Now that Spring has finally sprung, most of us will do whatever we can to speed the winter thaw and usher in the warmer weather. David Gregg – Behind The Buy.com’s Senior Editor joins us with a crop of new seasonal product solutions to help all us easily and affordably spruce up our homes and spring our personal lives back into action!
Chamberlain’s Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener
Chamberlain’s Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener is the FIRST to have Wi-Fi and smartphone connectivity built in! Featuring MyQ technology, you now have the ability to use your smartphone as a garage door opener as well as operate outdoor lights and house lamps. This innovative new feature awards you amazing convenience and incredible peace of mind as you can now monitor any MyQ enabled product from near or far with the MyQ Home Control app. From anywhere in the world, the MyQ Home Control App you’re able to:
-Control outdoor lights and your garage door using a Smartphone
-Get notified if your garage door opens or if a light was left on
-Know if your garage door opened while you were away
PRICE: $129.99; www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/myq-garage/model-myq-g0201
Dyson V6 Absolute Cordless Vacuum
Grab Dyson’s latest cordless – the V6 Absolute – it picks up everything from large debris to microscopic dust, just in time for spring cleaning! It’s the most powerful cordless vacuum on the market, and the first with a HEPA filtration system to capture the finest allergens in the air.
V6 Absolute is also the first cordless machine to include two Dyson engineered cleaner heads:
-A soft roller cleaner head to maintain tight suction seal on the floor without scratching, while still getting big debris like Cheerios; and
-A Motorhead with a direct drive motor and stiff nylon bristles for powerful performance on carpets
PRICE: $599.99; Dyson.com
Logitech Harmony Home Hub with Voice Control
If you own a Logitech Home Hub, you can now control all your connected home devices by voice with either a Ubi computer or Ivee smart alarm clock.
Say your kids are clamoring for some after school cartoons on Netflix. Maybe your Harmony Home Control remote isn’t handy and your smartphone is charging in the kitchen. With Ubi’s connection to your Harmony Home Hub, getting things started is as easy as saying “Ubi. Watch Netflix”. Ubi transmits your command to Harmony Home Hub, your TV powers on, Apple TV starts, the sound system is ready, and the kids can get going with Netflix.
Or, imagine you lie down to sleep at the end of a long day. A thought pops into your head. Did I shut off the lights in the kitchen? With Ivee as your smart home alarm clock, there’s no need to get out of bed, go downstairs and check. Just say “hello, ivee” and your voice can tell your Harmony Home Hub to turn off your connected lights while you roll over and drift off to sleep.
Ubi and ivee are just two companies using the Harmony API today. Logitech continues to work with new and exciting partners to connect the frontier of smart home control with the existing devices people use everyday.
PRICE: $99 for Home Hub (Ubi and Ivee not included); Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home which includes the Harmony Remote is $349.99. www.myharmony.com
Voice command option requires use of one of these two devices:
Ubi
The Ubi is a Wi-Fi connected, voice operated computer that allows you to stay in touch with family, friends, and the Internet completely hands free through voice. It brings custom voice interaction into your home so that you can send messages, play music, control Internet connected devices and do almost anything without needing to pick up your phone or get to a computer.
BEST PRICE FOUND: $298.48 http://www.theubi.com
ivee
Hands free and always ready, just say “hello ivee” and ivee listens for your verbal command. ivee Sleek makes it possible to manage and control your home’s connected devices simply by speaking commands. In addition, ivee helps you set reminders, wakes you up on time, and even fetches live Internet content (like weather, stocks, and news) that is relevant to you.
BEST PRICE FOUND: $129.95 http://helloivee.com
Seagate Wireless Mobile Storage
Free yourself with Seagate Wireless mobile storage. Enjoy your media and access your files without wires or the Internet. Seagate Wireless broadcasts its own Wi-Fi network, so you can wirelessly stream your media and files to up to three mobile devices. With 500GB of storage at your fingertips, choosing which files to sync to your mobile device before a long trip is a thing of the past. Seagate Wireless lets you carry hundreds of movies and thousands of photos, songs and documents. Seagate Wireless streams your media and documents to all your popular tablets, smartphones, computers and connected devices.
The free Seagate Media app available for iOS, Android tablets and smartphones, Kindle Fire and Windows 8/RT tablets and computers makes it easy to navigate and enjoy content wherever you go. Share your content with everyone on the biggest screen in your house-the TV. The Seagate Media app can cast your content to a Chrome cast, LG Smart TV or a Roku player with ease when on the same network.
Are your photos and video eating up all your space? With Seagate Wireless, you can now offload or back up full-resolution pictures and video from your smartphone or tablet using the Seagate Media app. Windows 8 users can access all the content on Seagate Wireless directly from their desktops using the Seagate Media App for a truly wireless drive experience.
PRICE: $129.99 www.seagate.com/products/media-video-storage/home-media-storage/wireless/
Polar A300 Activity Tracker and Heart Rate Monitor
Now that Spring has sprung, it’s time to start thinking about getting in shape for warmer weather, but which fitness wearable is the best match for you? Polar is the leader in heart rate and fitness tracking technology, and the Polar A300 is the perfect choice for people who are trying to get in shape and want to know more about their training. It’s also great for fitness-focused “techies” who want the latest in wearables. The Polar A300 tracks daily steps, distance, calories and sleep. If you’re sitting for too long, the A300 will vibrate on your wrist to let you know it’s time to get up and move! It even tracks how long you sleep and compares how restful and restless it is. With up to four weeks of battery life, the Polar A300 is ideal for 24/7 wear.
The main difference between the Polar A300 and other trackers is the ability to monitor heart rate. Fitness buffs know that this is the most accurate way to measure exercise intensity. With the Polar H7 heart rate sensor, the Polar A300 captures workouts and calorie burn that most trackers can’t by monitoring heart rate during your spin class or yoga session. Polar A300’s heart rate sensor can factor all of this into your daily activity goals and provide feedback to ensure your workouts become more and more efficient. Everything from the tracker syncs to your iPhone or Android app too, so you can see your activity and sleep through the Polar Flow app or online and get motivated to do even better. It’s also now compatible with AppleHealthKit, MyFitnessPal (on iOS) and GoogleFit.
The Polar A300 activity tracker is waterproof, so you can wear it in the shower, swimming or even at the beach! For those who want to switch it up, the Polar A300 is available in six juicy interchangeable colors: pink, white, black, grey, blue and yellow.
PRICE: $159.95 for Polar A300; $199.95 for Polar A300 with H7 heart rate sensor; $24.95 for additional wristbands (other colors); www.shoppolar.com
Black & Decker 40V MAX Lithium 20 in. Mower (Model CM2040)
Packed with two 40V MAX lithium batteries and AutoSense technology, this 20-inch cordless mower has the power and runtime you need to tackle tough mowing. Features convenient 3-in-1 mulching, bagging, and side discharge. EDGEMAX provides up-to-the edge cutting.
Fueled by electric power, it gives you the power you need without the fumes and mess of gas. It also produces no emissions while in use, helping to keep the air we breathe cleaner.
Features + Benefits
-2x 2.5 Ah – 40V Max Lithium Batteries for twice the runtime (Up to 45 Minutes)
-20″ 3-in-1 mower- Mulching, bagging, or side discharging
-Variable Speed Motor allows conserving the battery for greater efficiency & runtime
-EdgeMax for close up to the edge cutting
-15 gallon nylon bag allows checking fill levels
-6-setting height adjust- Single level easily adjusts the height of cut between 1 1/2″-4″ to cut all types of grass in the US