The Most Ridiculous Smart Devices On The Market

Have you ever wanted a remote controlled tea kettle?  What about a gesture controlled salt shaker? Or a voice controlled toilet? 

When we were researching for our post last month about smart tech, we ran across several very strange items. All of them, naturally, claim to be ‘smart’ devices. They take the idea of “Internet of Things” a bit too far, though.  Because really, why would you need a gesture controlled salt shaker?

We thought to share 17 of the strangest and funniest devices that we came across in our hunt for information. Let us know below which one was your favorite! 

Egg Minder 

While the video is amusing, it doesn’t tell you much about Quirky’s Egg Minder. All you can gather from this video is that it keeps track for you on just how many eggs you have? Presumably this means you would have an app just for this. Which really, when it comes to space on our phones vs not having to  count how many eggs we have on hand, personally, we’re going for the phone space. 

Miliboo Smart Sofa 

Miliboo claims to be the world’s first smart sofa. With  connection to your smart assistants, a wireless charger built in, vibration and smart speakers built into it, and led under lighting. The question is: why? If you really love the IMAX experience we could maybe see it, but at the same time is it really necessary? 

Aevena Aire 

Our next strange product is Aire, a flying robot for your home. It’s meant to work indoors and move itself around people, while still being quiet. It’s one part security camera, one part NannyCam? Which just leads us to question “ if this got hacked, how hard are we going to get hit in the head by it?” 

Laurastar smart iron

Do you ever  question how to iron something? No? You look it up on youtube? So do we! Which is why we don’t get the point of this iron. It teaches you how to iron, beeps at you when it needs more water, and it adjusts temperatures to the fabric in question. “A system that thinks on your behalf and is thus a guarantee of the best possible ironing and effortless premium care.” Yeah we prefer thinking for ourselves, thanks? 

Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad 

This one we’re torn on. On one hand, the app seems rather intelligent, if a bit much. You can track your baby’s weight, how much they’re eating, going to the bathroom, etc.  On the other hand, the changing pad doesn’t seem to be much more than a changing pad with a scale and a cushion. To top it all off, the app is free? So what’s really the point of the changing pad? 

Onvi Prophix 

You know that the obsession with cameras has gone too far when we’re putting cameras into our toothbrushes. It doesn’t take photos of your face mind, it takes photos of the inside of your mouth as you’re brushing.  

Kuvée Bottle 

Kuvee is one that while it didn’t meet its mark, it did have potential to grow into something great. They created a wi-fi connected wine bottle with a touchscreen that claimed to keep wine fresh for up to 30 days after being opened. Whether they managed that claim is up in the air as the company shut their doors in 2018.

Juicero  

Juicero had SO much potential. As a juice delivery service they could have been great. Instead they focused on a fancy, smart connected product that you didn’t actually need? It turns out that the packets (which were supposed to taste rather good) could be squeezed by hand and you would get the same amount of delicious juice. And you still didn’t have to clean anything other than the glass you drank it out of. 

Chip Smart Cookie Oven  

Ah.. The Chip Smart Cookie Oven. Let’s face facts, this is an Easy-Bake for adults. It came with single serve ‘dough packets’ (think Keurig but for cookies) but you could only make 4 at a time. They still took 10 minutes to cook properly and you didn’t even get to lick the spoon. For the same amount of time, and less money you can make at least 4 times that AND you get whatever dough is left in the bowl. ‘

HapiFork 

HapiFork is a haptic feedback fork that aims to, according to their website,  “ helps you monitor and track your eating habits. It also alerts you with the help of indicator lights and gentle vibrations when you are eating too fast.”  While we understand that their is a link between eating too fast and weight gain, we question why we need a fork that vibrates? 

Bruno 

The Bruno can is both a trashcan and a vacuum cleaner, although not in the usual sense. You simply sweep things in front of the inlet in the bottom of the can and it will suck up anything in front of it. It also bugs you to take out the trash and lets you know when you’re low on trash bags! 

