7 essential gadgets every home should have
We run though some of the top-notch tech your home shouldn't be without
WHERE THE HEART IS
Home is where the heart is, and if you’re a tech-connoisseur, you’ll know it’s also where the gadgets are. Of course, some purchases quickly become clutter, shoved to the back of your cupboard or bookshelf because you’ve upgraded, or just couldn’t find a use for it. Yes, I’m talking about the smoothie maker that’s been trapped under your sink all year. Poor thing. So, to make sure you don’t inadvertently turn your house into a gadget graveyard, we’ve put together a list of essential tech that any home shouldn’t be without. If any of these glorious gizmos start gathering dust, you’ve either gone on holiday for a month or seriously need to invest in some Mr. Sheen, because these bad boys are anything but surplus.
GOOGLE HOME
In many ways, Google Home is amazing. It’s the all-in-one J.A.R.V.I.S.-like butler we’ve dreamt of for years. Well, almost. Its smart home controls are no gimmick – they really will make your daily life just that little bit easier, to the point where using anything but your voice to set the temperature or dim the lights will seem archaic. Its music controls, when using Spotify and TuneIn to listen to the radio also work well, and Google Assistant’s clever natural language search is great at finding songs. What’s more, as Google tweaks and improves its AI baby, Home will get smarter, gain more features, and become more and more useful.
SONOS PLAY:1
The Sonos Play:1 sounds so good, we can’t help but wonder if it’s going to decimate sales of the company’s other wireless speakers. That’s not your problem, though – your problem is deciding what to listen to next and in which room of the house. Needless to say, the Play:1 further solidifies Sonos’ spot at the top of our list of the best hi-fi and streaming devices in the world right now. It’s an affordable, mighty wireless speaker that sounds as good as it looks, and that makes it an absolute must-have.
NEST SECURE
The Nest Secure is a future-perfect upgrade for that ancient alarm system you’re currently rocking. Unfortunately, it’s also an expensive one, especially if you factor in a camera. That said, it’s really easy to imagine these devices making a real difference to people’s lives. We’re all swamped with notifications on a minute-to-minute basis, but I can’t see anyone being annoyed at their phone telling them someone is trying to climb through the window. One Nest employee told me he just likes to know that his kids have arrived home safe from school. Their tags alert him to that. Ultimately, when all is said and done, you can’t put a price on security, and that’s exactly what the Nest Secure excels at.
NINTENDO SWITCH
The Switch ranks among Nintendo’s very best consoles. Its ‘play anywhere’ concept is inventive in a way you’ll actually appreciate, Zelda: Breath of the Wild is absolutely essential and most importantly pretty much everyone I’ve handed one to has had a blast with the thing. By going all-in with a 2-in-1 machine, Nintendo has captured people’s imaginations in a way it hasn’t done since the Wii. To hold their attention, it’ll need to ensure the Switch doesn’t burn out in its first 12 months of existence.
PHILIPS 50PUS6272
You spend less, you get less. That’s a fundamental rule of consumerism, right? And by that rule, spending less on a TV is going to involve all sorts of compromise. And yet, if you splash out a little on the Philips 50PUS6272, that compromise is hard to find. This is a 50in TV with both 4K and HDR. Not to mention Ambilight, which is ace. What’s more, it’s an astounding performer for the money. Yes, it’s got a few issues – poor viewing angles, a messy OS and awful out-of-the-box settings – but these are minor flaws in the face of an extraordinarily good picture at a price that practically anyone can afford. In short, the Philips is an absolutely fantastic TV for the money. In fact, we’d dare to say it’s the best affordable television on the market right now.
PHILIPS HUE
Philips has been doing a very Sonos-like job with its Hue smart lighting system since it launched a few years ago, in that it’s continued to develop and evolve the range with extra devices and features despite a lack of genuinely serious competitors. This means that, despite serious competition now arriving in the form of Ikea’s Trådfri, it’s still a step ahead in terms of depth and versatility. Of course, it’s steep price-point makes Hue an undeniably luxury, but I’ll be damned if it’s not a fabulous one, and when my lottery numbers finally come in you can bet I’ll be kitting out my palatial new abode with Hue from basement to rafters. So, if you’re looking to splash out on some genuinely impressive smart home tech, you can do far worse than the Hue. Go on, light up your life.
AKG K92
If you’re about to drop $90 on a pair of headphones, you’re going to want a great-sounding, sturdy and comfortable pair of cans to hook up to your laptop or hi-fi, and in that case the K92s fit the bill perfectly. The out-there colour finish might not be to everybody’s taste, but once these wonderful headphones are clamped around your dome the last thing you’ll be thinking of is gold. Unless, y’know, you’re listening to some Spandau Ballet. Go figure.
