Lights are the new way to decorate your home. With smart lights, it’s now possible to paint your home with beautiful colours of light. Philips Hue are a Wi-Fi enabled light bulb that works with what Philips calls its “bridge”. The bridge must be physically connected to your home’s router via an included Ethernet cable, then this allows your bulbs to function on your home Wi-Fi network. The Hue kit was easy to set up; once the bridge is plugged in, you use the app to set up the system, and...
with recommendations from G&B Word Wizard Vanessa Azzoli, Chief Mixologist Shane Alexander, Federation Correspondent Derek Dresser, Music Man Matthew Smith, Washington Bureau Chief Amber Healy, and Gadget Ninja Erin Lawrence
Every time you walk away, your computer automagically locks.
Special to G&B by Gadget Ninja Erin Lawrence. Follow her on Instagram & Twitter @ErinLYYC It was hard to resist the lure. Philips contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in learning more about their new beard trimmer. Before I could say no, the representative added, “it has lasers”. The Beardtrimmer 9000 is a standard trimmer by many accounts, but it has a few cool features that are making it popular with men, including the aforementioned lasers. The Beardtrimmer 9000 has a dual...
As a writer and journalist, I’ve been attached to a keyboard as long as I’ve been employed. While I missed the typewriter-in-the-newsroom era, I still understand the nostalgia of using one. I first learned to type (self-taught, age 7) on a Smith Corona in the 80’s. There’s something more satisfying about the clomp-clop of typewriter keys mashing out your words, rather than the soft phush-phush of a regular computer keyboard.. That’s why I think the Qwerkywriter...
Of all the gadgets and devices I’ve tried over the last couple of years, smart lighting has to be one of my personal favorites. I was very excited when the newest member of the Osram Lightify family arrived for testing: it’s called the Osram Lightify Flex. Flex your lighting muscle with Lightify In the pack there are 3 two- foot long strips of flexible LED Lighting, along with a power pack and a controller that helps hook up to your home’s Wi-Fi network. Each of the two foot...
I’ve tested a LOT of technology, gadgets and devices as a tech writer, and if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that most gadgets will require regular maintenance to keep working well. Tech is not unlike your car: the fluids need to be topped up, and when you hear a rattle you need to take it to a mechanic and get it looked at to prevent a bigger problem down the road. It’s the same thing with all the high tech gadgets we buy; you’ve got to do your part to keep them in good working order. WHY IS MY...
Lost luggage can pretty much ruin your trip. You’re missing underwear, possibly medications, cosmetics, a suit for your big presentation, maybe even the notes for it.
Sure, devices that can alert people to break-ins, find a specific song by genre and suggest movies are cool and helpful. But are they violating federal wiretapping laws and collecting information to help manufacturers spy on their customers?
I may have found one of the easiest, simplest, and most straightforward gadgets on the market these days.
I love the idea of a smart lock. In my head I envision approaching the door, laden with groceries and bags, only to have the door unlock audibly and allow me to slip in without dropping everything and fishing for keys.
Coffee giant Tim Hortons recently announced that just in time for Canada Day, the company would be releasing a cute Canadian emoji keyboard.
