This year, there is no reason to wait for Black Friday or Cyber Monday as most stores are having pre-sales ahead of time and a lot of the deals are pretty good I have to say! So whether you want to wait for those two upcoming “shopping holidays” or not, I wanted to share some of my favorite pics for this holiday season.
1 ) Belkin Wemo Mini Smart Plug, on sale for $15.99
The Wemo Mini Smart Plug lets you control your electronic devices right from your phone or tablet. The Smart Plug uses your existing home WiFi network to provide wireless control of lamps, lights, electronics, appliances and more, with no subscription or hub required. Simply plug the Wemo Mini Smart Plug into an electrical outlet, plug a device into the Smart Plug, and control your device using the free Wemo app. Whether you’re unwinding on the couch or away on vacation, you’ll be able to remotely control your lights and appliances from anywhere in the world.
2 ) MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener by Chamberlain, on sale for $19.98
Once you download the myQ app on your smart device, this little device allows you to monitor whether your garage door(s) are open or closed, allows you to let in a visitor or family by remotely opening/closing the door and you can even set up a schedule to make sure at a certain time your garage door is always closed (in case you forget). The best part is, this works with just about every garage door opener brand on the market!
3 ) Wahoo Fitness ELEMNT ROAM GPS Bike Computer, $380
If you are into outdoor sports and like to bike ride, this is one of the best bike computers on the market you can buy. Wahoo starts by using 2.7′ Gorilla Glass to cover this great color screen that you can see perfectly on a sunny day. Using it’s built-in GPS, the ELEMNT ROAM has smart navigation features that allow for on-device navigation including “Back on Track” re-routing which will get you to your destination even if you veer off course. The computer packs in so many stats as well you can monitor during your ride and if you want to really get the most out of the ELEMNT ROAM, connect your smart phone to it and you can pull in routes and maps from Strava and other biking apps as well as you can get alerted across the screen of any text messages, emails or phone calls that come in! This computer can give you up to 17 hours on a full charge and it’s completely weather proof with it’s design and also has ANT+ radar integration to use with other brands/products.
4 ) TUSHY Classic Bidet Toilet Attachment, on sale for $79.99
This might not be a smart/tech product like some of the other items but, I can say you might call this “smart” for what it does… For those who are familiar with a bidet seat, you either love it or hate it but, one thing is for sure, it does the job in cleaning you. TUSHY, has designed different products to help people live cleaner and healthier. Their main products are several different bidet attachments and they also have a line of environmentally-friendly accessories for when you need to clean yourself. Their “Classic” model bidet attachment can’t be any easier to install on your existing toilet seat. All the parts you need to install it (2 hoses and a connector plug, for the classic model) are included with easy to use instructions and when it’s time to clean yourself up, it’s as simple as turning a dial on the side of the toilet seat to adjust the water pressure that sprays as well as a level to adjust the angle. It even has a feature to clean the nozzle after use. For those who want the choice of adjusting the water temperature, they do have another model called the “TUSHY Spa.” If you don’t want to break the bank to clean yourself with some of the fancier brands, TUSHY does a great job in keeping it simple to get the job done!
5 ) Ring Video Doorbell 2, on sale for $129.00
The Ring Video Doorbell 2 (RV2) I have included in the past as it’s 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!
6 ) RHA TrueConnect Headphones, $170
RHA is a UK audio company that has been around since 2011. They have several different types of wired and wireless headphones. Their TrueConnect headphones (which are available in several colors) are right up there in quality with some of the other popular brands people have come to know. The design is perfect how it fits inside your ear, almost making a seal to isolate noise while delivering great quality sound. The ear phones are very light but you can feel the quality is there and when you are not using them, the case acts as a charger when it’s closed.
One of the things that RHA did that I think makes them stand out is that they sell a Wireless Flight Adapter. This optional piece ($50) plugs into any airline headphone jack on the seat, allowing you to use the airline entertainment system while still getting good audio through the TrueConnect headphones.
7 ) myCharge HubMax Universal Charger, $99.99
myCharge’s HubMax Universal is the perfect companion for the traveler! It’s a little smaller than an iPhone but thicker as this electronic life saver is key for when you are on the go and need extra power. It’s weight and size come from the 10050 mAh battery packed inside this aluminum body, giving you up to 6 extra battery charges. myCharge also has integrated a USB-C and a Lightning cable built-in and 1 USB-A port on the bottom to add a cable, allowing you to charge 3 devices at once! To charge the HubMax is very easy also, as there are built-in prongs to plug into any outlet. It’s nice knowing when you leave home with this, you don’t need any cables!
8 ) Fitbit Charge 3, starting at $150
Fitbit’s Charge 3 is the perfect wireless activity tracker for the person who doesn’t want wear a bigger watch or clip something on them. It’s thin design and light weight make it perfect on your wrist. The Charge 3 is also packed with a lot of features. Besides all the activity and exercise data it collects on you, whether you are on the go, sitting down or sleeping, the Charge 3 is water resistant up to 50m (164 feet), the battery is good for up to 7 days, it does sleep tracking, female health tracking, AUTOMATICALLY recognizes what sport/activity you are doing from it’s SmarTrack, you can even get call, calendar, text and smartphone app alerts AND with the Charge 3 Special Addition, Fitbit Pay is integrated, allowing you to access your credit and debit cards anywhere. All from your wrist and without your wallet. You also have tons of different band options you can chose from to customize the look.
