Mother’s Day Tech 2018

Self-heating coffee mug. There’s nothing worse than your morning joe gone cold.  With Ember, just pour your beverage in, set to preferred temperature via the Ember app, and enjoy warm coffee for as long as it takes to caffeinate.  Available in a ceramic or travel mug. MSRP $80 for the ceramic mug at Amazon, Ember.com or some Starbucks locations.

For the busy woman in your life. This sleek lightweight bangle bracelet will charge your iPhone up to 50% in 40-55 minutes. The bracelet will hold its charge for 30 days.  The clasp double as your iPhone connector.  You’ll never get caught with a dead phone again! Available with a variety of laser engraved monograms in rose gold, silver, gold or black finishes.  $149 plus $9.50 for the monogram. https://www.markandgraham.com

This gorgeous record player with powerful dual speakers gets major home décor points!  If you don’t have much of a vinyl collection, you can also use it to stream music via Bluetooth up to 33 feet away from any phone.  Available from Urban Outfitters for $199.

Perfect for the skateboarding Mom – or a Mom who aspires to be one!  The single-motor version goes up to 16 mph, can handle up to 15-degree inclines, and comes with a wireless remote that last up to 16 miles on a single charge.  Available from Liftboard for $499.   Open box single-motor Liftboards start at $299.  Sam’s Club members get exclusive pricing with over $100 off the $599 dual motor model that goes up to 18.6 mph and handles 25-degree inclines.

This small, lightweight, take anywhere projector gives you DLP technology for clear and bright projection.You can connect the projector to your laptop, tablet, camera or smart phone via an HDMI or MHL input (standard input for mobile AV).  Resolution is 854 x 780 – not quite HD yet it will produce a good image.  Projection size is 30 to 100 inches.  Includes dual speakers, audio output and a headphone jack.  Available on Amazon for $199.

Here’s some tech that takes you back to old-school. This little camera will bring instant frivolity to those special moments this Mother’s Day. The Instax Mini 9 is the latest addition to the instant camera from Fujifilm and makes taking pictures a whole load of fun. There’s a selfie mirror to make sure you’ve got the framing right, there’s a close-up lens attachment for shooting up to 14” away and you can adjust brightness to your satisfaction. There are a few bright colors to choose from and is priced below $100.  Amazon has the camera, case and a twin pack of film for about $85.

You can now add some mood lighting at home for those Mother’s Day celebrations. The Hue smart lighting systems work through your home’s internet network, with the Hue Bridge directly connecting to the router. The bulbs can be controlled via an app, or via digital assistants like Siri (on HomeKit), Alexa on Amazon and Google Assistant. With starter kits for the various Hue bulbs available from $145, it’s easy to add some romance to the home.  Best Buy has the starter kit at $99.

For the Mom gamers in your life. When BB-8 made his debut in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, the little droid stole our hearts. And Sphero, the company that shot to fame with the first remote controlled robot toy, has an app-controlled replica of the loveable little guy. The droid can be moved around with the dedicated app and the little fella will react to your voice with little chirrups of its own. Machine learning will see it improve with interactions and the BB-8 droid will set you back by about $200.  Available on Amazon for $150.

Key Finder. Phone Finder. Anything Finder Is Mom always misplacing her keys or phone?  Ring it, find it. Tile Style and Sport have a 200 ft. finding radius. Plus, it’s even louder than ever, making it easy to find when it’s nearby. If Mom loses her phone, simply double tap the button on the Tile and her phone will begin to ring – even on silent. The Tile app remembers when and where you left something behind and will show you on a map.  Available on Amazon for $60.

Smart Speaker with Alexa. Mom will love the sound of this Sonos speaker with full Amazon Alexa built right in. She can play music, check news and traffic, control her smart home and enjoy all those other helpful Amazon Alexa skills using a single Sonos speaker. Connects wirelessly with other Sonos Home Sound System speakers to play music in any or every room. Mom will enjoy surprisingly rich, room-filling sound from a smart speaker. Available in black or white from most major retailers for about $200.

For the fashionista Mom, this Echo is focused on style.Now Alexa helps her look your best. It’s the only Echo that has a hands-free camera optimized to capture her outfits, and style assistant. With built-in LED lighting, Mom can use Style Check to get a second opinion on her outfit, and a dedicated app where she can see herself from every angle and build a personal lookbook. Echo Look helps Mom manage her style and still give her all the benefits of Alexa —to ask questions, set alarms and timers, check her calendar, weather, traffic, manage to-do and shopping lists, control smart home devices, play music, and more . The Echo Look is $199 on Amazon.  For better quality sound and hands-free calling and messaging, consider Echo, Echo Plus or Echo Show from Amazon.

Mom will love the crisp, balanced sound with unmatched bass for a Bluetooth speaker its size. Perfect for anything outdoors – it’s waterproof and rugged.  Mom can strap it to her bag or backpack to take with her everywhere. It plays up to six hours and has a 30 feet wireless range. SoundLink has a built-in speakerphone and voice access to your phone’s Siri or Google Assistant.  Retails for $99 and can be purchased at Amazon and many other fine retailers. http://www.mazdigital.com