It’s that time of year again! We’re back with the WiFi HiFi Holiday Gift Guides! Not sure what to get that special someone on your list? It has been a particularly tough year, and we all deserve some joy. There are lots of tech gift to suit an enduring passion, new hobby, personality, or style. Here, we’ll look at great gift ideas for the person who is particularly cautious about viruses, germs, and bacteria, their overall health and wellness, and items for personal safety.
Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor
Recently launched, this is Amazon’s first foray into the air quality monitor business. The tabletop device measures temperature, humidity, dust, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide. It works with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant to alert you from the Alexa app or a connected Amazon Echo device so you can take matters into your own hands. This might mean opening a window, turning on a fan, or activating an air purifier. Ideal for those who suffer from allergies, the monitor will begin shipping in Canada in December for $90.
Almond Cow Milk Maker
It is becoming more and more common for people to discover lactose intolerances, or to opt for alternatives to traditional dairy by choice. This might include almond, oat, or soy milk. The Almond Cow Milk Mater is a handy, small kitchen appliance you can use to make your own milk from any nut, seed, or grain with a single tap. Add the ingredient along with water, turn the unit on, and you’ll get up to six cups of delicious milk alternative in under a minute. It can also be used to make potato or coconut milk. Whether you’re using the machine to get milk to add to coffee, cereal, soups, cocktails, for cooking, or simply to drink as is, there are plenty of options. It starts at US$247.
Phonesoap SurfaceSoap UV Portable UV Sanitizer
Added to the company’s line of portable phone sanitizers, this one comes in wand form so you can bring it with you and use it on high-touch surfaces to help kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. Press a button to turn it on, wait for the orange light to glow for five seconds indicating that it has warmed up, and once the light turns blue, it’s ready to use. The skin exposure guard on the handle protects hands from UV-C exposure while in use. When not using it, the UV-C portion magnetically folds into the wand for compact storage. Use it at the office, a restaurant, airplane, hotel room, the gym, and other locations you see fit. Phonesoap says SurfaceSoap offers 10 times the UV-C power of competing wands, attacking viruses and bacteria like Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, and Human Coronavirus strain OC43. Powered by a rechargeable battery, it lasts for up to 30 minutes per charge, which should be enough to do a quick pass of a railing, table, chairs, and other items you might come in close contact with. US$200.
AirPop Active+ Smart Mask
While the hope is that we won’t have to wear masks while out and about much longer, it’s still a good idea to have a good face mask on hand to wear while sick and entering a public place, or even while cleaning in a dusty environment, particularly for those who have allergies. The AirPop Active+ Smart Mask is a neat option as it not only protects but also works with a Halo sensor and companion app to advise of the air quality in your space as well as your own respiratory health. It monitors breathing patterns, provides a visual overview of breathing behaviour and cycles, and even advises of the pollutants the mask has blocked while you were wearing it. The Halo sensor has an LED ring you can customize to the colour of your choice, while the exterior has a mesh lining that holds the battery-operated sensor. There’s also a disposable second layer inside. It comes in black/yellow or grey/white with four filters to get you started for $200. Additional filter packs are $30 for four and each lasts about 40 hours. The app will let you know when you need to replace it.
Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde
This combination product combines not only an air purifier that can detect potentially harmful formaldehyde as well as other pollutants, viruses, and bacteria in the air, but also has a humidifying function. It combines Dyson’s latest solid-state formaldehyde sensor and full-machine H13 HEPA filtration with hygienic humidification capabilities and uses UV-C technology to remove 99.9% of bacteria in water, says Dyson. The solid-state sensor was specifically engineered to detect the potentially harmful pollutant formaldehyde. It works alongside Dyson’s algorithm to precisely monitor formaldehyde levels, intelligently ignoring other gases which are detected by a dedicated VOC sensor. Sources of formaldehyde inside the home can include pressed wood products, cleaning agents, carpets, and do-it-yourself products such as paint, wallpapers, and varnishes, says Dyson. The fully sealed HEPA 13 standard filtration ensures that no air bypasses the filter but also blocks any potential leak points through which dirty air might enter the airflow. Auto mode enables the machine to intelligently react to changing air quality and humidity levels, and the machine can be remotely controlled by the Dyson Link App or activated by voice control.
Airthings View Plus Indoor Air Quality and Radon Detector
The View Plus is a battery-operated, Wi-Fi-enabled device with sensors to detect particulate matter (PM), like dust and pollen, radon, carbon dioxide (CO2), and more. With a customizable display, it monitors for PM, radon, CO2, humidity, airborne chemicals (VOC), temperature, air pressure, and even outdoor air quality and sends notifications to alert you about changes in the air. View Plus shows the most relevant data based on your location. It also allows for customization options if you want to prioritize the air quality data that matters most, whether it be PM, radon, CO2, humidity, or something else. Wave a hand in front of the device for a colour-coded air quality check. Log into the Airthings Dashboard for in-depth insights into the air or open the Airthings app for a quick and easy view of air quality levels. View Plus is wireless and Wi-Fi-enabled with a battery life up to two years. It can also be integrated into a smart home system using IFTTT, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. In addition, View Plus has a built-in Hub functionality, so you can expand your system and bring your other Airthings devices online. US$299
Shell 12,000mAh Jump Starter
Safety isn’t just about health and wellness but also keeping safe in case of emergency. The Shell 12,000mAh jump starter can quickly revive a dead vehicle battery instead of having to wait in the cold for roadside assistance or a family member or friend. It includes advanced safety technologies such as short-circuit, reverse polarity, over-current, over-charge and overload protection. It also has built-in flashlights and SOS lights in case of emergency as well as USB ports to recharge phones and other devices on-the-go. $90
Nexar Beam GPS Full HD 1080p Dash Cam
The Nexar Beam GPS full HD 1080p dash cam is designed to be concealed behind a rear-view mirror to record 1,080p full HD video with its super wide lens with a 135° field-of-view. The parking mode feature offers 24/7 security and can sense even the slightest impact to a vehicle and start recording immediately, even when the car is parked. Footage can be downloaded to the phone as soon as it connects to the dash cam and can be viewed immediately. With a built-in G-sensor supporting variable sensitivity, the dash cam can auto-detect any sudden knock or collision and lock the crucial footage and the built-in GPS module can link the location of the vehicle to the footage. This can then be used as vital evidence for claims or insurance purposes with users being able to access the required footage easily and quickly. Nexar has developed its own proprietary software and the companion app allows for live streaming of all video footage directly to your phone and uses AI to detect important moments and save them as easy to find clips. Incidents can be reported and files shared and viewed immediately with an insurance company or the police through the app. The footage is backed up to the cloud without any limits, and all of it is incredibly easy to use and navigate around. Shipping with a 32GB microSD card, and able to accommodate cards up to 256GB, Nexar also offers unlimited cloud backups without a subscription.