Re-defining comfort: Devices that are making life much simpler

By Jeff Dunn

In recent years, some devices have evolved from an easy source of skepticism to things that are actually worth buying. Lately there’s been a wave of self-proclaimed smart devices that take the ‘things’ part of Internet of Things seriously. To illustrate just how far the tech world is willing to go to make anything and everything connected, let’s look at a few of these things, all of which actually exist:

1. Quirky Egg Minder
The Quirky Egg Minder solves a question as old as time itself: “Why can’t I connect my egg tray to the internet?” Made in partnership with GE, this thing syncs with your smartphone and sends you push notifications when you’re on the verge of being eggless. LED lights on the tray itself tell you which of its 14 eggs is nearing their expiration date.


LED lights on the tray tell you which egg is nearing its expiration date.

2. Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad
Yes, there’s smart baby stuff too. Putting an infant on the Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad lets you keep tabs on his/her weight, diaper changes, food intake and so on, all of which goes back to a companion app. If needed, you can share that data with a pediatrician also. However, this isn’t unhelpful, especially if your kid is dealing with allergies or other early health concerns.


Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad lets you keep tabs on your baby's weight, diaper changes, and food intake. (Image: ​ www.hatchbaby.com)

3. Onvi Prophix
The Onvi Prophix isn’t the only ‘smart toothbrush’ in existence, but it might be the quirkiest. It connects to a smartphone app, naturally, but it uses that app to, among other things, show you photos and live video of the inside of your mouth. It can do that because there’s a 10-megapixel camera built into the brush itself.

4. Oombrella
Most of us have the experience of leaving behind umbrellas at restaurants and public places. So you should not be totally opposed to a connected model like the Oombrella, which can send its last known location to your phone. The app also sends weather alerts to your phone.

5. Bruno
If the Bruno ever makes it past its current production troubles, it could be a thing of your interest. It’s a trash can that needs to be recharged every month. It also needs proprietary bags to work. At the bottom of that can, though, is a small vacuum cutout that will suck up whatever crumbs, hair or general crud that’s manifested on your floor. That means no more dustpans.

6. Furbo
There are other connected home cameras aimed at monitoring pets remotely, but the Furbo’s ‘ridiculous’ bit comes from how you can shoot dog treats out of it via your smartphone. It has a two-way radio that ostensibly lets you talk to your pet, too, and sends notifications when it senses barking. Essentially, it’s a Nest cam, just for dogs.


Furbo lets you ​ shoot dog treats out of it via your smartphone.

7. HapiFork
The HapiFork is a Bluetooth-enabled ‘smart fork’ that vibrates when it senses you’re eating too fast. As goofy as it sounds, it is trying to coach you out of a genuine problem.

8. Brita Infinity WiFi Connected Pitcher
The $45 Brita Infinity bills itself as ‘the future of hydration’ — it can sense when its current purification filter has outlived its usefulness. When it does, it’ll automatically order a new $6 filter from Amazon (Brita teamed with Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service for this one).

Read More: Gadgets and apps that are taking over the tech world