REVIEW: Withings Aura Alarm Clock and Sleep Monitor
A unique way to rise and shine. Smart phones seem to have killed off the alarm clock, and I think that’s kind of a shame. It may be more convenient to set a quick alarm with Siri and fumble for…
Gadgets
REVIEW UPDATE: XY Find It 3
A better beacon. Last summer, the folks at XY Findables gave me the opportunity to check out the XY Find It, which I found to be a really great bluetooth tag to help you find your keys (and even keep…
REVIEW: M3D Micro 3D Printer
A tantalizing taste of the future, today. 3D printing is one of those near-future technologies that you’ve probably read about in the news, but have never actually considered bringing into your own home. Heck, our family is far geekier than…
FIRST LOOK: Nucleus Smart Intercom
Can you hear me now? As much as I love reviewing smart home gadgets, there’s a sense of “sameness” that has emerged in the marketplace over the past year or so. Maybe it’s just part of living in a more…
REVIEW: SnapPower Charger USB Outlet Cover
No more wall warts. If you’re looking to upgrade your outlets after reading our recent review of SnapPower‘s awesome Guidelight product, you might find yourself considering one of their Charger units for your bedroom, kitchen, or office. Does the Charger…
FIRST LOOK: Flic Wireless Smart Button
A shortcut for your smart life. Smart devices are cool, but sometimes controlling them can be an absolute pain. Although it sounds convenient to control your home with a bunch of apps, it can be kind of maddening in practice.…
10 Reasons Your Family Needs a Drone
A different perspective. Something dangerous happened to me in Vermont this May… I caught drone fever. I go on a trip to help church plants with a group of creatives every May, and this year several friends brought their drones…
FIRST LOOK: Amazon’s Echo Dot
Upgrade your nightstand It’s no secret that we love the Amazon Echo; what I initially wrote off as a bizarre little gadget quickly became our current favorite smart home gadget. There’s something about that readily-available combination of knowledge and speed…
Is it Dumb to Build a Smart Home?
If you enjoy reading tech journalism or watching HGTV, you probably know there’s a bit of a renaissance and a backlash occurring at the same time in the smart home/IoT (internet of things) world right now. The renaissance is coming…
7 Days with the 9.7″ iPad Pro
I’ve owned three iPads since 2010, and I’ve never cared for any of them. What began as an initial excitement about the impending tablet “revolution” always regressed to a casual indifference toward a device that only seemed suited toward content…
