The 10 best gadgets I bought in 2017
Not only is Christmas the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the best time to treat you and your family to those gadgets you’ve been eyeing up all year. And let’s be honest, most techies, present company included, will buy presents for their family members that actually suit themselves (go on admit it, I am not alone!)
With technology moving at such a rapid pace, recently I’ve started slowing down my consumption of new tech as it becomes outdated quicker than ever before, however, there are some things that are just too good to ignore. For this reason, I’ve created the Top 10 gadgets I bought in 2017.
I hope this list inspires you to get that last-minute shopping done or even to spend the credit notes of those presents you took back like that awful Xmas jumper your aunt bought you.
#1 Hive
I’ve been putting off for ages but with the onset of winter and the freezing journey’s home, the thought of turning on my heating from the train station and arriving to a sauna and boiling water is just too compelling. It has all the attributes of a gadget I could ask for as well such as Wi-Fi enabled and accessible via an app. I also toyed with the Nest but they are pretty much the same albeit the AI piece, but from what I read it is very hit and miss.
#2 Ring.com
Who wants to see who’s at their door when they are at work or out for dinner? I do!
I love this gadget for many reasons but from a security perspective, I believe that it deters potential burglars from entering my house and stealing all my gadgets and Xmas presents! Being able to sync the videos to the cloud and view them in HD on my mobile devices is also very useful. I can't wait to see how often my wife has an Amazon delivery!
#3 Amazon Echo Show
Is this device form over function? Not for me, in fact, this is becoming more relevant daily.
Not only does Alexa help my children with their homework by answering their questions such as ‘Alexa, who is Bill Gates?’, it also helps me with my life. Now I can wake up in the morning and ask Alexa to start my car so I don’t have to suffer from chilblains by scraping the ice off my windows (welcome to the UK!).
It also turns my heating on and off (Hive) and turns my lights on and off - more importantly in now connects to my Sonos, yay.
#4 iPhone X
Who wants to spend over ￡1100 on a mobile? You've got to be mad right? That was what I thought until I owned one. OMG, it is beautiful.
Firstly, it’s super quick, secondly, home buttons are so last year. Lastly, I now officially cannot live without the facial recognition for my passwords. For the first time, I can see that passwords are soon going to be a thing of the past and my children will laugh at me that I used to have apps to remember passwords to get into my apps! It’s also smaller and bigger than my iPhone 6 Plus (once you get one, this sentence will make sense to you). Stop procrastinating and convincing yourself it's too expensive, you are worth it.
Check out one of its best features →
#5 DJI Mavic Pro
Now if you asked me why I need one of these I cannot give you an honest answer, however, what I do know is I want one and I want one now!
They are small, well built, robust and super cool. I do have one issue and that is my entire garden is a no-fly zone due to being near a small aerodrome but who cares. I’ll be the envy of my local park and my children will have the best overhead pics of them on a bike which I will no doubt back up to the cloud and never view again along with the other 4TB of photos and videos. However, as any gadget addict will tell you, you do not have to rationalise your purchases!
Check out this introduction video →
#6 Microsoft Surface Laptop
If you’re like me, you loved the Surface Pro as it was small, powerful and had a handy detachable keyboard.
However, if I am being honest the only time I took the keyboard off was to show people it came off and the same goes with the Surface Pen. The Surface Laptop doesn’t have a detachable keyboard but instead, it’s equipped with a carpet covered keyboard that tickles your fingers with delight has all of your friends drooling with envy.
The touchpad is perfectly formed and super responsive, the screen in incredibly vibrant and most importantly the battery life is amazing. It’s very pretty, super light and extremely portable. If I had to moan it could do with a front-facing camera but I can live without one. From a work perspective, this was my gadget of the year.
#7 Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones II
Now I do consider myself an audiophile but I am by no means an audio expert.
There are a lot of good headphones on the market but I fell for the Bose QQ35 headsets for the following reasons. Firstly, I don’t play nicely with in-ear headphones as they just hurt and fall out. Secondly, they are super comfortable and really lightweight. Lastly, they are wireless and noise cancelling which is a must for me when travelling on public transport.
The killer test for me was I played Sonnentanz – Klangkarussell at full blast to see if they distorted. Low and behold they filled my ears and entire body with deep, clear bass without any effort. I was sold.
A bonus is that the battery lasts for days and days plus it charges very quickly. Highly recommend this bit of kit if but only to never hear another screaming child on the train again :)
#8 Amazon Fire TV 4K
I travel a lot and I consume a lot of box sets. I’m an HD snob and I also hate paying for extortionate rates for premium content in my hotel.
The Amazon Fire TV is my best friend. I can watch Amazon Prime, Netflix and YouTube all in 4K and now I can even surf the web. What’s more, I can do all of this from the comfort of my mobile without having to wrestle my duvet to find the remote!
The interface is easy to use, it remembers every episode I’ve watched and where I am up to and it’s got AI built in so it predicts what I might like. A must for any traveller and TV addict.
Check out this review →
#9 Apple Watch 3
I don’t think this device needs an introduction but not only has it become iconic almost overnight, it’s become essential for most people’s lifestyles, It helps with anything from shopping, to fitness right through to IM and talking.
It’s screen it crystal clear, the touch is highly responsive and the ability to use as a phone without your mobile is a potential game changer. It also feels like a quality watch and something you can be proud of wearing.
For the first time ever, the Apple Watch 3 gives you a true insight into what life may look like without a smartphone.
It's worth noting that some insurers will even give you one for free if you are into fitness.
#10 Anki Cozmo
At the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that not all my Christmas gifts were for me and Cozmo is a perfect example.
My daughter has been desperate for a Cozmo for ages and to be honest I had never heard of it. However, all I needed to do was Google it and voila, there it was. This device is incredible and more importantly, it is a learning device. It has a personality, it sleeps, it recognises things and you can get it to lift things and play games with you. However, the pièce de résistance for me is that it is designed to teach your children to code and for me, that was the sole driver for agreeing to buy it. I want to educate my children (10 & 8) about coding as much as possible and learning whilst playing is by far the best recipe.
It’s very expensive at just over ￡150 but you'll be super dad or mum and you'll also be educating your child at the same time. Win-Win.
In Summary
So that is my end of year gadget review. How many of these do you own?
Personally, I can’t wait to see what next year holds but I do know that I want to automate as much as I can in the house e.g. curtains and coffee making etc. I also suspect this time next year this list will look widely different and I expect to see things like VR/AR devices appearing.
Hope you have a great festive break and do let me know if you agree/disagree with my list or if I’ve missed anything.
Digital Health Product & Innovation Strategist; Creator/Co-host “Diagnosing Healthtech” Podcast??; Startup Mentor & Advisor.
7 年Just make sure your password protecting ALL your IoT devices so your connected home doesn't become a Hacked Home.
Amazing list Mitch you forgot to put the 113 (now self driving )bus on the list....??????
Accelerating AI Transformation | Empowering Teams Through Expert-Led Workshops, Training & Advisory | Founder & Chief Sense Maker
7 年Great post Mitchell Feldman. Happy Christmas ??
Public Sector Account Executive, Tableau at Salesforce. Partnering with Public Sector to empower a data-driven culture
7 年I didn’t buy any tech in 2017 and it's been great ??. Anyway I'm off to send an email to myself with a read receipt ????