9 ) Amazon Fire TV Stick, on sale, starting at $19.99
I have recommended this in the past and I think most people by now are familiar with Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. With so many people becoming “cord cutters” or just looking for more entertainment above what their cable provider offers, Amazon offers this the Fire Stick in two models, the basic one that is perfect for HD streaming and then for a couple dollars more, you can get the 4K version. In my opinion, if you subscribe to Amazon Prime, this is a no-brainer for all the extra content you can get from it with no extra subscription costs. It’s as easy as plugging into your TV’s HDMI jack and the USB port (or into a wall outlet) and sign into your Amazon account and you’re all set to start streaming all different types of content and games.
10 ) La Crosse Technology Complete Personal WiFi Weather Station with AccuWeather, $165.95
For over 30 years the La Crosse Technology family of brands has offered a wide variety of easy to use products that deliver weather data, atomic time, and an array of features that help make life easier. Their Complete Personal WiFi Weather Station with AccuWeather continues to show they make great products that give you just what you need and more. I have this system set-up at my home and love that I can easily glance on the large color screen and get so much weather data all at once. This complete kits includes an outdoor temperature & humidity sensor, a rain sensor, wind sensor and a smaller bonus display. To make this complete system even better, it can connect to your WiFi to be linked with AccuWeather to give you daily & hourly weather forecast, % of chance of precipitation and high/lo for the day. Also, all information from the sensors you have hooked up can be accessed by La Crosse’s app on your smart devices, including giving you alerts if the temperature or humidity goes above/below a setting you chose, so you can always know what’s going on, even when you aren’t home!
11 ) Amazon Echo Dot, on sale, $34.99
I have previously recommended Amazon’s Echo Dot and still holding strong with their current 3rd generation Dot. It’s a great home assistant to have, especially if you are an Amazon Prime customer. Their 3rd generation Dot not only looks nicer, it has a much improved speaker for those who stream music through it but there is SO much more you can use it for. With Amazon’s built in AI (artificial intelligence), Alexa, “she” can answer most questions you have, act as an alarm or timer, control most of your smart home integration, play almost any song through Amazon’s music database, make phone calls (using the phone book from your linked cell phone) or act as an intercom with other Echo devices in your home as well as friends/family and much more when it comes to features. The typical price for the Dot is $49.99 but it’s on sale now for $34.99 and I am sure that price will be dropping even lower in the next couple days with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is a great gift for anyone!
12 ) Meural, The Canvas II, powered by NETGEAR, on sale, starting at $399.95
This is a product that you truly have to see in person to really appreciate and get that WOW feeling. Meural partnered with NETGEAR to come out with this amazing product for your home called The Canvas. (There are two versions now, The Canvas I and II.) The Canvas II now comes in two different frame sizes to mount on your wall or a stand. It combines the best of art, technology, and design. The picture is an Advanced Hyper-Viewing Angle (AHVA) LCD with anti-glare. Basically that means, no matter where you place The Canvas, the HD quality screen still looks like an actual painting, not an LCD screen. Now the technology built into it is pretty amazing. NETGEAR has added an active antenna inside the frame, that means it helps boost your WiFi at home and with out seeing any antennas or extender devices. Part of the reason for this antenna is that The Canvas connects to the WiFi. You have the ability upload, crop, and filter your own images with the Meural app or website. And with the Canvas II’s side door, access to ports for SD card upload is quick and easy. Through the app, there is also a standard library of pictures and for an annual subscription, you can get access to over 30,000+ works of iconic and emerging art from across the world. There are sensors inside the screen that even know if you rotate the frame and can readjust the picture to fit properly including using hand motions along the frame that allow you to change the image with out actually touching the frame as well as being able to swipe your hand up to see information about the painting that is being showed (the name of the art, the painter and what its about)
There is still so much more about The Canvas I & II that I recommend checking out the website to truly see how it works!
13 ) JBL Bar 5.1, $699.99
I included this surround sound bar last year and it’s so good, I had to include it again this year.
JBL’s biggest soundbar, the Bar 5.1, is the gift that keeps giving every time I watch a movie using it! This is a very slim and compact soundbar but it packs a whopping 510 watts of total system power and includes four HDMI inputs to connect 4K devices, Bluetooth and a 10” wireless subwoofer, the JBL Bar 5.1 is the most advanced soundbar today. It features two battery-powered, wireless speakers that detach from the soundbar for a true wireless surround sound experience (a full charge for these speakers gives you 10 hours of use)
Not only does the Bar 5.1 make watching any TV show/event or movie MUCH more enjoyable and life like, you can also stream music to it that sounds AMAZING!
14 ) Philips Hue Color WiFi Bulb, starting at $49.99
Philips Hue line of bulbs was the pioneer when it came to smart color changing bulbs years ago. There are many other brands now that do pretty much the same but Philips still holds on to being one of the best. The Hue system requires a hub that connects to your home router and then you can pair as many Hue bulbs and styles as you want to be controlled via their app or through home automation commands. The basic E26 style shown here is what a standard light bulb is called but the Hue gives you so much more. From choosing what type of white light you want to being able to chose 16 millions different colors you can create. The bulb can be controlled via the Hue app as well as through Amazon and Google’s smart assistants.
The Hue line is also pretty extensive with different lights. From other types of bulbs to LED strip lights and wall accent lights.
15 ) Arlo Ultra WiFi Camera, starting at $399.99
I have previously recommended the Arlo cameras in the past and this year I wanted to include their newest addition, the Arlo Ultra, which records in 4K video quality, making it even more crisp and clear to see what was recorded. Besides the high quality 4K video, they also integrated a spot light at the top that helps illuminate the area in front of the camera besides helping make night time recording even better (including the enhanced night vision.) The Ultra model gives you a 180* panoramic field of view and the noise cancellation helps make listening to the sound recorded even better. The Ultra kit is expandable with other Arlo cameras to increase your protection and surveillance needs.