This has been quite the year for all us with so many changes going on in our daily lives. One thing that shouldn’t change is being able to enjoy the holidays with your family including the fun tradition of giving and receiving gifts. This year most stores started their holiday sales much earlier but as Black Friday and Cyber Monday are upon us, the deals have gotten even better. Below I have shared some of my favorite picks for this year that maybe you or your loved ones might like!
Ring’s 2nd Generation home alarm system has been extremely popular for people looking to add some security to their home or replace what they currently have. Ring (who is owned by Amazon) has been busy making more and more accessories you can add-on to the alarm to making your home even more smart and secure from a burglar, fire, water leak, CO2 leak and many more things the system can monitor. What makes the system truly amazing is that for only $10 a month or $100 a year, you get professional monitoring service which is a price no other competitor can touch. The system also comes with built-in cellular backup in case of any issues. Ring Alarm is available at many stores and through so many websites BUT, if you are a Costco member, currently they have the best deal anywhere which is a 10 piece system on sale for $129.99.
Back by popular demand, I had to include the Ring Video doorbell again. Version 2 that is listed here is still a solid choice and for the price point it’s a no brainer. The newer Version 3 adds some extra features but at a higher price. This device is one of the first things I tell anyone to get when buying a new home or creating a smart home. With Ring’s Video Doorbell 2, you can replace your current hardwired doorbell or if there isn’t one already, Ring’s RV2 can run on a battery, making it possible to use with any home. It’s set-up to watch over your home in crystal-clear 1080HD video, and see, hear and speak to visitors from anywhere. With instant mobile alerts and two-way talk, you can answer the door from your smartphone, tablet and computer. NEVER miss that delivery or guest, regardless of where you are! I can also say that Ring has one of the best customer service departments for any tech company I have dealt with!
iRobot’s has been known for years for their various robotic products for the government and businesses as well as for the consumer user. Their Roomba vacuums’ were the first to the market years ago for that truly smart and easy cleaning experience. Since then, they have a full line-up of four different series. Each one offering more amazing features than the next. It’s truly amazing to see this vacuum operate. Some models can learn and save your floor plan of your home and for each living level and through the app, you can label the rooms, so you can specifically have it clean a specific room, or several or just the entire floor. There are even ways through the app you can block off an area (such as if your pet’s bowl is on the floor). There are so many features the Roomba can do, no matter what model you get and you can use your Alexa to control it via specific commands.
I recently reviewed these headphones and they really amazed me by how amazing the quality is, in every way possible. The Quantum 800 headset is classified by JBL as part of their gaming headset series but they are so much more. You can absolutely use them to listen to music, connecting to your computer or phone to use for video conference calls as well as hearing kick-ass sound and effects while playing games on your computer or a gaming console. You have multiple ways to connect to your device(s) whether it be Bluetooth, 2.4GHz (via a dongle on your computer) or with a wire. There is even software you can connect to on your computer to customize the sound as well as the colors that can display on these headphones. They also have built-in 7 channel surround sound and noise cancelling. So if you or someone you know is into a gaming, these are a must have!
Last year I recommended the amazing Canvas II by Meural and this year, they came out with an incredible follow up. Instead of a full size painting frame, the WiFi photo frame is a 13.5” x 7.5” frame and 15.6” diagonal display bringing any picture to life with such clarity, you’ll feel as if you were there. You can easily link albums on your phone and upload your pictures directly from your device to the frame via the Meural app and you have the ability to invite other family members to do the same, so let’s say you are gifting this to the grandparents, you can take recent pictures of the family and from anywhere, upload to their photo frame, making it so easy to share. There are so many additional great features that you can do with this frame which is truly remarkable. Even the design looks great with it’s premium wood grain trim.
For anyone with family that is long distance, this is a great way to share life and feel closer.
Just like I mentioned with the Ring Doorbell, a smart thermostat is the other thing I mention to anyone who is moving into a new home or making their home “smart.” Nest’s on their 3rd generation of the thermostat as well as having some other models that have fewer features. This “life saver” I like to call it, makes it so easy to control your temperature at home, whether you are there or not. The app is so easy to use, including being able set-up your schedule and after a little time, the Nest learns your schedule and can make changes as it needs.
