The holiday shopping season is in full swing. We’ve spent the last several months testing new tech products to help make your shopping experience easier. Everything we have been testing is listed here with our thoughts on each device. Sit back, let us show you perfect gifts for everyone on your list, and enjoy your holiday season!
Pets & Family
CatGenie A.I.: The World’s First Cat Box That Flushes Away Cat Waste
CatGenie has replaced cat litter with reusable, washable granules that never need changing because they are washed and dried after each use. Simply set up the CatGenie A.I. and say goodbye to the disgusting, smelly, and environmentally unfriendly mess of cat litter for good.
Our Impressions
“The CateGenie is a really cool piece of tech that is deceptively simple to set up and start using. I was worried my historically finicky cats would be reluctant to use it, but all-around it’s made my household very happy.” — Fumiko
Where to Buy: Website
Code: IOTFORALL25 for $25 off any AI package, expires 12/31/21
Fi Series 2: GPS Enabled Dog Collar With Smartphone App
This is the answer for dog owners looking to track their dogs’ whereabouts and monitor key health data such as activity and sleep from their phones. The product has fantastic battery life (3 months), is waterproof, and offers a variety of colors and sizes for all types of dogs.
Our Impressions
“The Fi collar was extremely simple to set up. I have a large, energetic, 10-month-old German Shepherd, so being able to track that she’s getting the right amount of activity is pretty critical to us. I also really enjoy being able to remotely track her location, activity, and sleep when she’s staying with friends or family members for peace of mind.”
Where to buy: Website
Sabit Pet E-Tag: Smart Dog Tag To Monitor Your Dog From Anywhere
Dog owners can easily track and monitor the location of their dogs via their smartphones. This does require a subscription plan to continuously monitor your pet’s activity.
Our Impressions
Our Impressions: “We had the opportunity to speak with the creators of this product, and we loved their enthusiasm and vision for the product. Their use of different connectivity technologies helps make this a great option for helping monitor your pet anywhere. It has great battery life, is waterproof, and allows you to create a virtual fence — definitely worth checking out as you look for the best way to track your dog inside and outside.” — Hannah
Where to buy: Website
Wayzn: The Smart Sliding Door Opener for Dogs
Any dog owner (or pet owner for that matter) with a sliding glass door that is looking to make letting their pets in and out of the house easier will love Wazyn. This DIY solution is quite simple to install and integrates with Alexa. It comes equipped with built-in sensors, a mobile app, and a camera to provide an easier way to give your pets freedom to move in and out of the house.
Our Impressions
“Before getting the Wayzn, I didn’t realize how often I needed to stop what I was doing to let our dog in and out of the yard, but now I constantly find myself using Alexa or the Wayzn mobile app to open the back door even if we’re home with our pup. I wish we had this when we were first potty training her, but I’m happy she’s able to have total freedom to go outside whenever she needs to now.” –Dani
Where to Buy: Website
Tile Pro: Their Most Powerful Tracker Yet
Android or Apple devices users who are looking to better keep track of their things can connect to this device. Tile offers a wide range of different devices to track anything you can slip their sleek little devices into or onto
Our Impressions
“I’m a new Tile user, but always known them to be a leader in the space from day one. Their new offering has an impressive design and is simple to get set up, not to mention a super friend interface on their app. Its range is even more impressive (400 ft), and the fact that it can integrate with voice assistants is just the perfect cherry on top.” — Ryan
Where to buy: Website
TickTalk 4: The Safe Smartwatch That Keeps Kids Connected to Their Families
It comes loaded with features similar to an adult smartwatch but designed responsibly for children ages 5-12. There is no internet, no social media, and all messages are encrypted end-to-end. This is perfect for families looking for a safe smartphone alternative that focuses on privacy and transparency.
