Renad Ghanem

Saudi Gazette

 

New high-tech gadgets can either be described as feats of ingenuity or insanity. Regardless of what you consider them to be, they offer people novel ways of making their lives better and easier.



Logbar Ring



It’s like something straight out of the Hobbit. By pointing and gesturing using this ring, you can turn on the TV, launch a smartphone app and even switch off the room lights.



Priced at around $270, this precious piece of hardware does, according to several reviews, have a few problems.



Digitsole smart insoles



You might not need these living in the extremely hot Middle East. But they could be useful when out skiing in the Alps or when visiting colder countries.



Digitsole smart insoles can be linked via Bluetooth to your Android or iOS device to adjust the temperature of your feet. This can be done separately, if necessary.



The rechargeable insoles can be used to heat your feet and also track your steps. The insoles can also tell how many calories you’ve burned.



This handy device—excuse the pun—costs around $200.



Sony Symphonic Light



Never judge a book by its cover. This is not any old Sony beside lamp. This is a special lamp with an LED bulb inside and speakers to allow music streaming.



Using smartphone apps, users can remotely control sound and light. Price to be announced.



Belty



Belty is the brainchild of French company Emiota; it’s a motorized belt that adjusts to your body when you sit down, or extends itself as your gut expands during a marathon eating session. It can also track your waistline and measure activity. Alongside the tiny motors there’s an accelerometer and gyroscope.



Air2 floating Bluetooth speaker



This is not the first levitating speaker we’ve seen. Though OM/One looks cooler, both employ the magic of magnets.



Balanced correctly on top of the magnetized base you have a shiny chrome centerpiece that screams. This speaker costs about $200.



SleepIQ kids bed



This is a bed that tracks children sleeping. It comes with a remote control night light and issues alerts when children get up.



This bed could do wonders in helping people get their kids into a regular sleeping pattern. It can be synchronized with an iOS app and costs $1,000.



Petcube



Petcube is a camera with two-way audio and a built-in laser that will allow you to see your pet when you are not at home.



It hooks up to your home Wi-Fi and works through an iOS or Android app. You can see and talk to your pet from anywhere, and also play with them using the laser.



You can also set the play schedule if you are lazy to play with your pet each day, share access to your Petcube and play with other people’s pets. This useful device costs $200.



Budgee robot



Budgee is a robot servant designed to carry your bags and follows you at a distance of your choice. You can control it using a smartphone or tablet; there’s also an off switch on its head, just in case. Budgee can avoid obstacles, carry up to 50lbs and move at four miles per hour. It costs $1,400.



Bionic Bird



Bionic Bird is a small bird of your own that you control from your smartphone. It’s made of a foam body, and a carbon fiber tail and wings.



It flies just like a real bird by flapping its wings really fast. Bionic Bird costs $120.



LG Twin Tub Washing Machine



It needs another smaller washing machine that slides out of the base allowing you to do two different loads at once.



LG’s twin washing machine means you can do a regular load, but also simultaneously a very small load on a different setting.



Baby Glgl



This smart baby bottle tracks how much milk your precious bundle is guzzling, but that’s not all.



Thanks to the inclinometer and some light-up arrows, it prompts you to hold the bottle at the optimal angle to avoid colic by ensuring your baby isn’t gulping down air. It costs $120.



Quitbit Lighter



The Quitbit can help you quit smoking. Costing around $100, it contains a heating coil and will need charging once a week.



It automatically tracks every time you smoke. It can sync with an iPhone or Android to give a series of graphs showing your smoking habits in minute detail.



Parrot Pot



Parrot Pot is a useful device that costs about $60. However, it isn’t as simple as it looks.



This Bluetooth-enabled plant pot, can stop the cycle of death caused by neglect, or being outside for too long during a vacation. Parrot Pot monitors the soil, fertilizer, sunlight and temperature, and automatically waters plants.



It can remind owners to take care of their plants before they wither, and can be linked to smartphones.