I have mentioned and reviewed in the past how the Orbi Mesh System is another must have in your home when it comes to having reliable WiFi. Orbi uses a tri-band system compared to some others like Google that are just dual-band and I can say first hand how I can tell the difference. Now with so many people working from home and on video calls daily (or hourly in some cases), as well as your kids playing video games or streaming, you need a WiFi system that can handle so much weight on your network. Also, with most cable providers offering gigabit service, that is only as good as your equipment, if it’s capable of handling that speed as well as delivering it. With the Orbi WiFi 6 system, you can guarantee you will be getting the speed that you are paying your cable provider for. While Orbi WiFi 6 system might cost more than other mesh networks, you are getting a rock solid system and their top model, the AX6000 might be the most expensive router package on the market but, even PC Magazine dubbed it as the fastest router they have ever tested in their history. If you have a well equipped smart home, the AX6000 can handle up to 99 connected devices with out causing you any loss of speed as well as make sure you can get the WiFi signal and speed you need regardless if your home is 1,000 sq ft or 6,000 sq ft.
DJI’s Mavic Mini drone was a game stopper when it came out at the end of 2019. It was the first drone with so many professional/”prosumer” features that weighed 249 grams which not only does that mean it’s ultralight but, any drone that weighs under 250 grams doesn’t need to be registered with the FAA. The battery gives you about 30 minutes of flight time (conditions can lower that time) and the camera can shoot video at 2.7K which is pretty amazing. Hence the name “Mini” of this drone, what’s amazing is truly how much high quality features are packed inside this little drone that when folded up, can fit inside a jacket pocket. The fact you don’t have to carry around a large or heavy case for a drone is huge, especially when traveling or out and about where you don’t want to be weighed down. It’s made by DJI which is one of the best brands in the world when it comes to high quality drones, so lots of features that are packed on the more expensive models have made their way down to the Mavic Mini. There is a new model, the DJI Mini 2, which just came out this month. It’s about $100 more and features wise there are some upgrades including 4K video but, the one to me being the biggest, is it’s ability to handle stronger winds. The one downfall with a lighter drone is having to be more careful when flying, especially when it’s several hundred feet up in the air as the light weight can make it take off in a wind gust. I haven’t really encountered any issues yet but the new Mini 2 addresses that better.
Living in a COVID world now, one way of staying safer from germs is using Ultraviolet Light (UVC) to inactivate any possible substances off objects and surfaces. There are many types of UV lights and not all are made the same or as effective as others. 59S’s X5 model has 20 UVC LED’s that help in killing off/inactivating germs. The wand is very light weight and folds in half making it small even to travel with while protecting the LED’s. The wand is rechargeable and lasts up to 10,000 hours. If you are looking for a solid and good quality UV wand, this is the one for you.
For those who aren’t familiar with the brand MEATER, it’s the smartest cooking thermometer for your BBQ and Kitchen. There are several different models but the Original MEATER is the first truly wireless smart meat thermometer. Along with the MEATER app, it will help you cook the juiciest steak, chicken, turkey, fish or other meats perfectly every time for every occasion. It has 2 Sensors, 1 Probe: Dual temperature sensors can monitor internal meat temperature and ambient temperature. There is a Guided Cook System that walks you through every step of the cooking process to guarantee perfect and consistent results and an Advanced Estimator Algorithm that estimates how long to cook and rest your food to help plan your meal and manage your time. To make the MEATER convenient, you can monitor your food from a phone or tablet over Bluetooth. Extend your wireless range using MEATER Link WiFi and the MEATER Cloud.
I can say this is my favorite wireless charger that I own. I love that it’s a stand so you can easily look at it and with 2 charging coils inside the stand, you can have the phone in either portrait or landscape position making it easy to view while you read, watch a video, play games or listen to music and it works on any iPhone or Android phone.
I have to say, this is one of my favorite products I have been using this year. I love using multiple screens and when working from home, I do have my desk I sit out with a large monitor but, there are times that I move around where I sit or when I travel and this Trio monitor is my savior. I love that it’s so light weight and connects to my laptop via strong magnets and the monitor just slides right out when needed. It connects very easily with the supplied cable and is powered by the laptop so you don’t need to plug into an outlet. The color and image are great and you can angle the screen as well. As you would also expect, it functions identical to a monitor that sits on your desk. The Trio also comes with a bracket that connects to the top of your laptop, allowing you to easily connect two screen if you wanted.