Our Impressions
“What a cool product! It has free music streaming, activity tracking, photo/video capabilities, video calling, the list goes on, all packaged in a great device that keeps parents in control. Using this smartwatch was a breeze, our testing shows us just how tech-savvy kids are these days. The more we dug into the feature set, the more impressed we were with the design and ability to include so much in a single device, while keeping privacy and security front and center.” — Ryan
Where to buy: Amazon
XGO2: The Smartwatch to Keep Kids Physically Active and Safe
Parents who are looking for a safe way to introduce children ages 4-10 to digital life while working to find a balance between screen time and physical activity will find what they’re looking for here.
Our Impressions
“Great price point, we love the gamification element, where kids earn Xplora Coins for every 1k steps they take. These Coins can be redeemed on their Goplay platform for a wide variety of popular games. The GPS tracking and ability for kids to receive pre-approved calls, text messages, and emojis, really makes this a smartwatch worth exploring for younger children.” — Ryan
Where to buy: Website
Nixplay Smart Photo Frame Touch: The Frame to Connect Friends and Family
Looking to digitally display photos and videos from friends and family in your home or at your place of work? Look no further!
Our Impressions
“Great product, easy to set up and add loved ones to more easily share (and display) photos and videos privately. Nixplay has a membership option to increase storage space, video clip length, among other benefits to consider (not a requirement for use). I have a previous version that my parents love using, so definitely worth considering for the holiday season.” — Ryan
Where to buy: Website
Ozobot Evo for Home: Bluetooth-Enabled Coding Robot for Teaching STEAM
Children ages 5+ will have a blast with this at home or in the classroom while learning to build STEAM skills. The robot can easily be guided by parents, making it easier than ever for children to learn basic coding concepts and build their own programs.
Our Impressions
“Super cool little coding robot intuitively designed to be a great starting point for learning to code. It was easy to get started, and we could see how this is not just a tool for simple coding concepts, but also one that integrates with Google’s Blockly to expand the learning and creative potential by giving children the opportunity to create a wide range of programs using OzoBlockly.” — Ryan
Where to buy: Website
Artie Max: The Code-to-Draw Robot for Kids
Children ages 8+ who are interested in learning how to code will have a blast with this simple, easy-to-use tool. Children can learn five different coding languages (Blocky, Snap!, JavaScript, Python, and C++) securely while creating colorful works of art.
Our Impressions
“Artie Max was super easy to use and a perfect fit for the children we tested it with, who were already fascinated with technology and art. The robot’s personality was a great fit to help keep the children entertained and learning at the same time, not always an easy thing to do. We wish we had this in school when we were in STEM classes.” — Ryan
Where to buy: Amazon
Smart Teddy: The Parent-Designed Toy to Teach Good Habits In a Fun New Way
Parents of younger children (ages 3+) looking for a new, creative way to help interact with their children and promote positive, healthy activities and habits will love Smart Teddy.
Our Impressions
Definitely a unique approach to early childhood education. Once you set up the Smart Teddy, it’s quite easy to use and tailor towards the activities and habits you are looking to help your children with. Assuming the child builds a good relationship with the Smart Teddy, we can definitely see how this could fit in with parents’ efforts to help children learn.” — Ryan
Where to buy: Amazon
Smart Home & Office
Vibe Smart Board: A Powerful (and Fun) Tool to Help Your Team Collaborate Like Never Before
This smartboard is perfect for any office sessions where teams are looking for a better way to brainstorm, present to clients, and improve virtual training sessions. You get everything from video conferencing capabilities to applications (Youtube, Chrome, etc.), combined with an endless number of writing canvases. So, if you’re like us and have multiple people in your office constantly sharing the whiteboard and taking photos of their ideas before they are erased then you’ll love the ability to create multiple user profiles on Vibe so you can save and revisit your work at any time.