Kérastase Hair Coach 

Have you ever wondered if you’re brushing your hair too hard? Or maybe if your hair is frizzy? No? Neither have we. And yet still this product from Keratase and Withings exists. The list of features includes a gyroscope, a microphone, an accelerometer and conductivity sensors. All of that, in your hair brush.  

Do you have any to add to the list? Or ones that you want to purchase or have purchased for yourself ( we don’t judge)? Let us know in the comments or over on Facebook. And if your appliances aren’t cooperating, reach out and we can schedule an appointment with one of our technicians to get you back on track. 

Smart Appliances or Bamboozling Buzzwords?

Are we closer to having smart homes, or are we being bamboozled by useless technology upgrades? 

Smart homes, homes that can do everything for us, making our lives more comfortable and focused. We’ve been dreaming about homes like Eureka’s SARAH, The McFly House, and Tony Stark’s mansion for decades. And as technology continues to speed up, we are getting closer. While we aren’t quite at the point of having living room travelators a la the Jetsons, we do have robot vacuums. We’ve also got people who are already trying to figure out how to imitate JARVIS from the Iron Man movies, and he can tell you if a guest has shown up. 

So what is a smart home? 

According to the masses, a smart home is “a home automation system will control lighting, climate, entertainment systems, and appliances. It may also include home security, such as access control and alarm systems.”

A smart appliance then is one you connect to your phone or tablet for better control convenience and information. Then you can control it either by voice command or the push of a button. 

Smart Appliance Examples

 Refrigerators that let you know when you’re out of something. 

 Thermostats that remember what temperature you prefer at night

 Security systems that let you check in on your kids and see if you remembered to lock the door before you left. 

So a smart home is a collection of appliances, systems, lighting, and heating that can all be controlled from a central point. What’s the problem then? Why are we all holding off on diving into the future we’ve wanted.

Well, because we’re still in the infancy stage of smart homes. Not all smart appliances are useful, not all of them do what they claim to do, and really do we need a remote start for our washing machines? Why do we need 24-hour delays on crockpots? (No one wants salmonella, thanks for trying.) Last but not least, shouldn’t an appliance be good at the primary function before we add on extra ones? Sadly, as we’ve discussed before, that’s not always the case. 

Manufacturers are still figuring out what we need in appliances and what will actually get used. We’re also still figuring out the legality around devices that can share our information and whether they should or not.

Not all smart appliances are bad, though. Some of them are remarkable at both doing what they’re supposed to do AND using smart features. 

Let's take a look at the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Amazon Basics Microwave. Both do what they are meant to do while still giving us a glimpse into the future. 

The Nest Learning Thermostat has an Auto-Schedule feature that learns your daily heating and cooling temperatures and times during the first week of use and creates a schedule based on your preferences. You can make adjustments along the way or create your own schedule, but it's a nice option for those who don't want to be bothered to program their thermostat.  

The Amazon Basics Microwave, on the other hand, costs just as much as a standard microwave, doesn’t connect to an app, and doesn’t have any superfluous functions. Instead, it takes a typical microwave and connects it to Amazon’s Alexa. This means that if you’re across the house, you can tell Alexa to cook something for you, while you’re still working. Neither of these are ground shaking improvements, but they do what a smart appliance is supposed to, making your life that little bit easier. 

Now, others are also good at what they do while still being smart, these are just two that we wanted to highlight. 

How to Tell the Difference:

Which brings us into, if there are good smart appliances and bad ones, how do you tell the differences? 

According to HGTV, there are 4 key things you should look for when you’re designing a smart home, or buying a new smart appliance. 

• Are there good reviews? 

  • Unless you’re getting paid for it, do you really want to be the first person to find out if it works? No. Do research ahead of time and don’t get talked into buying something you didn’t intend to. 

• Is there a proven support department? 

  • If it has issues connecting to your wi-fi, if it gets hacked, or it gives you an error message you don’t understand, you want to be able to get help you can count on. 

