Connected to Home

Staying connected is a big thing these days. You want to keep in touch with the world. Then, when you are out in the world, you want to keep in touch with home. Thanks to new technology, you can now have the best of both worlds. Here are some connected devices that can help you bridge the work-home divide with just one touch.

1. Smart Washing Machine

Samsung has come up with a washing machine that lets you remotely programme and control it with your smartphone or tablet wherever you are. The WW9000 under the Crystal Series Eco-Bubble Washers has a Smart Control function that allows you to use a Samsung app to start, pause, or simply monitor your wash cycle remotely. It will even alert you when your wash is complete.

This is not its only smart feature. The washing machine can remember your favourite programmes and most frequently used settings so you can dispense with multiple button-pushing at every wash. It is also savvy enough to sense your load size, amount of water and even degree of soil for optimal performance. You will not even have to measure the amount of detergent needed, the machine will add the right amount. For those in a hurry, wash time can be reduced to just 60 minutes with twin water supply that fills up the drum faster and a speed spray that shoots powerful jets of water for a shorter rinse.

2. Smart TV

The Smart TV has upgraded the good ol’ goggle box to a home entertainment system with Internet connection that opens up a world of possibilities.

One Smart TV that has been getting the thumbs up is the Sony Android TV. Linked to, amongst other things, Google Play Store, Google Play Music, Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Netflix, this television lets you use your Android phone or tablet as a remote control with the SideView app. With Google Cast, you can even stream videos and photos to the television.

The added advantage of the Sony Smart TV is that it is backed by a wealth of content from the Sony family – music, movies, and an impressive online gaming platform that can be used with a PS4 or PS3 controller.

3. Smart Entertainment

With the Belkin @TV, you can have a TV in every room and even watch TV programmes on the move, as long as you have a mobile device and Wifi connection. Connected to your cable set-top box, the device turns any smartphone, tablet, or laptop into a television. Whatever is on TV can be viewed on your mobile device. Belkin @TV can also connect to one remote device and up to eight local devices all at once. This means that you can watch TV in your kitchen or bedroom while your children are watching the same programme in their bedroom on a tablet or laptop.

You can even record television programmes onto your mobile device to enjoy later on. So, you can go away on a holiday and still watch programmes from your home country. Alternatively, set your Belkin @TV in another country and you can tap onto the programmes of that country wherever you are.

4. Smart Kitchen Appliance

The next two Belkin products have yet to make their way to Singapore’s shores but let’s keep our fingers crossed. The Crock-Pot Smart Slow Cooker with WeMo is the kind of kitchen appliance you may see in a sci-fi movie set in a distant future. The slow cooker syncs with your smartphone or tablet through the WeMo App to allow you to be a remote chef. Assemble the ingredients in the crock pot before your leave the house, and use the WeMo app to turn on the cooker, adjust the temperature, monitor the cooking process or change your cooking time. No worries if you get stuck at work or in traffic!

5. Smart Monitor

The WeMo Baby is a new way to keep tabs on baby. Paired with the free WeMo Baby app, it turns your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad into a baby monitor which means one less device to carry around. The Wifi-enabled microphone can stream baby’s coos and cries to six devices at once so the whole family can listen in on your bundle of joy remotely.

With an optional upgrade through Evoz baby monitoring service, you can even receive text and call notifications when your infant cries. The upgrade can also analyse your child’s sleep and crying patterns and offer advice on planning for baby’s sleep schedule. Now that is a virtual nanny worth getting.

The smart home is shaping up to be a reality in a future not too far away. These connected devices offer a glimpse into our connected future where everything can be controlled with a single device, from anywhere, at any time. For this, we have to thank technology, our bridge across space and time.

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