Coolest Cooler: This all-in-one gadget makes summertime outings a breeze

Picnics, beach outings and junk trips: yes, summer is finally here! And what better way to enjoy your fun in the sun than by making sure that you’ve got all the comforts of home right at your fingertips, no matter where you’ve chosen to roam. We’re talking, of course, about The Coolest Cooler, a handy all-in-one gadget that’s sure to make your excursion a smooth and relaxing one.

The brainchild of a San Diego start-up, The Coolest Cooler has taken the traditional refrigeration device and dragged it firmly into the Digital Age. Not only is it capable of keeping ice for up to five days (with enough storage for up to 600lbs of your chosen beverages), it boasts a further nine innovative features.

A built-in blender for some DIY margaritas? Check. Speakers and a USB charging port? You bet. LED lights in the lid to do away with rummaging about in the dark? Absolutely. It even comes replete with a bottle opener, a corkscrew, a knife and four plates, in case you need to do some picnic prep on the fly.

With so many handy features built into this nifty gadget, any outdoor excursion is sure to be a breeze!

The Coolest Cooler has a price tag of US$399.99 before shipping, and is available in four different colours. Get your own cooler at: https://coolest.com/products/coolest-cooler-blender

Ambi Climate: World’s First AI-Enabled Air Conditioner Controller

Yet another product with Artificial Intelligence (AI) has hit the market, designed to make our lives even more seamless. Ambi Climate, an air conditioner accessory that launched in Hong Kong a few years back, has just introduced an awesome AI feature to control our AC usage trends.

Ambi Climate’s smart features include voice control with Amazon Alexa and geolocation capabilities. Developed by Hong Kong-based IoT startup Ambi Labs, Ambi Climate analyses users’ comforts and usage parameters to create a more personalised, energy-saving experience.

Ambi Climate’s AI engine also uses data from multiple sensors to track factors like external temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. Users can enhance their comfort level further by voice commands, thanks to Amazon Alexa which is integrated in the system. By speaking to Alexa, the AC can be switched on or off, and adjusted by giving verbal feedback throughout the day.

To ensure energy saving, Ambi Climate also has a new geolocation feature which means the AC unit can be set to automatically turn on when a user is approaching their residence and be turned back off when they’re leaving.

According to Julian Lee, Founder and CEO of Ambi Labs, “The geolocation feature lets your AC to intelligently turn itself on if you enter within a certain distance of your home, or else turn itself off when you leave. Users can set personal ‘geo-rules’, or presets, depending on their preferences, to ensure perfect conditions at any time.”

Recommended price: HK$999
Available in store and on the official website: https://www.ambiclimate.com/en/

Sweet dreams: Could Bose’s noise-masking sleepbuds be the answer to a good night’s sleep?

Have you ever experienced those nights when you just can’t sleep because of snoring, traffic, loud neighbours or the alike? Yes, we’ve all been there.

Luckily, though, we may have just found the answer to our problems with Bose’ latest creation – noise-masking sleepbuds. Designed meticulously to help you sleep, the tiny wireless sleepbuds promise to delivery uniquely engineered sounds that will mask unwanted noises and lull you to sleep. Rather than streaming music, choose from 10 pre-loaded soothing sounds, some of which are optimised for masking while others, for relaxation.

Ensuring maximum comfort, the masterminds at Bose have even designed the tiny earbud nodule and soft StayHear + Sleep tips (available in three sizes) with side sleepers and toss-and-turners in mind. So whether you are snuggling into your pillow, curling up on your side, or stretching out, your sleepbuds will remain secure in your ear, all night long.

What’s more, using the Bose Sleep app, you can set wake-up alarms that only you can hear. For those on the go, the included charging case is a convenient place to store and protect your noise-masking sleepbuds. The case also provides one additional full charge when unplugged, making it the ideal companion for travel.

Enjoy the rhythm of rolling waves crashing on a beach, or feel the crackling comfort of a fire as you fall asleep and stay asleep! Wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day with Bose’s latest innovation.

While the official launch date for Hong Kong is yet been confirmed, the nifty headphones are available for sale in the US (USD $249.95) and will hit the UK in Autumn.

