In an age of social distancing and digital competition, Hidrate also shows friends and family statistics if they also have a bottle, so you can turn drinking water into a rivalry. Yes, bottles are still expensive, but if you like being able to track your own data or save the planet of disposable plastic or if you’re just on your feet – Harvard University School of Public Health says drinking enough water is related to regulating body temperature, preventing infections, improving the quality of sleep and maintaining the proper functioning of the organs – a bottle of smart water is worth a try. “Saira Mueller.”
Audiovisual equipment in the 21st century
We all have our blind spots. My kitchen could be equipped with a top Vitamix mixer and kitchen stand. But before the pandemic, my husband and I had the same huge, heavy, 55-inch Panasonic TV with sharp, blown speakers that we’ve had for the last 10 years. We just didn’t watch enough TV to think about it.
All this changed in March 2020. In April, desperate for a certain feeling that not everything was lost, I temporarily started my upgrade by adding a sound bar. Improving the sound quality made the hairs on the scalp stand up. A few months later, our A / V tester Parker Hall gave up an average TCL 6 Series TV for long-term testing. The difference between the dusty and huge boulder of our old TV and the light, thin, bright one was obvious even for our 5-year-old child. “Why Paw Patrol do you look much better now? She asked, jumping on the couch in her sweets. If you also forgot that your TV deserves an upgrade, I highly recommend it. “Adrienne Deci.”
Desktop guitar amplifiers
I never realized how awkward guitar amps were until I had one. Classic tube amplifiers sound amazing, but they are expensive, weigh a ton, and release enough heat to heat small rooms (and sound enough to shake a small house).
This year, I discovered the desktop guitar amp. Lightweight instrument box-sized amplifiers, such as the Yamaha THR30-II and Positive Grid Spark, bring everything you love about a physical amplifier into the 21st century. Everything from wireless cable technology to on-board processing for compelling effects ( sans-pedalboard), these new digital amplifiers finally sound too good to call them toys. Sure, I prefer the Fender Bassman with manual wire in the studio, but for most other applications, I turn to these guys for convenience. Both the Spark and THR models come with USB and headphone outputs, as well as Bluetooth, which makes it easier to lock with songs, record quick demonstrations or play during quiet hours.
I’m not the only one who took them. I was recently watching a documentary about Taylor Swift Folkloreand I noticed that the composer was messing with a familiar little Yamaha in an introductory segment. If she’s good enough for her, she’s good enough for me. “Park Hall.”
Ebikes
This year there was no important moment when ebikes jumped technologically. It was more of a gradual arrival. Perhaps so many were pushed to duty as control and commuter bikes because of Covid-19 and performed admirably. Or because you can now buy a decent bike that weighs not much more than 40 pounds and costs not much more than $ 1,000, which, even after you have removed the sensor motor and pedal sensor, is also in the center. its a decent bike made with solid branded components.
I’m a type of motorcycle at heart, so the first days of heavy bikes that supported high speeds (for a bike) and high prices (for any vehicle) did not catch my eye. I wanted them to compete against analog bikes and become an instrument of the masses – while not sucking. Ranges will increase, prices will drop and electronics will move completely in the frame as affordable bikes improve, but this was the year I stopped telling people to “wait a little longer” when they ask if should buy one. —Matt Jancer
A bottle of hot water
After I moved to a new place last winter, I quickly learned that the ventilated wall oven at the top of my apartment was good for heating exactly one corner of my living room and no other place. A friend suggested I put a bottle of hot water in bed at night to keep warm, which I found strange and not at all effective. I was wrong. For just $ 13 on Amazon, all the joys of non-modern heating become mine, a thermoplastic bag filled with hot water at night. As if it wasn’t already comfortable enough, it even comes with a knitted sweater. (To be clear, the sweater is for the water bottle, not for you.) You just know you can’t put it in the microwave and it’s not recommended to scald hot water either. “Lauren Goode.”
A TV remote control
Pre-pandemic, I tried to avoid watching TV in bed, but this year the rule came out the window. My Fire TV stick has become a self-relieving necessity, but I would inevitably lose my small remote control in my nest of blankets. This very cheap remote support was an impulsive purchase, and now it is strangely indispensable. It can be screwed or glued and helps me watch the remotes so I don’t have to panic over candy wrappers to adjust the volume or skip a YouTube ad. Cheap emotions! —Louryn Strampe
A document room
Hue HD Pro ($ 100 on Amazon) is the most useful thing I tested in 2020. If you do any kind of teaching, demonstration or peer review on paper or anything else that requires both a camera and another on a document, Hue HD Pro is the device you were looking for. It integrates with Zoom, Skype, Webex and Microsoft Teams, or you can record using the included software.