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Natalie Weinstein is President of Natalie Weinstein Design Associates, The Natalie Weinstein Home Decorating Club and Uniquely Natalie, a quality consignment |
| What “Techie” isn’t excited about new gadgets – anywhere, especially in the home – and some are actually useful and should be considered when planning to upgrade or renovate. Last year, House Beautiful researcher, Lauren Smith, compiled a series of some of the most interesting and useful tech devices for the home that I thought worth sharing. They are all available on Amazon.com. • Nest Hello Doorbell has a built in HD Video Camera and speaker so you can check your phone to see who’s there and speak to them even if you’re not at home. • A curved TV screen from Samsung allows viewing from any angle and it minimizes glare. • Amazon sells an Echo which is a hands-free speaker that plays music, makes calls, sends and receives texts, gives you the weather, and more. • Lutron makes a light kit which allows you to control lights from anywhere in your home with both an in-wall dimmer and remote. (If you own the Amazon Echo, it can be controlled by your voice!) • A Smartpot will dispense water and nutrients to a plant for an entire month with no maintenance which is great for travelers and people like me with “brown thumbs”. • For home protection, the Nest Cam sends phone alerts and emails with photos if there is activity outside your home. It also has a built-in speaker. • Petcube streams video to your tablet or smart phone when you’re not home so you can see how your pet is behaving. • The Drop Scale weighs your food so once you choose a recipe and you decide how much you want to make, it calibrates everything you’ll need. • The motion sensor garbage bin is touchless. You lift the lid with a wave of your hand. • There is a Samsung oven that turns into a double oven if you want to cook two dishes at once and it connects to WIFI so you can adjust the temperature from your smart phone. • The Drift Light acts like a normal bulb, but by flipping the switch twice, it fades off in 37 minutes to lull you to sleep while the warm light tone induces melatonin production. • The Archer VibrAcoustic Bath acts as a Bluetooth. Fill it up and the music waves ripple through the water using your own music library or their programmed one. • The Thermasol Micro Touch System uses intuitive-screen technology to adjust heat or steam preference and lets you pick preferred settings as well. • The Worx robot uses a shock sensor system to mow your lawn, even around obstacles, and returns to base to recharge or if it rains. • A wireless garage door sensor operates from your smart phone when linked to your switch or ceiling motor, controlling it from anywhere using WIFI or cell. So – whenever you plan to upgrade or redecorate, check out the new advances in making your home “smarter”, and your life easier. |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 