Our Impressions
“We are consistently ‘wowed’ by products that come through our door, but this one may take the cake. From setup to logging in the first time, the process could not have been easier. The screen’s responsiveness was fantastic and the feel was even better than we expected. We’ve all used whiteboards around the office, but this is like having unlimited whiteboards all in one place, something I promise you will be worth the investment if you’re looking for a better, cleaner, and more feature-rich way to collaborate with your team and/or present to clients.” — Ryan
(Bonus: We plan to make some really exciting content for our audience with the Vibe Smart Board, so stay tuned!)
Where to Buy: Website
Get 15% by following this link and using code IOT15
WiFi Everywhere™ Powerline 1200 av2 Wireless Kit: Use Your Existing Electrical Outlets to Expand Your Wireless Network
Perfect for anyone looking to get better coverage of their wireless network within a certain location. You don’t have to be tech-savvy to get it working, which is a huge plus.
Our Impressions
“The setup couldn’t have been easier. We installed this in our office and immediately witnessed the benefits. Definitely worth exploring if you need to create or expand your wireless network in your home, especially for those hard to reach places.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website $149.99 $142.99 | Amazon $119.99 | Tiger Direct $129.99 | Wal‑Mart $129.99
Canary View: The Perfect Indoor HD Security Camera and Surveillance Solution
Get this for anyone looking for a simple to set up indoor HD camera while also avoiding the upfront cost for video equipment; the Canary comes to you free of charge when you sign up for one of the most affordable premium services of any home security camera for $9.99/mo.
Our Impressions
“Great camera if you’re okay with paying a monthly subscription. The camera is easy to set up, great quality all around. Definitely worth looking into if you’re in the need for an indoor camera for your home”– Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
Abode Cam 2: The Compact Indoor/Outdoor Smart Home Security Camera
This is perfect for anyone taking their first steps in smart home security or for a smart home security veteran looking to upgrade their at-home security, as it works perfectly as a standalone single camera or a multi-camera setup.
Our Impressions
“Fantastic little camera that is super easy to set up. We loved how it can be used both indoors and outdoors and highly recommend it for anyone starting to build out their at-home security set up.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
(Currently 37% off)
Cync Indoor Smart Camera: A Premium Indoor HD Smart Camera That Keeps Privacy at Top of Mind
From parents to pet owners to the catch-all group of anyone looking to monitor their home from anywhere — this camera is quite diverse due to its privacy and communication features that allow its uses to be almost endless.
Our Impressions
“Simple to install (which is a must these days with security cameras). We loved the privacy shutter to disable the camera/mic when at home. The ability to have two-way audio gave us a lot of ideas on how this can be used, from monitoring your pets while away, to using it in the nursery to keep an eye on a child, all the way to installing multiple around the house to communicate with each other.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Lowes
Hex Home: A DIY Home Security System
This is the perfect gift for anyone looking for an in-home security system that requires very little setup and a minimal number of devices. It’s simple and easy to use.
Our Impressions
“It’s a super unique approach to in-home security that we haven’t tested before. The setup could not have been easier in our “smaller” test facility. For larger homes/spaces, it may require a few more devices and good WiFi coverage throughout the home in order to provide maximum efficiency — but that’s usually a given these days.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
(20% off with code IoTForAll)
Brilliant All-In-One Smart Home Control: In-Wall System to Control Smart Home Devices
If you’re looking for a gift to seamlessly control multiple smart home products across leading brands in one control panel then this is it. It’s like a universal remote for your smart home devices.
Our Impressions
“These all-in-one control panels are definitely worth looking into if you are interested in taking your smart home set up to the next level. The interface is clean and the integrations are super easy to set up. Definitely worth considering!” – Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
Roborock S7+: Ultimate Hands-off Cleaning Experience With an Auto-Emptying Dock
Give the gift of saving time on cleaning! Although priced a bit higher than other robot vacuums on the market, there really isn’t a better option for those who want a hands-off approach to both vacuuming and mopping with one device.
