On our radar: Briiv Air Filter

Briiv air filter

We’ve had a couple of lovely sunny days over the Easter period. With all this recent sunshine, I’ve noticed the huge number of particles in the air when beams of light shine through the bedroom Velux window in the morning. Dust, dog fur, dander, wood-burner emissions, mould spores and goodness knows what else. I dread to think what we’re breathing in as we sleep!

I looked online into gadgets that clean the air and discovered the Briiv Air Filter; what a beauty. The company describes it as, “The most sustainable, recyclable air purifier on Earth”. The unit is fitted with two filters which last for a year; one is made of moss and the other coconut fibre. It looks like a mini terrarium – more of a houseplant than a household appliance!

Of course, like any 21st century smart home device worth its salt, the Briiv Air Filter connects to your wi-fi and can be controlled using an app on your smartphone.

It currently retails at £329 which is a huge outlay, but they claim that it only costs £3.64 per year to run (based on the device being switched on for 6 hours per day).

Taking good care of your home tech

Taking good care of your home tech

We’re living in a technological age where most of us have access to at least one device that we use on a regular basis. This is likely a smart phone, but many of us also have tablets, laptops, computers, gaming devices and more. Of course, these things don’t come cheap. Our tech tends to come with a high price tag in exchange for the great value that they bring to our lives. Therefore, it’s important that you take good care of your home tech at all times. This can maintain its value, boost its longevity and generally maintain it as best as possible. Here are some top tips that will help you to achieve this!

Take out insurance

The first thing you should do when you get your hands on any tech is to make sure that it’s insured. These are pricey items and can be costly to repair or replace should you lose or damage them, or if they were to be stolen. There are plenty of different plans out there that are specially designed for different items, ranging from smart phone insurance to general gadget insurance. Browse different options and find a policy that ticks all of your boxes. Make sure that it covers the full value of your phone and protects against any scenario you may foresee. You can then take time to compare policies and different providers to get the lowest price possible. If you’re set on a specific provider, you could even consider asking them to price match a lower cost competitor.

Update the software

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “software”, it’s good to know that software is a set of instructions, data or programs on any piece of tech that helps it to operate and for you to do what you need to do on it. For example, software on a phone could include call systems, text message systems, apps and more. Put simply, the software on your phone will tell it how to work to ensure that you get good use out of it. Of course, developers are consistently working on software to make it better in a number of ways. This could include adding more features, improving usability, making the software more accessible or simply increasing security to prevent cyber crime wherever possible. As you can imagine, it’s important to keep up with software updates that will help you to experience all of these things. All too many of us press “remind me later” or other options that postpone software updates when they’re suggested to us. This is because we’re usually using the tech in question when it comes to the time to update software. But it’s really important that you take the time to accept software updates and to allow them to install on your phone, so you don’t miss out on the perks. Take some time to accept all software updates and experience the benefits on all of your devices. You could also take time to clear old information and data, by learning how to clean my drive.

Clean the hardware

The hardware of your tech is any element of the device that you can touch. It’s the smart phone itself – the screen, buttons, charger and more. It’s your tablet itself. It’s your laptop itself. As you can imagine, these items grow dirty with repeated use. Even if you think your hands are clean, they tend to harbour grease, dirt, germs and bacteria. Phones, tablets and laptops left on work surfaces can accumulate dust. You may get crumbs on them if eating while using them. They might get splashed by drinks. The list goes on. It’s important to clean your hardware on a regular basis to ensure that you’re getting the most from it.

Cleaning your hardware will not only make your devices more presentable and nicer to use, but it can help to extend their life too. Dirt and grime can cause problems such as keys sticking or build up inside the device, which will be much harder to clean down the line. There are plenty of kits out there that are specially designed for use on tech devices, such as screen wipes and small vacuum cleaners that can pull crumbs, dust and debris from hard to reach spaces such as between keyboard keys.

Tech is an integral part of our lives nowadays, so make sure you take the time and effort to take care of yours as well as possible. This is simple, straightforward and will really pay off in the long run!

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Price Points: Portable smart speakers

Portable smart speakers

We’ve been building a smart speaker collection for a few years. We have a soundbar that’s connected to the television, a pair of small speakers in the living room and a single medium-sized one in the dining room. For the next addition, we wanted one that we could take out into the garden with us on a sunny day.