• Does it connect to other devices you own?

  • Always double check (heck, triple check) that your new device will hook up to the OS on your command tool (be it phone, tablet, or computer). You don’t want to buy 3 different systems just to run everything in your house. Also, make sure that the appliance connects to the other devices you already own. If you’re looking to have two systems work together, you need to make sure they can connect in the first place.

• Does it have features you’ll actually use? 

  • So what if that coffee maker can froth milk in 20 seconds? If you drink your coffee black, it’s irrelevant. The same goes for smart appliances. Don’t be lured in by features you have no use for. 

Now, you can still have the best of both worlds. It is possible to make your home smarter without having to purchase all new appliances. 

Some Examples Are 

 Smart Bulbs

  By screwing a smart bulb in place, you can get control over almost any lamp. This means that not only can you get the benefits of it, but you can keep the mid-century lamp that your great-grandmother gave you as well. The catch here is that you need to double-check the wiring in the lamp to make sure that it is intact and insulated. Since the bulbs will have current running through them at all times, the wiring needs to be up to handling that. 

 Smart Switches 

  If you have lots of lights, skip the bulbs and go for the switch. Some smart switches even have dimmers. 

 Smart Plugs

  Have you ever left a space heater on when you left the house and had to go all the way home when you realized it? Or wanted to wake up to a fresh pot of coffee without having to get a complicated programmable pot? 

  This is where smart plugs come in. Think of the infuriating clock timers that people use for Christmas lights. A smart plug is like that, but actually reliable. They are even able to monitor power usage and let you know how many times something is turned on and off. If you’re interested in some of the ways people have used smart devices, check out this article over Forward Thinking Home. 

Now you can get that bit closer to Tony Stark’s mansion without breaking the bank. And while you save up the money to get new appliances, maybe the manufacturers will actually make them smarter, and still, work. 

Thanks for checking out our post this week, we hope that you enjoyed it. If you did, or if you have any questions or comments, please let us know over at our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you. 

Don’t forget, even smart appliances still need regular maintenance! Schedule an appointment today with one of our technicians to make sure that your home of the future is running smoothly.

Teaching Your Kids Kitchen Safety

Whether you learned early how to cook, or later in life, as parents, we want our kids to learn how to feed themselves. Whether it’s so they can make their own lunches, so they can learn essential skills or build memories with us. All of these things come from learning how to cook. All things need a framework though. For learning to cook in the kitchen, that means learning kitchen safety. 

“But how do you teach them that!?” you might be grumbling at your computer screen. It’s ok, we get it.  

When it comes to teaching kids safety in the kitchen, you need to set clear rules so the process is enjoyable for both of you. You will have to remind them of them from time to time, that’s normal. What’s more, fun is when they get to turn the tables and remind you! 

Here’s a quick, bulleted list, before we dig into each one. 

• Listen. Listen. Listen. 

• Roll-up sleeves and tie back hair. 

• Always wash your hands. 

• Always ask an adult before cooking.

• Clean as you go. 

• Practice good knife safety. 

• Ask Before You Lick. 

• Separate Raw and Cooked foods

• Cook foods to the proper temperature. 

• If you get hurt, tell an adult right away. 

• When you’re done, turn off the oven and all other appliances before you leave the kitchen. 

Listen. Listen. Listen. 

 Cooking with kids is a great way to build active listening skills and practice following directions. “My kids get so excited to get started that we often talk about ‘Listening Before You act’ says Natalie of SuperHealthy Kids.  They get so excited, and it’s hard, we get it! It’s important to stress to kids that taking the time to listen and follow directions can change if the recipes turns out well or not. 

Roll Up Sleeves and Tie Back Hair 

 This one feels like a ‘well duh’ to us, but to your little one, not so much. Teaching them to do this every time before they start to cook will build a life long habit. Just as important, it means you’re less likely to have hair in your food, or stains on their clothes! 

