Next time you go to a coffee shop or restaurant, watch how many people are playing with their smart phones or tablets instead of interacting with the people and the world around them. It’s kind of depressing really – our dependence on these mobile gadgets. It just seems wrong. However, there people out there misusing these devices in ways you never thought possible.
Are you looking for an inexpensive Secret Santa gift for a co-worker? Maybe you’re interested in something more elaborate and unique for a home office. If so, the following list of gift ideas should help you win the holidays on both fronts.
I write about gadgets and technology for a living, yet I found it nearly impossible to sort out all of the features in my father’s car Bluetooth system the other day. It’s a bumper cam display, a voice activated navigation system, media player, satellite radio, telephone, etc. etc. etc. I’m pretty sure I saw settings for an oil slick and a machine gun turret in there. The bottom line was that it was packed with so much functionality that it outsmarted itself and became completely useless. The gadgets in this list are kind of like that. Despite all of our technological advancements, sometimes the simplest solutions are still the best.
Do you hate mornings? Do you spend your days in a groggy stupor? Are you a bit of a masochist? If you answered yes to these questions, you might find the following gadgets useful. They will help you get up and get to work on time so you can fall asleep when the boss isn’t looking. Is that a promotion I smell? Wow, success smells a lot like bacon — but that might just be my alarm clock.
My wife and I have a few areas where we are wildly different. Most notably, I’m a gadget freak while she would probably still be using one of those old-timey candlestick phones if I hadn’t begun an effort to drag her into the 21st century. That having been said, I’ve been trying to convince here to upgrade to a smartphone—particularly a pre-paid version because, in her case, we simply don’t need to spend another fortune on cutting edge features and plans.
So, when I got a chance to test out the LG Optimus V, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see if an affordable prepaid Android phone would be up to snuff. After spending several weeks with it, I can say that the Optimus V will probably be her next phone.
We’ve come a long way since the outhouses and holes in the ground of yesteryear. Today’s toilet aficionado can treat his or her backside to the finest materials and technology that money can buy. The following toilets are decked out in precious metals and gadgets that can handle everything from entertainment to keeping tabs on our health. If you are still going to the bathroom in a regular toilet, you simply aren’t living life to the fullest.
What would be the first thing you would do if money was no object? Would you continue to live modestly, would you buy a nice house, or would you sail the Seven Seas aboard a Titanic-sized yacht made from solid gold that has an onboard laser defense system and a petting zoo? If you’d head for the yacht, the following gadgets are for you.
Right off the bat let me say that I don’t suffer from insomnia and I don’t have any problems sleeping through the night. However, I generally toss and turn quite a bit before falling asleep because I’m thinking too much or I’m a bit restless.
That having been said, I was offered a chance to try out the Nightwave Sleep Assistant—a device that uses a simple blue light and rhythmic breathing to help you get to sleep faster.
Naturally, I thought this would be a steaming load of crap. I was wrong.
I’m not what you would call the most organized person in the world, which is why I could find some use for a decent label maker. This is especially true when it comes to all of those damn bins I have in garage. I can’t seem to find anything when I need it.
That having been said, the Dymo LabelManager PnP will definitely fit my needs.
Belkin’s Conserve Valet claims to eliminate the use of standby power by charging up to four USB devices and automatically shutting down when the process is complete.
We got a chance to try out the Conserve Valet for ourselves and I can say that it does what it’s supposed to do—for the most part. Belkin’s product page makes it seem like the Valet can automatically detect when your gadgets are fully charged, but the reality is that it charges on a 4.5-hour timer. When another gadget is added, the clock simply resets. In other words, the Conserve Valet isn’t nearly as smart as it thinks it is. UPDATED…
