- Yo guys, Jonathan here.
And today we're looking at some of the coolest
and most unique smart home gadgets of 2018.
Before we dive into the video though,
I want to give a huge shout out to today's sponsor, Ecobee,
and showcase their brand new Switch Plus.
So this essentially takes something
that would normally be boring, like a light switch,
and transforms it into an Alexa-enabled, motion-sensing
smart switch with a bunch of tricks up its sleeve.
The thing that scores points right off the bat
for me though is the fact that it looks good.
It's simple, it's minimal, it looks like a light switch.
More importantly, it looks like it belongs there.
So yeah, at its core you can definitely turn on or off
a light like you would with an old school light switch.
But the big thing you're getting here
is that Alexa connectivity.
Alexa, what's the weather like?
- [Alexa] It's 64 degrees Fahrenheit
with clear skies and sun.
- Alexa, tell me a joke.
- [Alexa] What do you call a singing computer?
A Dell.
- Alexa, turn on the kettle.
- [Alexa] Okay.
- Alexa, order that adorably cute Groot figure
that you see in most of my videos.
- [Alexa] Okay, order placed
and will be delivered by March 28th.
- So yeah, that is really cool.
But it's not called a smart switch for no reason.
On top of the Alexa connectivity,
it also doubles as a night light
and there are motion sensors built right into this thing.
So when you walk away from the room, lights will turn off.
Or when you walk in, they will turn on.
Now it's kind of a mind trip 'cause even though this is
technically a switch to a particular light in your house,
because of the Alexa connectivity,
it's also Home Kit compatible, you have control to other
smart rooms not only in the room it's in
but throughout your entire house which is awesome.
Also, it's kind of a bonus if you use Ecobee thermostat.
The Switch Plus has built-in temperature sensors
which can help manage hot or even cold spots.
So that is the Ecobee Switch Plus.
If you want to check that out plus a chance to win an
amazing smart home giveaway, I'll drop links down below.
Dropping a like isn't required to win,
but it is much appreciated.
So next, if you're wondering what kettle I used
for the Alexa earlier, that is this, the Smarter iKettle.
Kind of a dumb name but it's a cool product.
So this product is simple but it does what it needs to do.
It's a smart kettle that you can control through an app,
either an Android or iOS.
The temperature is adjustable from 20 degrees up to
100 degrees Celsius and it works a couple different ways.
You can simply turn it on or off from the app itself.
You can set it to a timer,
so if you wanted to wake up at seven AM every morning
and come down to boiled water, that works.
You can use home mode which will turn the kettle
on as soon as you arrive home.
So that's perfect if you want to come home to some hot tea.
Or, as you saw, you can simply use your voice.
Now it's not Home Kit compatible,
but it does work with both Alexa and Google Assistant.
In my case, I have it set up for Alexa.
So the main commands that it can use are turn the kettle on,
turn the kettle off, or set the kettle to X degrees.
What's also kind of cool is there is a water level sensor
inside this so at any given time
you know how much water is inside the kettle.
Again, it's not crazy, it's not fancy,
but it works really well, it's simple.
And if you've ever wanted to automate your coffee or your
tea in the morning, you've definitely got to check this out.
Next up is the TP-Link, yes, I said TP,
smart WiFi LED build with color-changing hue.
Now you guys know, I love smart lighting,
especially Philips Hue, but I get it.
One, it can be pricey.
And two, the idea that you need a hub
to make everything work can be a little bit intimidating.
Whereas with this, if you just want to buy one bulb,
that's it, nothing else, that is all you need to get going.
So this will work with both Google Assistant and Alexa.
So if you liked the Switch Plus from earlier,
that makes a perfect companion.
The light bulb itself will give you a range
of a super warm 2500 Kelvin up to a really cool 9000 Kelvin.
Beyond the dimming ability, the voice control,
I think the most appealing thing here is the ability to have
colors like you would with something like Philips Hue.
But again, the big selling point here
is you don't need a bridge to get it to work.
I will definitely say the colors
aren't as vibrant as Hue or LIFX for that matter.
But again, for the price I think it does a really good job.
And it's a pretty solid middle ground
to where you're not spending Hue or LIFX money
but it's also not some no-name brand
that you're gonna have to worry
about this thing dying in six months.
Next up is the Sony LF-S50G,
which is not only a wireless Bluetooth speaker
but it also features built-in Google Assistant.
Now as far as Sony goes, I'm a big fan
when it comes to audio whether it's headphones or speakers.
So I love the idea of combining that quality
with a Google Assistant speaker.
Also, not gonna lie, what drew me in when I saw this
at Best Buy was the fact that there was
a clock face on the front of the speaker.
I know it's silly, but I thought it was really cool.
This works directly through the Google Home app.
So unlike the HomePod,
this is both iOS and Android compatible.
You have 360 degree sound which is awesome,
because no matter where you're sitting or you're standing
you're going to get an equal
projection of the music playing.
It's splash proof, you have touch gestures
which work really well and I think the biggest thing here,
aside from the Google Assistant built-in,
is the fact that you get Chromecast compatibility.
So this will work with multi-room audio.
And because I know someone out there is going to ask,
it doesn't sound better than the HomePod
but it's also more than half the price.
And it's actually a really great competitor
to the regular Google Home because at that price,
I actually think it sounds better.
Next up is the Native Union Eclipse Charger,
which is this really beautiful circular charging station
that is way cooler than I thought it was.
True story, when I picked this up I had no idea
that it did what it does.
And what I mean by that is it looks like some super nice
fancy charger but when you double tap,
it's actually electronic.
So everything in here is motorized.
So the cables are nicely tucked in, they're hidden.
And then when you need them, it pops up!
That is freaking so cool.
And there's also something that is
really satisfying about that.
It's a great way to clean up cables.
So this will fit three cables
up to six and a half feet long.
You have two USB-A ports and a dual function third switch
that will go back and forth between USB-A or USB-C.
So in my case,
I have a MacBook charging along with my phones.
I think Native Union nailed looks, function,
but also wow factor with this one.
When it's compacted by itself on a desk, it looks fantastic.
But when you double tap and you see it rise up,
you kinda can't help but give it a golf clap.
Again, maybe I'm probably a little excited for this.
I like things that looks good
but I also like things that are really cool.
So this kind of blends both of those together.
It's a great way to kind of keep your cables clean
and also hidden out of the way when you're not using them
and also charge multiple products at the same time.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed this video.
If you did and you're feeling like being awesome,
you guys know what to do.
Definitely feel free to subscribe if you haven't yet.
This is Jonathan and I will catch you guys later.
Whoa!
(electronic music)