For more information, click here or check out the video below.

Images courtesy of Bose

Mellow Sous Vide is the perfect gadget for aspiring home chefs

Wowing your loved ones with your cooking prowess just got a whole lot easier thanks to the new Mellow Sous Vide machine. This all-in-one cooking system helps ensure every meal is cooked just right, no matter the food, no matter the schedule.

For the uninitiated, sous vide is a method of cooking where food is placed in a seal bag, then submerged into a water bath for a longer duration than stove or oven preparation. The precisely regulated water temperature ensures that your food is cooked evenly throughout, a characteristic that has seen it be embraced by top chefs the world over.

With the Mellow Sous Vide machine, you can serve up perfect-every-time cooking right in your kitchen. What sets this particular gadget apart, though, is its ‘smart’ capabilities. Every aspect of its functions can be controlled directly from your smartphone via its dedicated app.

Want to have dinner waiting when you come home from work? Just place the requisite ingredients in the Mellow and schedule a recipe and finish time on your phone. You don’t have to worry about the food going bad either, with its in-built refrigeration and weight sensor tech ensuring optimal freshness. Cooking for a larger group? This handy gadget can prepare up to six portions at any given time.

The Mellow Sous Vide allows you to spruce up your culinary game and have restaurant-grade cuisine cooked perfectly each time. To find out more, check out the video below. To purchase your own unit (US$399), visit https://www.cookmellow.com/meet-mellow.

Images and video: Mellow

Enhance your musical journey with new products from McIntosh and Sonus Faber

McIntosh and Sonus Faber recently launched an array of new models in Hong Kong in the presence of Jean-Philippe Fontaine, McIntosh Group’s Export Sales Manager.

The four new audio systems revealed were the Olympica III SE, the latest offering in Sonus Faber’s theatre series, the McIntosh power amplifiers MC611 and MC1.25KW, and the McIntosh MCT500 SACD/CD transport.

While the Sonus Faber Olympica III SE is a special-edition loudspeaker system that retains the architectural beauty of the Olympica series while boasting a new Wenge colour and a plethora of new features, the McIntosh power amplifiers come with McIntosh’s signature technologies such as Power Guard, Sentry Monitor, quad-balanced design, McIntosh monogrammed heatsinks, Solid Cinch speaker binding posts and power control. The SACD/CD Transport, meanwhile, can be paired with a range of products having standard digital input and a digital-to-anolog convertor and can even play popular file formats from user-generated CDs, DVDs and USBs.

Versatile RIF6 CUBE mobile projector fits in your pocket

Nothing quite beats the ability to have the comforts of home while you’re on the go. More specifically, we’re talking about the ability to carry a home theatre device that fits right into your pocket. And that’s exactly what the sleek RIF6 CUBE is purported to do.

At almost two inches a side, this silver cube-shaped gadget is a mobile projector that offers a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels – not the largest, by any means, but more than enough to suit your travel or on-the-go needs, especially when you factor in its light five-pound frame.

Unlike some high-tech gadgets, form and function blend perfectly in the RIF6 CUBE. While it doesn’t have any connectivity features, it does come replete with an HDMI port and an SD Card slot to connect to your device with, as well as a headphone jack to connect to headphones or speakers. Troublesome wires have also been done away with, thanks to an in-built power bank. Throw in the tripod and remote control that comes as standard, and you have your own personal mobile theatre wherever you chose to go.

The RIF6 CUBE is available online and is priced at US$299. Check out the demo video below for more information.

Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition: A hairdryer for the consummate stylist

Boasting cutting-edge technology following countless man hours of research and experimenting, the new Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition has lifted the hairdryer out of the Dark Ages and outfitted it completely with 21st century technology.

New Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition boasts a smart interface — *Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition boasts a smart new interface to monitor temperature and filter cleanliness*

Developed according to the exacting specifications of the world’s top hairstylists, the Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition boasts an innovative new dual filtration system and a Digital Age-appropriate smart interface to help monitor internal temperature and dust particles.

*Celebrity hair guru Jon Reyman demonstrates the Dyson Supersonic Professional Edition*

What’s more, it houses Dyson’s latest motor – purported to spin three times faster than a regular model – for ultimate efficiency. Then there’s the magnetically attaching diffuser and ultra-thin nozzle, both acting to help achieve a variety of looks in double-quick time.