Always Wash Your Hands 

 We should all be washing their hands front and back, between the fingers and under our nails. If we don’t teach our kids, who will? You can also remind them to think about all the things they’ve touched and ask if it’s something they want in their food. 

Always Ask An Adult Before You Cook

 Again, this seems like an obvious rule, but as our kids become more confident and independent, they’ll want to ask less. It’s important to ask though so that even if they’re the one doing all the work, there is someone there in case they get hurt. 

Clean As You Go

 This one is a somewhat divisive point. Some people clean as they go, and others will put everything in the sink until the cooking is done. The biggest reason you shouldn’t leave everything till the end is to prevent slips and falls. The second reason is that if you’re us, you don’t have a lot of sink or counter space. Washing as you go means that you don’t have to fight to get counter space, worry about things falling out of the sink, or have little elbows knocking things off. 

Practice good knife safety. 

 Technically speaking, we could do an entire post about proper knife safety. (And maybe we will!) the most important things to keep in mind are these though. 

 - When teaching your kids to use knives, work with them, stay patient, and expect that it’s going to take many repetitions before they get the hang of it. 

 - You can start by letting them use plastic to-go knives, move them up to kid-friendly plastic knives, and then eventually (preferably not before they 8 or so) you can upgrade them to kitchen and chef knives. 

 -Always carry knives point down. 

 -When you set down a knife, it should be flat and away from the edge of the cutting board or the surface it’s on. 

 -Your hand should be on top and the knife on bottom when you’re gripping the handle. 

 - If your knife is moving, your eyes should be down. If the food moves, your knife should be down. 

  This one is phrased so that it’s easy to remember, but it might take a bit more explaining for your kids. The idea is that if you’re using a knife, your eyes should be focused on what you’re doing. If you take your eyes off what you’re doing, the knife should stop moving. If the food is moving (i.e., if you’re taking it somewhere else in the kitchen), the knife should be laid down. 

Ask Before You Lick

 We know the dangers of the kitchen. Raw meats, cleaners, raw eggs, etc. Kids don’t though, and cake batter, sauces, and the like are tempting for little chefs. So make sure that they always ask before they lick something. 

Separate Raw and Cooked Foods

 Just like the above, this is one kids aren’t going to think about. It’s our job to teach them that you cannot put cooked food back on the same plate that raw foods were on.

- If you get hurt, tell an adult right away. 

-When you’re done, turn off the oven and all other appliances before you leave the kitchen. 

Thanks for joining us this week, we hope to see you back next week where we’ll be discussing smart gadgets. How smart are they? 

If you have comments, questions, or pictures to share, check us out over on Facebook! We’d love to hear from you. 

Remember, one of the most essential steps for working in your kitchen is knowing that all of your appliances are working correctly. If yours are having issues, or even if you’re not sure, schedule an appointment today. We want to help you keep you and your family safe. 

Easy Ways To Hide Your Appliances

Do you ever get tired of your appliances or appliances in general? What about other necessary fixtures around your house? The way they look, or the fact that they never seem to change? We know we do, and we know that some of our clients do as well. This week we’re taking a look at different ways you can change the look of your appliances and how they fit into your kitchen. 

There are three different ways so far that we’ve found to change your appliances.

Exchange It

The first method is the most straight forward. You can get rid of the appliances you have and exchange them for alternate models that will fit with what you already have. This might involve buying specially built appliances. However, you won’t have to worry about messing up the decor you’ve spent time building your dream kitchen. So while not the most cost-effective, this one can be the easiest. 

• Some companies offer refrigerated drawers rather than a full fridge, which is what is going on here. It looks fantastic, and you can keep everything close to hand. We think it would work best if you have a larger kitchen, though, or perhaps a hanging rack for your pots and pans? 

• This one is definitely custom. Not only are you working with what you already have around you, but you’re building a shelf that will pop out only when you need it. It can also still be used for storing baked goods.  

• What are the panels under your sink for? Can anyone honestly think of a reason, other than decoration? These tiny drawers solve that issue by giving you somewhere to store your sponges that are easy to clean and hide away when you’re done. 

