WeMo automates your home the easy way
— -- Perhaps I watched one too many infomercials in the '90s, but one particularly prevalent ad coined a phrase I still employ today: Set it and forget it.
Yet even decades later, we buy gadgets that are bogged down with friction. Here's my message to hardware manufacturers: Build more seamless products. Which is why we have some great examples that require little after thought and work beautifully in the background.
Belkin WeMo takes the electrician out of home automation
Typically, home automation requires contracting a specialized technician. The DIY route requires dabbling in unfamiliar hardware and software, an experience that can be intimidating to the unacquainted.
Belkin simplifies this process with a $50 gadget. With the WeMo Switch, you can program a lamp, coffee maker or another device to run on a schedule. The free iOS app also lets you remotely control the switches from the office, vacation home, on the road, basically anywhere you have a data connection. Add on a motion sensor, which comes bundled with a WeMo Switch for $99.99, and you can set up rules to turn a device on, off or a combination thereof triggered by movement.
Integration with the online service IFTTT (If This, Then That) offers even more functionality, such as the ability to control the switches via tweet, log electricity usage or turn on a heater when the temperature drops below a certain threshold. One particularly useless but fun (or annoying, depending on your take) IFTTT recipe can automate sounding a siren if Salesforce's stock price drops below $100.
Overall, even though Belkin is still working out some kinks on the WeMo (for example, overlapping rules don't coexist very well at the moment), it's an exciting new product on the market with plenty of potential. My only complaint is that these adapters are incredibly bulky, hogging at least two outlets on some surge protectors.
Nest adjusts temperature based on your habits
Learning-thermostats aren't anything new, but Tony Fadell— best known as the designer behind the original iPod — managed to create a slick one that's got people excited about indoor temperature, of all things.
His hot — or cool, depending on your temperature preferences — product is Nest, a thermostat that will automatically turn down heating or cooling after learning a household's behaviors, schedules and preferences. Smart and stylish, Nest ($249) also suggests more energy-efficient temperatures and adjusts them accordingly when you're out of town to help cut down on energy bills. Since it's hooked up to the home network, the thermostat can be controlled via iOS and Android apps and the Web.
In the spring, Nest's first major software release brought an enhanced energy history dashboard, so customers can see an in-depth breakdown of power usage and whether the thermostat's Auto-Away function affected energy usage. Another addition, Airwave, can reduce the air conditioner's runtime by up to 30 percent, according to the company. When the AC is close to the target temperature, it prematurely turns off the compressor and relies on the fan to further cool the room and reach the set temperature.
Automatically upload photos and videos
Constant shutterbugs can say goodbye to cords and card readers. Eye-Fi's SDHC wireless memory cards will automatically upload photos to computers and favorite photo-sharing services — all from the camera. When Eye-Fi's cards are within range of up to 32 specified wireless networks, they begin the file transfers. The Mobile X2 ($79.99) and Pro X2 ($99.99) both offer Direct Mode, which lets users send photos and videos directly to their iOS and Android devices.
Eye-Fi also touts endless memory. What that means is that the cards will free up space after images have completed transferring. Instead of being bogged down with photo uploads, this card streamlines the process so you can focus on capturing memories.
iPhoneographers who don't deal with SD cards might want to try a slick new app that will make uploading images a cinch. From the creators of the popular Bump app, Flock (iOS, free) pre-populates an online photo album in the background after an outing with friends, who are identified as such with Facebook. When you leave a geo-fenced location, you get a notification to share your photos, with the ability to exclude ones you wish to keep private. Friends who are Flock users then get notifications of the album and can add their photos. Albums can also be posted to Facebook so others can see what you've been up to.
Withings tracks your weight and body fat
Yes, I wrote about Withings' wireless scale ($159) back in January when people were occupied with new year's resolutions (read: losing weight). Since reviewing the WiFi-connected scale all those months ago, I've yet to find a gadget that provides a more seamless experience.
Every time you step on, Withings displays your weight, fat percentage and body mass index. This information is sent to an online dashboard accessible via the Web and iOS and Android devices, charting these stats over time. Withings provides a relatively simple experience, but it works every time, never requiring fore or after thought.
I also prefer the Withings scale over Fitbit's competitor, Aria ($129.95). In my experience, the latter wireless scale has resulted in headaches and technical difficulties. Case in point: Imagine my surprise when I got a notification about my 40-pound weight gain in a day.
Fitbit tracker wirelessly uploads walking and sleeping stats
The Fitbit Ultra tracker ($99.95), however, is something I'm a fan of, providing insightful analytics into physical activity. The smart pedometer will tell you how many steps or flights of stairs you've taken and what that translates into in distance and calories burned. Furthermore, the Ultra's motion sensor can provide data on sleep patterns.
When the tracker is within 15 feet of the base station connected to your computer, it wirelessly uploads this data to Fitbit's attractive and elegant Web dashboard, which displays vibrant charts and lets you log additional information manually, such as workouts and meals. Best of all, this low-profile tracker manages to make you excited about physical activity.
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E-mail Alice Truong at techcomments@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter: @alicetruong.