Tuesday, April 5, 2016

4 smart appliances for a more harmonious home

IMAGE: BALLUGA

Integrating smart technology into our homes makes life better, especially for couples.

However, while being able to set a mood lighting scheme or turn up the air conditioning on the way home from date night is convenient, it doesn’t really solve any problems.

But some newer smart home products actually do. Technology is trying to solve relationship quarrels before they start, creating a more harmonious, less stressful home environment.

1. Smart mattress

Your mattress is one of the most important things you own — sleep impacts every aspect of our lives. However, it is rare that two people who share a bed have the same firmness preferences. Most smart mattresses allow each side of the bed to be adjusted, solving this problem, but the Balluga does more.

With tons of features, one of the most helpful is the anti-snoring system. Built-in sound sensors detect snoring and then activate the pillow to be raised or lowered. Pillow adjustment has proven to help eliminate or reduce snoring. The Balluga also has individual temperature controls (because men generally prefer cooler sleeping environments than women), vibrating massage and sleep monitoring.

The product raised $79,303 on Kickstarter with 17 days to go by the time of writing. The company aims to ship first mattresses in October 2016.

2. Smart toilet

Smart home expert and "techorator" Janna Robinson is a huge fan of Kohler’s Numi Smart Toilet. She says “it solves the age old problem of the toilet seat discord between men and women. Regardless if you stand or sit, the Numi knows if you require the seat or not.”

There is also an option to save your settings so you can always feel like the king or queen of your throne.

3. Smart lock

The exchange of keys is a pivotal moment in every relationship, a sign of commitment. After all, if things don’t work out, changing a lock can be costly. Smart locks are an easy way to prevent this issue.

August Smart Locks work with your existing hardware and don’t require re-wiring, so most anyone can install one. An app lets you use your smartphone as a key. From there, assign virtual keys from to everyone from your partner to your dog walker.

4. Smart refrigerator

One of the most anticipated smart products this year is Samsung’s Family Hub Refrigerator. It has tons of bells and whistles, including a generously sized 21.5-inch LCD screen controlled by an app that lets you share a calendar, post photos (great for families who can’t keep every last piece of their kid’s artwork) and leave messages. You can even order groceries.

Mashable previewed the refrigerator and found the multiple interior cameras a promising draw: "The ability to see what’s inside your fridge from wherever you are and ask your fridge for news, weather, music and more is pretty compelling."

It should help cut down on those calls or text from the market, too: Honey, are we out of butter?

Well, that's easy. You can never have enough butter. No technology needed.

Marketing Perspectives