Technology has refined our lifestyle in a lot of ways. Balqis Lim picks eight smart devices for the modern home
SENSOR GARBAGE BIN
The sensor trash can is what you need in the kitchen or anywhere in your home. It is fingerprint proof and easy to clean, and has no inner bucket, which means more capacity for trash. It also has a liner rim that flips down to hide the trash bag and keep it secure and harder for house pets to get into. Just wave your hand and the lid will open automatically.
Its sensing technology is smart enough to adapt to you and the surrounding environment — no false triggers, no unexpected lid closures. Price: US$149.97 (aboutRM580) at Amazon.com.
HOME SPA
Relax your body, calm your mind and lift your spirits in a luxurious bath of water and sound. Kohler’s free standing bathtub houses hidden speakers to emit sound waves that ripple through the water and gently resound within the body. Choose a soothing spa session with Kohler’s built-in hydro therapies or unwind to your own music playlist. When it’s empty, the bathtub can act as a Bluetooth speaker for your bathroom. Price: US$4,400 at Amazon.com
SMART SCALE
The Drop scale is both a health and kitchen app. With the Drop Kitchen app, you can browse through hundreds of delicious, interactive recipes. Unlike the traditional recipe format, you can customise any Drop recipe on the fly. Want to make fewer portions? Don’t have enough sugar? The app will automagically re-size your recipe, letting you to bake with confidence every time you step into the kitchen.
Price: US$54.99 at Amazon.com.
HEALTHY AIR QUALITY
If you are concerned about the air quality in your home, the Netatmo Weather Station can help with that. This device measures indoor pollution levels through a CO2 sensor, sending you alerts so you can air out your home when necessary and live in a healthier environment. Receive an alert on your smartphone when it rains in your garden and water your plants when they need it. All data can also be seen on the app which you can download from Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Price: US$144.14 at Amazon.com
DIGITAL FRAMES
Digital photo frame by Pix-Star has a10.4-inch screen with the ability to receive and send photo-mails directly from the frame. With a 4GB internal memory, it can store up to20,000 pictures. Pictures can be added by email, SD card or USB stick. Pix-Star also has the option to link your frame with online albums such as Google +, Facebook and Dropbox. More than just a frame, Pix-Star can also display three day forecasts for cities and countries of your choice. Price: US$159.99 atAmazon.com.
SET THE MOOD
The Caseta wireless deluxe dimmer kit with smart bridge provides simple and personalised control of your lights, shades and temperature. Control your lights from anywhere within your home with the included Pico remote controls or from anywhere in the world using the free Lutron app. Set lights to automatically adjust with the day or night time, or create personalised schedules to turn on, off, or dim lights to best fit your everyday routines. Price: US$159.90 at Amazon.com.
KNOW WHO’S KNOCKING
Nest Hello lets you know who’s at the door, so you never miss a thing. It replaces your existing wired doorbell and delivers HD video and bright, crisp images, even at night. It’s designed to show you everything at your doorstep— people from head to toe or packages on the ground. And with 24/7 streaming, you can check-in anytime.
If a visitor doesn’t ring the bell, Nest Aware will let you know whether it spots a stranger or someone you know. Price: US$229 atNest.com.
CHILL OUT
The Frigidaire Gallery smart window air-conditioner will cool your room anywhere, anytime using your smart device. You only have to run your air-conditioner when you need it so you can save on energy costs. The Frigidaire App provides you the convenience to remotely turn the unit on or off, change temperature, as well as control modes and fan speeds. It also provides maintenance reminders so you won’t forget to change the filter. Price: US$324.99 at Amazon.com.