Our Impressions
“As an avid Roborock S6 MaxV vacuum user, I could not wait to try the new S7+. It did not disappoint and really addressed things I wished were different with the S6. For me I was looking for strong suction, the ability to mop and clean carpet in one clean, and I wanted to manually empty it less — and they addressed all of these with the S7+. Whether you’ve had a robot vacuum for years, or never used one before, I highly recommend you check this robot vacuum out. You don’t be disappointed.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Amazon
(24% off 11/22/2021 – 11/29/2021)
Iblinds: Easy-To-Install Solution to Make Your Window Blinds Smart
Imagine giving your loved ones the ability to open the blinds without getting out of bed. If they have 2-2.5 inch corded blinds, then Iblinds allows them to do just that.
Our Impressions
“To be honest this was not something initially on our radar, but once we installed it we were fans. You can set a schedule for when the blinds are open/closed, use Alexa/Google Home to control them with your voice, or simply adjust the blinds using your phone. It does require you to set up a Z-Wave hub and install the product on your blinds, but their instructions make it a breeze. This product makes us want to ensure we have 2-2.5in corded lift horizontal blinds all over our house.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
(Savings from 25% – 35% off through holiday season)
Uoni v980 Plus: Robotic Vacuum Cleaner With Self-Emptying Dustbin
Smart vacuums are for everyone, but we know they can sometimes be more of a nice-to-have product due to the price. But in this case, Uoni priced it well, loaded it up with all the features you’d expect from a robot vacuum, and then created a self-emptying dustbin. What’s not to love?
Our Impressions
“This was my first experience with a robot vacuum, and it definitely did not disappoint. I was looking for something that could easily pick up cat hair around the house without having to pull out the manual vacuum each time. Once this was set up, it did its job. The self-emptying dustbin is such a great feature, just be sure not to schedule it to empty in the middle of the night (it’s a bit loud).” — Eric
Where to Buy: Website
Notion Smart Home Sensor Starter Kit: Proactively Monitor Property Related Risks With Ease
Get your loved ones started monitoring their home for things like water leaks, theft, alarms, and temp changes. The starter kit is set up in less than 15 minutes, connects to your phone, and requires no professional installation or subscription fees.
Our Impressions
“For starters, a smart product without subscription fees is great. The time it took to connect the sensors with our phone was seamless, and the sensors worked as advertised. We can’t ask for much more from a starter kit like this. Bonus: If the starter kit fits your needs, they offer affordable expansion kits to grow your system.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
(20% Notion Starter Kits with promo code IFA20 — if you use our link, the discount will be applied at checkout)
Bulbrite Solana A19 WiFi Connected Color Changing LED Smart Light Bulb
The smart lighting enthusiast that is looking for a wifi-connected bulb enabling you to easily change colors and is compatible with Alexa and Google Home will be deLIGHTed by this.
Our Impressions
“We love smart lighting, so this definitely caught our attention. The ease of use is key, whether it’s changing the colors, scheduling when the lights should be on/off, or communicating with it via our Alexa (or Google Home) you’ll definitely find this a great addition to other smart lighting products already installed in your home.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Amazon
Hobbies & Travel
GoPro Hero 10 Black: The Best GoPro Yet
Anyone can use it, but those who better understand photography/videography will get the most value from it. It’s worth noting that with additional uses, like as a webcam, and the growing industry of GoPro camera mods, the company has really done well at making their cameras fit more than just action junkies.
Our Impressions
“Being an avid GoPro user (but admittingly coming from the Hero4), the Hero 10 Black made me feel like a kid on Christmas. I was a little worried that with so many new features that I would be overwhelmed, but honestly the camera’s walkthrough during set up made that feeling quickly subside. Taking and recording video produced some of the most stable and clear content that I’ve ever experienced, and we as a team are already making plans on how to utilize the Hero 10 Black for more great content to share with our audience.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
Popular Science by Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 100AZ: Smartphone App-Enabled Refractor Telescope
This is a great telescope for anyone, especially those with no telescope experience thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. This is the first telescope that uses your smartphone to analyze the night sky and calculate its position in real-time — and aims to be a great starting point for those interested in astronomy.