When it came to choice of portable smart speakers, only one would do for us… the Sonos Roam. All our other smart speakers are by Sonos, they’re all connected to each other, to the television and to our Amazon Echo Dot.

Of these three well known audio brands featured, the Sonos portable smart speaker just happens to be the most affordable. Another great plus point about it is that it’s waterproof; we use it in the bathroom to enhance a long soak.

  1. Sonos Roam: £159.00, Sonos

    Enjoy the unmatched Sonos experience on Wifi, and stream directly from your smartphone, tablet or computer using Bluetooth. Roam automatically connects to your home network and pairs with your phone when you’re away. So all you have to think about is what to play.

    Voice control with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant. Roam offers up to 10 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. When not in use, Roam switches to sleep mode to conserve power, and the battery can last up to 10 days… drop-resistant, waterproof up to three feet for 30 minutes, impervious to dust.

  2. Bose portable smart speaker: £329.95, Bose

    Up to 12 hours on average listening volume and up to 24 hours in standby mode Charging time: Approximately 4 hours when using the original cable Using third-party USB-C cable or power source may increase charging time… Bluetooth range: Up to 9m (30ft).

  3. Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze: £1,399.00

    Crafted from solid aluminium, the BeoSound 1 combines the signature sound of Bang & Olufsen with the easy voice control of the Google Assistant. It features an intuitive One Touch interface, simple streaming with Chromecast and Airplay 2 built in, and is multiroom ready with other compatible B&O speakers. It’s easily portable, with a long battery life.

shop portable smart speakers

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1 portable smart speaker with the Google Assistant, bronze
£1,399.00
Bose portable smart speaker
Bose portable smart speaker
£329.95
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam
£159.00

Essential pieces of tech for hosting the perfect party

Essential pieces of tech for hosting the perfect party

Everybody loves a party, in fact, studies show that home entertainment is on the rise and many people prefer staying in and entertaining guests rather than going out to a pub or a restaurant. As many as 75% of people would rather have a party at home than go out because it’s cheaper and more convenient. But if you want to host the perfect party, it takes a lot of planning.

The good news is, you can take the stress out of planning and hosting a party if you invest in the right gadgets. These are some of the essential pieces of tech that you should buy if you want to host a great party.

Smart light bulb icon

Smart light bulbs

Lighting is important when you are hosting a party because it helps you to get the atmosphere right. Do you want some nice, relaxed low lighting for a dinner party or do you want some disco lights and a dance-floor area? Whatever atmosphere you’re trying to create, smart light bulbs are the best way to do it. These great bulbs can change to any colour that you like and you can control it all from a simple app on your mobile phone. So, if you decide that you want to change the vibe at the party, it only takes a simple click of a button. They’ll save you a lot of money as well because LED bulbs are a lot more energy efficient. Using smart bulbs to adjust your lighting is so much easier than buying ten different lamps with different coloured bulbs in them.

Smart speaker icon

Multi-room speakers

Music is an essential at a party, so you need some good speakers around the house. If you want to make sure that all of your guests are satisfied, you should invest in a multi-room speaker system so you can have different music playing in every room of the house. Some rooms can be for relaxing while others can have more of a party vibe to them, and you can connect everything to your phone so you can DJ while you enjoy the party.

Robot vacuum cleaner icon

Robot vacuum cleaners

The worst part about a party is setting up beforehand and then the cleaning up afterwards, but you can make life a lot easier for yourself if you get a robot vacuum cleaner. They’ll go around doing their own thing and vacuum the entire house for you, so you don’t need to worry. You could even have it running during the party to keep on top of the mess, just make sure that none of your guests accidentally stand on it!

Smart kitchen scale icon

Smart scales

Preparing expertly mixed cocktails is a great way to impress your guests, but what if you’re terrible at mixing drinks? The good news is, that doesn’t matter any more because you can use a smart scale. They give you simple to follow instructions and the scale measures all of the different ingredients perfectly, so even if you don’t have a clue what you’re doing, you can make professional level cocktails for your guests.

If you’re planning to host a party soon, get hold of some of these gadgets and you can really take your home entertaining to the next level.

Additional image credits:
The Noun Project

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