All-in-all, then, it seems that the British technology company has once again managed to raise the bar and push a long-neglected product firmly into modernity – a fact that countless hair professionals have embraced with delight.

Google Duplex: AI assistant could soon make your appointments for you

Continual and unrelenting advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have become the norm rather than the exception these days. As we highlighted in our in-depth AI feature, it has become an inherent part of our day-to-day lives, be it through smartphones, home and office security, credit card safety and so forth. And now, Google has apparently pushed the boundaries even further with its recently-unveiled Google Duplex system.

For the uninitiated, Duplex was created as a planned future add-on to the Google Assistant’s already-expansive bag of tricks. Thanks to cutting-edge developments in AI and voice recognition technology, it will allegedly enable your gadget to set up appointments on your behalf, be it a restaurant reservation or a session with your hairdresser.

The tech innovator has positioned Google Duplex to help the roughly 60 percent of small business with no access to automated systems gain entry to its massive user base. However, as soon as the company’s CEO Sundar Pichai played a demo at the Google I/O 2018 keynote address, some questions were raised about the very human voice emulated by the system, most notably whether its life-like voice would create false impressions on those humans it’s set to interact with.

While such ethical questions are part and parcel of any advancements in robotics and AI, one thing is very clear. The Google Duplex system is invariably the next step in the journey to symbiosis between man and machine that our future will no doubt embody.

Video: Jeffrey Grubb

Bone Conduction Headphones: Sound solutions of the future?

Recently, we featured the ORII phone ring, a screen-free phone accessory that utilises bone conduction technology to transmit sound from the device to your ear. But it isn’t the only application of this innovative tech by a long shot – in fact, bone conduction headphones have also risen in favour with gadget-lovers over the last few years.

You may be asking: What exactly is bone conduction technology? It is a method of sound relay that transmits sound waves via the bones in your skull rather than projecting them through your ear. It’s a rather nifty innovation, since it leaves your ears free to process ambient noise. Translation: you can listen to music while still being able to interact with your immediate environment.

Among the dozens of bone conduction headphones currently on the market, our favourite by a long shot is the AfterShokz Trekz Air. Supremely lightweight thanks to a titanium-focused design, these wrap-around wireless headphones fit snugly right over your ears. What’s more, its ergonomic design ensures minimal shift regardless of whether you’re mid-workout or hiking in the hills.

The AfterShokz Trekz Air, available in Slate Grey, Forest Green and Midnight Blue, and is priced at US$179.99. Check out the trailer below to get a first-hand look.

Images and video: AfterShokz

Off The Wall Music: Bang and Olufsen’s BeoSound Shape brings ‘the band’ right into your room

Bang and Olufsen’s BeoSound Shape demonstrates that there can be more to speakers than meets the eye! Created for design conscious music lovers, the wall-mounted wireless speaker system delivers an immersive sound staging and integrated noise dampers for improved room acoustics. The all-in-one speaker offers a complete wireless speaker system that can boast as many as 44 individual speakers and play digital music in rich and detailed high-res audio quality.

Whether you are looking for a new music system for your kitchen or living area, with the vast colour choices and modular design concept, BeSound Shape can be customised to match and elevate any living space. Rearrange the tiles to form a new pattern, change the colours when you redecorate or add more tiles to boost sound performance or acoustic damping properties. The options are endless!

As part of the Multiroom collection, the product range allows you to connect multiple wireless speakers throughout your home and unite them as one multiroom audio system. Prepare for an innovative and social music experience that brings ‘the band’ right into your room as the BeoSound Shape cleverly utilises a setup with multiple speakers to deliver a concert-like perception of singles and instruments.

At the heart of the system is the new BeoSound Core connectivity hub that allows you to stream music directly from your phone or tablet via Chromecast built-in Apple Airplay and Bluetooth.

Create your own BeoSound Shape design now using the online configuration tool. Begin by defining the size and look of your speaker system and complete the design by choosing the performance level that matches your exact needs.

For more information, visit www.bang-olufsen.com