Raina and I closed on our new home last month. It is on a lovely street with gorgeous, architectural homes. Ours is not one of them. No, we bought a cute, and fairly non-descript split level. We love it and, along with a traditional renovation, we are updating the technology; here’s what is going into our house’s tech-makeover…
Earlier this year, Husqvarna USA ran an online contest called Automower First. Thousands of Americans entered, hoping to get the opportunity to test a Husqvarna Automower and post reviews on social media about their Automower throughout the summer. I was lucky enough to be one of about 40 Americans to be chosen by Husqvarna to join the Automower First campaign!
Kev and I have a 2009 model 65″ Vizio TV; it’s not smart, and it’s not fancy in any way, but we like the picture size and most of the time we feel that everything we view on that television looks just “fine”. After attaching the DarbeeVision DVP-5000S, I now know that our display wasn’t fine, it was substandard.
We recently took a look at the new Libratone ZIPP MINI. I was impressed with the design, the features and, especially, the sound. The ZIPP MINI is, as the name suggests, the smaller version of the Libratone ZIPP. That begs the question, what do you get for the extra $50 you’ll pay for the regular ZIPP?
The Nox Smart Sleep System combines the Nox, a smart sleep light; RestOn, a non-wearable sleep sensor; and the Sleepace mobile application to monitor, track, and improve your sleep. The Nox will provide soft sleep-inducing light and sound while you are falling asleep, the RestOn will monitor your sleep, and the Nox will wake you naturally with light and sound.
We could all take a bit more care of our teeth, but wouldn’t you like the ability to actually see HOW well you are cleaning the inside of your mouth, especially in those hard to reach places? You are in luck.
One thing that frustrates a lot of people about home security systems is the fact that many still need to be plugged into a physical outlet in order to actually work, at all times. This could be troublesome if you don’t have a furniture to hide the cables, or if you’re outlets are already full.
If you’d like to get a better understanding of the elements within your home that you can’t see with the naked eye, you should be checking out the Emerald Air System. Sponsored by an Indiegogo campaign, the Emerald Air is the first air purifying system that monitors your home for the little things such as airborne pollutants, all while identifying the pollutants and filtering them out with their patented Airadicate purifying technology. The ability to place the Emerald Air Sensors in any room (up to eight rooms), the Emerald Air has arrived just in time for the spring with allergy…
If you have an extra $499.99 laying around, and might be in the market for a robotic vacuum that you can get to do your chores for you, the Neato Botvac Connected is the top tier option for you! Neato sent us over a unit to use, and it’s been my personal maid ever since. Neato Robotics has become one of the leaders in the competition to out duel iRobot’s Roomba when it comes to robotic vacuums, and they have me hooked with their Botvac Connected. Prior to receiving the Botvac, I suffered the first world problems of having to physically plug my standard vacuum…
If you’re read our review of our Smanos W020i Wifi Alarm System, you know that Smanos is a one of my favorite brands when it comes to home security. The popular DIY security company actually announced today that their L020, W100, and W020 mobile apps are now compatible with the Apple Watch.
I have a smart scale, a sleep system, and a temperature monitoring system in my home that can each tell me about the air quality in the rooms in which they are installed. But until I was sent the Dyson Pure Cool Link Tower, I didn’t have an appliance that could tell me about air quality and then do something to fix it when needed. Touted as being able to “Remove 99.97% of allergens and pollutants as small as 0.3 microns”, the Dyson Pure Cool Link Tower uses the familiar design of the Dyson Cool AM07 Tower Fan that we reviewed in…
The Libratone ZIPP was one of my all-time favorite speakers. It looked great, sounded amazing, and let you customize the look with exchangeable covers. With portable AirPlay it was as close to the perfect speaker for an iOS-user as you could find. Now Libratone has rebooted the ZIPP and they are offering the smaller, and less expensive, Libratone ZIPP MINI. The new Libratone line has a new look. It’s more curvy than before and has a zipper that runs around the circumference of the speaker, rather than running vertically as it did with the original. The ZIPP MINI has an…
Quip is a company with a plan to help us form better tooth brushing habits using holistic design rather than gimmicks. They’ve designed a simple electric toothbrush they hope will help promote dentist-recommended habits, without any bells and whistles.
Let’s face it, most of us are disposing of our trash completely wrong. Some of us decide to separate our trash from our recycling, which honestly ends up doing more harm than good in terms of clutter. But what if we just want an all-in-1 system in one place? I think I’ve found that solution. Luckily Joseph Joseph is a company that’s entire purpose is being innovative while solving everyday problems with their functional products. Making everything from cookware to storage items, Joseph Joseph sent me their Totem 60L IntelligentWaste Waste Separation and Recycling Unit. That’s a mouthful right? Well…
In a very innovative partnership, Leesa, one of the first and leading online mattress companies, has partnered with ArtLifting, an online marketplace that allows disabled, homeless, and other disadvantaged artists to sell their artwork. Together, the two have launched a retail storefront in SoHo, NYC called The Leesa Dream Gallery, a combined mattress store and art gallery.
Your home can never really be too secure, and it seems like the smart home market doesn’t ever get enough of home monitoring cameras with such brands as the Nest. But there is actually a product that recently launched with features promising to be better than the competition.
We recently reviewed the Eve Mattress. A British company fast making inroads into the US market, the mattress is remarkably comfortable and priced amazingly well. Better yet, Eve Mattress has agreed to offer Gear Diary readers a special discount until November 30, 2017! That’s right, you can save an EXTRA $200 on a great night’s sleep by using the codeeve200usa!
This is a sponsored post; we received compensation from HP, but all opinions are the author’s. Dan was telling me about taking five of his graduating seniors out to dinner the other night. Of course, they talked about the gear they needed for college; key among the items they’ll bring is a computer. I suggested he have them look at the HP Pavilion 12 x2.
One of the great things about a big speaker box under your television along with a subwoofer in the back of the room is that you get big, expansive, booming sound. But is it possible to get that same sound without sacrificing so much space? The answer is YES with the ZVOX Soundbar.SB400.
There’s a new player in the high-end U.S. home audio market and they’re gonna blow you away. Raumfeld’s initial stateside offerings are impressive. We’ll be looking at three of their products in this series of reviews. First up are the oh so impressive Raumfeld Stereo M Bookshelf Speakers. These speakers get seriously loud and sound great at all volumes. The Raumfeld Stereo M bookshelf speakers feature an award-winning design, easy setup, lossless file support for CD-quality sound, and multi-room streaming functionality. They bring German-engineered audio technology to the U.S. in a way that, I suspect, will gain a tremendous amount…
If you’re a home chef who loves making your own pizza, the Uuni 2S wood-fired oven should be #1 on your shopping list. It’s an outdoor pizza oven made of stainless steel with a stone baking board to give you a crispy crust. It uses wood pellets for fuel and can get up to 900°F; the Uuni 2S costs $299.