Hot Tech for the Holidays

2018 offers a lot of new tech toys that make everyday life that much more fun. Have a family member that hasn’t indulged in the world of smart technology? Give them a taste of what it has to offer and get their collection started. Here are a few products that caught our eye this holiday season.

Tile – starting @ $24.99

Finding your car keys shouldn’t take as much time as it does to get yourself ready. If you find yourself searching high and low for your keys, it may be time to give Tile a try. This device helps you locate your keys through GPS tracking and emission of sound. For example, let’s say you set your keys down while ordering coffee at a Starbucks in the mall. Before you know it, you have walked out to your car, only to find that your keys are missing. No problem! Open the Tile app on your phone and it will show you exactly where your keys are located. When you get within range of your keys, an auditory tone can be produced to precisely locate your keys.

Amazon FireTV Cube – $59.99

We have fallen in love with Amazon FireTV and our Echo dots, but it’s silly to purchase so many different devices for your home. Amazon is streamlining these products by bringing together the power of a full-feature Alexa device and the FireTV. Even when your TV is powered off, you can still utilize Alexa through verbal commands. This integration also provides new audio and visual information related to your request or search. Another great feature offered by the FireTV Cube is it can control the volume of your television or soundbar, which reduces the frequency of reaching for one of those five remotes sitting on your coffee table.

Ring Doorbell – $99.99

Ring is growing fast as a hot tech gadget because it’s easy to install and provides us with the security of knowing who is at our door before we answer, even when we aren’t home. Not only does Ring provide us with peace of mind before opening the door, but it allows us to communicate with guests through a two-way voice interface. Ring is a great addition to your smart home security or a great start to your smart home collection of gadgets.

Nest Thermostat – $199.00

Nest is the innovative thermostat known for its ability to save you money through the winter and summer months. Nest allows users to easily adjust and schedule temperature changes in their home with efficiency in mind. Not only can you setup your schedule around your thermostat, now you can adjust the temp in your home via voice command using your smart home devices or via the Nest mobile app. Not to mention, its modern design may add a modern look to your home. 🙂 Newer additions to the Nest family, such as the Nest Protect Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector and Nest Security Camera are also available to add to your smart home collection of toys.

FixD – $59.99

Tired of stopping by your local auto supply store to get your check engine light codes read? FixD is a small device that plugs into the OBD-II port in your vehicle and connects with your smartphone to give you information about your vehicle error lights on-demand. When an error is triggered by your vehicle, the app provides a description of the problem in plain English so you aren’t left having to interpret meaningless codes. Sounds like we may not have to jump into panic mode the next time that annoying check engine light comes on.