Stuff Gadget Awards 2012 – Home Gadget of the Year winner
Keep your iPhone 5s, your Nexus 7s and your Fire HDs – the biggest tech thrill we’ve had this year was turning on the central heating via text message
British Gas Remote Heating Control
from £150, britishgas.co.uk
Keep your iPhone 5s, your Nexus 7s and your Fire HDs – the biggest tech thrill we’ve had this year was turning on the central heating via text message. If 2012 was the year the thingternet took its first steps to world domination, then British Gas’ Remote Heating Control service was among the vanguard. The idea is simple: control your heating via smartphone app, web browser or SMS, setting the temperature and daily schedules with a swipe or text command such as “HEAT ON”. It’s slick and should save you cash, but most importantly, you’ll feel like some kind of heat-controlling-king-from-the-future. And that is award-worthy in our book.
Runners-up…
Dyson Digital Slim DC44 Animal
Is there anything more boring than doing the vacuuming? Yes, plenty, if you’re using the super-light, ultra-powerful DC44 Animal.
iRobot Roomba 600
Is there anything more boring than doing the vacuuming? Yes, plenty, if you’ve got the Roomba 600 robot vacuum cleaner to do it for you.
Belkin WeMo
The cheapest, easiest way to see what this thingternet thingy is all about, the WeMo will give you web-based control over just about anything you can plug into it.
Philips HomeCooker
The ultimate kitchen helper (unless you can afford real servants), this genius gizmo stirs your food as it cooks it to a pre-set temperature.
Krups Barista EA9000
Possibly the most popular gadget ever to grace the Stuff kitchen and definitely able to produce the best cup of coffee we’ve ever tasted.
