STACK #194 Dec 2020

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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The Home Connected Not only is smartening up your home with the latest tech both practical and rewarding, the wonderful world of the smart home is also rife with opportunities for gift giving. Be it sound, vision, lighting, security or beyond, there’s something smart to make anybody happy.

What is it? Philips Hue Outdoor White and Colour Spot Light Base Kit What‘s the crack? When many think about smart homes, their thoughts don’t turn to outdoors. However, there’s plenty of exciting tech available to smarten up a yard, and the Philips Hue range is a great starting point. This weather-proof, dimmable spotlight hooks into all main smart ecosystems via Hue Bridge, and offers a chance to light up the outdoors with 16 million colours. Who would it suit? If you have a great outdoors entertainer in your orbit, this could be the perfect gift to up their ambience ante.

What is it? Google Nest Hub What‘s the crack? The way to set somebody up in the Google Assistant ecosystem in style, this sleek device – available in two colours – packs a 7” screen and a whole lot of power. Perfect as the nerve centre for an entire smart home setup, it’ll answer questions, track your appointments,

show videos fromYouTube and more. It even functions as a photo frame when idle. Who would it suit? If you know somebody who’s been talking about smart home tech but is yet to take the plunge, this will start them off in style.

Christmas Cracker: Christmas lights were first invented in 1882 by Edward Johnson. They consisted of 80 hand-wired bulbs coloured red, white and blue and designed for the Christmas tree.

Stocking Filler Looking for the perfect gift for the vinyl enthusiast? A record crate is the perfect storage solution. Not only does it look good but it will hold and protect 30 albums from damage, and they can be easily transported if you need to lug them to a party.

What is it? Arlo Essential Wire- Free Video Doorbell

What‘s the crack? Knock, knock…Who’s there? It’s me, your doorbell’s busted! Make this situation a thing of the past with this slick Wi-Fi video doorbell from Arlo. Able to be installed wire-free or more permanently, this marvellous bit of kit allows a home’s residents to view their doorstep anytime from anywhere via their mobile and lets them speak to any visitors – or ignore them! Who would it suit? Pretty much everybody knows somebody with a crappy old doorbell that doesn’t work, so drag them into the 21st century!

What is it? Eufy Wire-Free HD Security Cam 4-pack with Home Base Kit What‘s the crack? There’s nothing paranoid about knowing what’s going on around your home, it’s just smart thinking. Arlo deliver an incredible 365-day battery life in this setup, allowing monitoring via phone app of four places without the need for wiring. It has local storage – no entrusting personal data to the cloud – and a crazy-loud siren if somebody tries to forcibly remove a camera. Who would it suit? If you know somebody who’s renting and could use a bit of a security uptick, here’s your perfect gift.

56 DECEMBER 2020

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