• We cannot tell you the number of times we’ve smacked our elbows on the knife block, or a hand or a plate. You get the picture. By creating a small sliding drawer at the end of your countertop, you add more storage space to your counter, and you don’t have to worry about smacking the knife block.

Work Around It

The second method is to have custom cabinetry (or something similar) that is built around the appliance. Depending on how handy you are with tools, you can either do this yourself or have someone else build them for you. These aim to blend the appliance into what you already have, making it, so they don’t stand out. Again, cost is a factor, though, because you’re working to build around or with what you have.

• Do routers count as appliances? We’re not sure given how everything is connected to the internet these days, but we can all agree that they are undoubtedly ugly. Why should you have to look at them then? Cover them up by making them look like something else, like this row of books, for example. 

• Bamboo screens are one option; you can also use other types of screens, such as fully wooden ones or fabric ones to hide things, such as washers, dryers, radiators, etc.

• This company will create a drop-down section within your counter where the appliances hide until they’re needed. Definitely a custom piece. 

• Built-in refrigerator that perfectly matches the surrounding cabinetry. If you look closely, you can see how it’s been affixed to the refrigerator doors without having to alter the fridge itself in any fashion. 

• This one is a little bit of using what you already have and a bit of custom cabinetry to leave your kitchen clutter-free when you aren’t using them. 

• This refrigerator has been cleverly disguised to look like an icebox. This one definitely can be done, but it’s going to take a bit of ingenuity to make it work. 

• All three of these are the same basic concept. Taking a cabinet you already have and adding something to it so that it serves the purpose of keeping your appliances out of the way, while still easily accessible. Each one is slightly different, but that goes to show how versatile this idea can be. 

• Adorable tiny custom box for your mixer? Check. 

• Can we all agree that breaker boxes are atrocious? What are you supposed to do if it’s inside your home in a critical room, though? Or if you’re looking to refurbish your garage into a new room?  Build a custom box around it and make it not stand out. 

• Continuing on with creating custom cabinets, why not hide your cat’s litter box? Give them somewhere quiet to go to the bathroom, as well as keeping you from having to smell it all the time.

• Other than the stove, do you see any appliances in this shot? This is all custom cabinetry built around the fridge, dishwasher, and any others that the owner has. Even the oven appears to have been covered over. 

Cover It

The third method is for those of us who aren’t /quite/ in love with our kitchen or need a change of pace. Maybe you’re like me, and committing to just one way of looking isn’t your thing? Or you want to test out a change before you make it more permanent? Try some of these alterations and see how they work for you! 

• While this one isn’t exactly changing the outside appearance of what you have, it is hiding it away within what you already have, i.e., one of your cabinets. Having a trash can that stays out of the way? Provided it’s on heavy-duty rollers, yes, please. 

• This is the perfect way to update your home, whether you own it or rent. This particular version is moisture and steam resistant, too, which means it’s excellent for your kitchen or bathroom. 

• This one doesn’t just have to be done with doorknobs or faucets. You could also do this with the hardware for cabinets, or the handles on your appliances. 

• Granite paint kits are fantastic. However, they can also be easily damaged if you don’t seal them right or choose the wrong one. Make sure that you do your research beforehand so that your hard work will last for years to come. 

• This kitchen is an excellent example of creating a panel that sticks to the front of an appliance, in this case, the dishwasher, as well as reusing a space to make something new. 

• Both of these continue on the trend of creating a panel that covers the appliance to blend in, without needing a custom cabinet around it. 

• All of these are using different materials to go and give your appliances a makeover. Whether it’s electrical tape, paint or cling film, you can get all sorts of ideas by looking on the internet. 

• When it’s not in use, why have your tv just sitting there? Why not hide it and have a beautiful piece of artwork instead? 

• Cords are a fact of life with electronics. But who says they have to be ugly? You can use cord wraps like these, or get inventive and use painters tape to create your own designs. 

