Page 40 - BusinessWest August 4, 2021

Life on the Cutting Edge
Today’s Tech Devices Boost Health, Efficiency, and Fun
An on-the-go society demands on-the-go technology, and today’s array of high- tech devices — available at all price points — offer users new ways to make their home lives more efficient, manage their work, boost their health, and, well, just have fun
in more eye-popping, ear-tickling ways than ever. In its annual look at some of the hottest tech items available, BusinessWest dives into what the tech press is saying about some of 2021’s buzziest items.
When compared
to many of the other
cool tech gadgets on
this list, the Amazon
Smart Plug ($25)
“might seem under-
whelming, but you
might be impressed
with how much you
like this smart-home
accessory once you start using it,” according to spy.com. “Head out on vacation and can’t remem- ber if you left a fan or window AC unit running? If it’s plugged into this, you can simply open
up your Alexa app and cut off the power. Have
a lamp that you love, but it doesn’t work with a smart bulb? Use one of these to make a dumb lamp very, very smart. On top of all that, Alexa
has some impressive power-monitoring tools, so that if you have more than one of these around your home, you can figure out which appliances and electronics around the house are costing you the most money, and you can adjust your usage behavior accordingly.”
Meanwhile, the same site says the Anker Nebula Solar Portable Projector ($520) won’t replace a fancy, 65-inch, 4K HDR TV, “but for those moments when you’re really craving that
movie-theater experience at home ... you’ll understand why this made our list of cool tech gadgets.” The projector boasts easy setup, too. “Barely bigger than a book, you can point it at a wall and have it projecting a 120-inch, 1080p version of your favorite Net- flix movie without needing to configure the picture settings or find a power outlet.”
Speaking of projectors, the
BenQ X1300i 4LED Gaming Projec-
tor ($1,299) is being marketed as the first true gaming projec- tor that’s optimized for the PS5 or Xbox Series X. “The 3,000-
lumen projector will play 1080p content — so not true 4K content — at extremely low laten- cy, which is needed for competitive gamers,” according to gearpatrol.com. “Additionally, it has built-in speakers and an Android TV operating system, so it functions as any traditional smart TV — but it can create up to a 150-inch screen.”
Taking tech outdoors is the DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone ($799), which menshealth.com touts for its massive opti-
cal sensor, means
“the 48-megapixel
photos pop and the
hyperlap video is 8K
— smart futureproof-
ing for when your TV
plays catchup. The
next-gen obstacle-
avoidance sensors, combined with the 34-min-
utes-long flight time, mean you spend more time shooting killer video and less time dodg- ing trees and buildings.”
Smart wallets offer a convenient way to store and transport cash and credit cards while protecting against loss or theft. The Ekster Parliament Smart Wallet ($89) is a smart bifold wallet with RFID coating (to protect against identity theft) and a patented
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17th Annual
40 AUGUST 4, 2021
TECHNOLOGY
BusinessWest