If you are like me, you have wanted to live in the smart AI controlled future we have seen on TV and movie screens. Now moving into 2021, I thought it was time to look at the best smart tech we have got the opportunity to explore, delivering a smarter home along with helping lead to a more healthy overall lifestyle. While it may seem like something out of Star Trek, connected devices are now a reality, and are slowly creeping their way into everyday life.
From smart vacuums to the internet controlled heating and cooling, technology has come a long way, bringing advancements in smart assistants, new displays and even better mental and oral health. Thanks to cell phones and new concepts on old ideas, it has never been a better time to explore how you can make your life smarter. We have taken the time to list the best devices CGMagazine has tested over the past year, giving a sense at what is worth your time, and money as you look to make your life a bit more smart moving into 2021.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Voice Control
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Voice Control — the company’s 5th generation thermostat — is a brilliant product that lets you replace your old thermostat and never look back. With the Ecobee, you can finally benefit from improved convenience and greater efficiency. This smart thermostat includes a larger speaker for better sound quality, dual-band Wi-Fi radios to provide better connectivity with your home Wi-Fi Router, multi-room capability that lets you choose the settings you want for each zone, and Alexa compatibility for voice control. We love what the Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Voice Control offered, and stands as the best smart thermostat we’ve reviewed. For anyone from parents, to a new homeowner, nothing compares to what this device offers. It works with third-party smarts and hubs like Nest and Apple’s HomeKit and at $249 it’s a bit pricey, but impressive features like Alexa make it well worth the cost.
iRobot Roomba s9+
iRobot and the Roomba brand have been around for a while now, but with each new upgrade the concept of what robot vacuums can do, moving us closer to a self-sufficient cleaning robot friend. The Roomba s9+ is a seriously convenient little cleaner that is packed with features from Wi-Fi Connectivity to AI room mapping, and more powerful than the standard Roomba. It’s perfect for reaching into corners, baseboards, and hard-to-reach places.
Roomba is an incredibly effective albeit expensive robot vacuum, which has been designed to do one thing and one thing well: clean. This means that it has wider brushes, superior suction, and an advanced 3D sensor which together create a powerful automated cleaning system.
If you know a parent who wants to spend less time cleaning and more time with the family, or who wants all the benefits of a clean home with the help of a robot servant, the Roomba s9+ is a no-brainer, and one that makes your any family home feel like it is from a far-flung future.
reMarkable Tablet 2
I have always been a fan of using notebooks as a way of organizing my thoughts. While I very rarely do much of my long form work on one, they have become invaluable parts of my creative process. So when I had the opportunity to give the new reMarkable 2 e-ink tablet a try for review, I was eager to see how it stacked up. After a few weeks of testing, despite the limited use cases the reMarkable 2 offers, it stands as a major part of my creative arsenal, and one I would suggest to anyone that still uses a notepad for their day-to-day process.
The reMarkable 2 tablet feels like the device I have been searching for, delivering the ideal merging of technology and note taking. It comes at a premium, costing $599 CAD without any stylus, but for anyone who needs this sort of device, that is money well spent. It works well, is lightweight and looks like a notebook out of Star Trek. For anyone looking for the ultimate notebook, look no further, the digital paper tool you have always wanted is finally here.
Fitbit Sense
Technology is a double-edged sword when it comes to health and fitness. The promise of a healthier life sometimes smells too good to be true. Thankfully Fitbit has shown they know the industry, how to tackle health, and know how to merge the two concepts into a well-thought-out, useful device, that is as functional as it is stylish. Their latest Fitbit Sense feels like the pinnacle of these concepts, and all previous developments into a single, well positioned device.
With a great look, good battery life and an array of sensors to get a handle on what is going on with your body, and how to tackle a new, healthy lifestyle. The sense at times can feel overkill, delivering features that at times can feel unnecessary, such as the stress tracking, but the overall feel of the Sense is fitbit has built one of the best fitness trackers to date. With recent improvements such as automatic SpO2 tracking at night, Google Assistant support, the Sense has only become more useful. It may be a bit much for people not looking to jumpstart a more healthy lifestyle, with a Versa 3 potentially being a better fit, but for anyone looking to live their best livem the Sense is a phenomenal product. While the Apple Watch is great, the Fitbit Sense offers the best overall health focused smartwatch experience, that pushes the limit on what a wearable can do to help you live your best life.
Amazon Echo Family