• Plain doors are the worst in this blogger’s opinion. They need depth! Fortunately, it’s surprisingly easy to do that with just a bit of paint and masking tape. 

Thanks for joining us this week!  If you have other ways to disguise an appliance or update their look, let us know in the comments below or over at our Facebook page. 

Tovala Smart Oven: The Strangest Oven We've Ever Seen

Working with appliances and having a wide customer base,  we see all sorts of things. We often get calls to work on appliances we might never have heard of before. Some of them are nifty, such as a Northstar Keg Fridge, or a 3 in 1 Breakfast Master. Others have been downright strange.  The Tovala Smart Oven trends towards the ‘strange’ as far as we’re concerned. One of our team members brought the Tovala to our attention and we knew we had to take a look at it. 

Tovala started off as a meal delivery service. They would send you meals, you would scan them using the scanner on their oven and you would get perfectly cooked meals. Perfect! No more guessing and hoping that your settings were the same as the ones that the company used to develop the food. Then with their latest version of the oven, they have made it so that you can scan  ‘hundreds of brand name grocery products—like Eggo® Waffles and Pop-Tarts®!’ At least in theory, this can save you a lot of time. Much like with their own meals, they are taking the guesswork out of things so that you can focus on what you want to get done. Their app will even tell you when your meal is done cooking. If you’re a bit old-school though and prefer not to use the scanner, you can still use the Tovala toaster oven. It has more traditional functions such as baking, reheating, and steaming. 

It sounds like a nifty idea! Hundreds of products and all you have to do is scan them to get them cooked to perfection. But, who’s idea of perfection is it? When it comes to food, the ‘perfect’ amount of cooking is up for debate. Just look at the way some people take their steaks after all. 

Now, that is everything that Tovala claims your toaster oven will do. What they don’t talk about is what they’re going to do with your information. Many ‘smart’ devices including smart assistants such as Google and Alexa don’t tell you what they do with your data. You have to go hunting in several different places in order to find out.  Our question then is does Tovala keep your information for when you cooked that chicken at  2 am? What about when you had a rough day and stress baked seven batches of cookies? Even after looking over their page, Tovala isn’t clear about this. 

Their website only says that you have to use their app to connect the oven to your wifi or use any of the advanced features of the oven.  If you want to cook something from their hundreds of recipes? They know about it. If you want to scan in your box of Pop-Tarts, or one of their premade meals, they know it. Companies such as Google have been brought to the court of public opinion on the fact that they use your data to select ads for you. Many people aren’t happy about that. How would you feel about having more ads in your Tovala app for particular foods or suggestions for certain medications based on the foods that you’re eating? The possibilities are there, and sadly, Tovala isn’t telling us what they’re doing. 

A second issue is the matter of hooking the oven into your WiFi. As you may remember from our post about the Samsung smart fridges, hooking appliances up to your WiFi can be a security risk.  If Tovala chooses to stop updating the features and security measures on their ovens, it can be an opening into your home or office’s network.  

What you probably shouldn’t use it for :

Some of the things you probably shouldn’t be using a Tovala for, based on what it is: 

Cooking a large chicken or other piece of meat. - You can only get so large before different areas are cooking at different speeds.

Trying to cook a cheesecake. - This is just personal preference, but the fact that the Tovala is capable of ‘steaming’ foods leaves me a little leary. I’ll use it for fish after an experiment or two, but I’m not putting my cheesecakes in there. 

Melting plastics- There are all sorts of crafts that you can do using a toaster oven. Given the various features of this one, and that once it’s been used for plastics, you shouldn’t use it for foods again, I wouldn’t do this. 

Thank you for joining us this week! If you’re having issues with a major appliance, let us know, we’d be happy to help you get it back into shape. If on the other hand, you have a strange appliance that you want us to take a look at, post it in the comments below or over at our Facebook page. We love the chance to hear what you’re thinking about and the strange appliances you’ve encountered.