Our Impressions
“For someone who has always been interested in the night sky but overwhelmed with the number of telescopes in the market, I was very pleased with the overall ease of use, fast set up time (~20min), and overall simple integration with the app to take the leap into exploring the galaxy a bit more closely.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
ZERO X Pro Smartphone: Stay Connected to Your International Loved Ones
This is a phone for media enthusiasts outside of the US. With a really clear, bright screen and vibrant-sounding speakers, the ZERO X Pro smartphone seems great for anyone who finds themselves spending the majority of their phone time scrolling through videos or listening to music.
Our Impressions
“The ZERO X Pro is really reasonably priced, feels sturdy, and looks and sounds great. Because it wasn’t intended for US audiences, we were really only able to test it on WiFi.”– Ryan
Where to Buy: Website (Non-US Audience)
Nexar Pro: GPS Dash Cam
While a fit for anyone, with so many choices in the market this is a better fit for professional drivers (i.e. rideshare drivers) looking for high-quality video for both road and cabin recording.
Our Impressions
“While I am not a rideshare driver, this has been a great dashcam to test, as it was super easy to set up and install. The quality of the video is fantastic and has me exploring other Nexar products that find one that fits best for my driving needs.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
reMarkable Tablet 2: The World’s Thinnest Tablet for Note-Taking and Reading
Anyone looking for any easily portable paper-like digital tablet specifically built to help you focus and improve your thinking while you work will love this. This is perfect for those who like writing by hand, but want to be able to reuse their work in their digital workflow.
Our Impressions
“For someone who writes down everything, whether it be brainstorming notes, to-do lists, you name it, I found this device fantastic. I wasn’t sure what to expect since my previous digital note-taking tablets I’ve used have been shoddy at best, this was so smooth and fluid of an experience. The ease of starting new notes, and keeping them organized was a real seller for me, not to mention how thin it is to take up the least amount of space possible.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
PowerVision S1: The World’s Smallest Smartphone Gimbal
Help your friends and family take their smartphone video recording and streaming to the next level. It comes loaded with features like facial recognition, power follow, and gesture controls helping make video capturing smooth and free of any extra movement.
Our Impressions
“This was my first time using a gimbal, and it makes me wonder how I have not been using it to shoot video with this whole time. This pocket-sized device took me a second to figure out how to operate, but once I was up and running it was quite impressive, especially the AI hand gesture controls available while recording. It also has a built-in wireless charging power bank which was a nice addition.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Amazon
Sabre Smart Pepper Spray: Multi-Layered Connected Personal Safety Device
If you’re looking to enhance your personal safety, maybe you walk alone at night to your car, or just want something to feel a little more secure, this smart pepper spray is connected via Bluetooth to the SABRE Personal Safety App giving you the ability to send alerts to emergency contacts with your location when the pepper spray is deployed.
Our Impressions
“We know not everyone needs or wants pepper spray, but there are a lot of people who do. For those, we have found this to be quite an innovative solution with its continuous location tracking, and ability to attach professional monitoring (via a paid subscription) to add extra layers of protection to a long-existing personal safety solution.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Amazon (May not be available to ship to all locations)
Velox Magnetic Wireless Charging Air Vent Mount: Fast Charging Mount for MagSafe Compatible iPhones
iPhone users with MagSafe compatible iPhones with room on their car’s vents to keep their phones charged while driving will love the accessibility and convenience of this product.
Our Impressions
“I’ve been waiting for a MagSafe compatible car vent mount to come out ever since I bought my iPhone — since all of the other solutions I have tried have required the phone to be plugged in to charge. From my testing, the magnet works through my Apple case with a fairy sturdy hold while driving. It does add an extra wire to your console, but unless you have a wireless charging pad in your car, there is no getting away from it.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
Health & Fitness
Fauna Audio Glasses: Smart Glasses That Look Great and Sound Awesome
Smart-looking, comfortable glasses well-suited for a walk to the grocery store or for hitting a flow-state at your desk. Fauna provides an unobtrusive sound that can help keep you safe and aware of your surroundings on the go, or help remind you to take a step back (or drink some water!) while working.
