensive to add to your repertoire and can improve your quality of life.