Our Impressions
“Fauna positions itself as, rather than just another inconspicuous Bluetooth speaker, but as a device for mindfulness – all while kicking your phone addiction. The Fauna app enables you to listen to soundscapes for concentration or relaxation, set reminders to drink water or stretch, or use a built-in pomodoro method timer. The glasses are surprisingly comfortable, the controls (although sometimes a little sensitive) feel natural and intuitive, and the speaker quality is much better than I thought you could expect from a pair of glasses.” — Fumiko
Where to Buy: Website
Lumen Metabolism Tracker: Measure Your Metabolism in Real-Time With Just Your Breath
We are not medical professionals by any means but this device seems great for anyone looking to better understand how their body burns calories. This is not something we all think about, but probably something we should, with how impactful our calorie burning is to weight loss, fitness, and overall health.
Our Impressions
“Such a cool device to compliment my current fitness goals and caloric monitoring and intake. Super easy to set up and use. I definitely recommend this for anyone looking to better track what they put into their body and how it affects their metabolism” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
($40 off yearly subscription plans including unlimited metabolic assessments, daily metabolism tracking, and personal nutrition guidance)
FINIS Smart Goggles: Swim Goggle With a Heads-up Display for Recreational and Competitive Swimmers
Great for recreational and competitive swimmers looking to better track and monitor their swimming workouts. The heads-up display allows you to see your splits, set times, rest times, and other results in real-time while swimming.
Our Impressions
“Although I am not an avid swimmer, this product made me strongly consider getting in the pool for swimming workouts more regularly. The setup and fitting process was easy, and the heads-up display was clear yet not in the way at all during my laps. I had a competitive Ironman colleague of mine try these as well, and they were super impressed with the ease of use — needless to say they are going to be adding this to their workout equipment this season” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
Black Friday Sale – Smart Goggle for $199 – Nov 22nd thru Nov 29th
O2Ring: Pulse Oximeter
Perfect for health-conscious individuals looking to better understand and easily track key vitals. The companion app allows you to track your vitals and share them with your physician to discuss any necessary changes to your health plan.
Our Impressions
“Nice looking product, that seems to work as advertised. It was very easy for us to throw on at work, while watching TV at home, and during sleep. From there the app did its job, providing us insights into information about our health we regularly don’t but probably should) check more often.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Website
Get 10% off using code RING10 at checkout
Prevention circul+ Ring™: Continuous Heart and Blood Oxygen Monitoring Day and Night
Anyone looking to better understand key vitals on a continuous basis through the use of their ring device, and mobile app. You can track everything from heart rate, steps, calories burned, SpO2, and key sleep tracking metrics.
Our Impressions
“There are not many things easier than putting on a ring, so if you’re committed to better tracking your health, then this is a great option. We liked the ease of setting up, and what seemed like a pretty accurate date we were able to collect during the day, and while we slept.” — Ryan
Where to Buy: Walmart
FOCI Focus Wearable: Super-Small Wearable Technology to Help You Focus Better and Work Smarter
The FOCI is really for introspective number-junkies or anyone looking to better understand their work habits, though you should keep in mind that FOCI only works when you’re sitting down and not talking (as it creates its measurements from breathing patterns). So if you spend most of your time at a desk or have long stretches of heads-down work that you’d like to get more out of, FOCI can be a great solution.
Our Impressions
“The FOCI proves a really neat tool for measuring and collecting data on your productivity. Although set up was a little finicky and the instructions weren’t immediately clear to me, once I got it set up and had completed the learning phase of my profile, the FOCI gave me surprisingly clear insights as to when I was getting my best work done. “ — Fumiko
Where to Buy: Website
Use code IOTFORALL15 for 15% off
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