Hottest 100 Christmas gadget guide

Christmas is not just a time for giving, but a time for gadgets. This is a compilation of the best technology from 2014 for you to wrap up for others, or yourself.

Christmas is a not just a time for giving, but a time for gadgets. The Hottest 100 Christmas gadget guide compiles the best technology of 2014 for you to wrap up for others, or yourself. In the ninth chapter, Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson and Rod Chester investigate gadgets that make your home smart, and cutting-edge televisions to show Christmas movies in their best light.

SMARTHOME

Samsung POWERbot SR20H9050U

News_Image_File: Samsung POWERbot SR20H9050U robot vacuum cleaner.

This robot vacuum really sucks … but in a good way. The “power” in its name refers to the extra suction that, combined with a wide front brush, boosts its cleaning capabilities above other robot vacuums. Large wheels, 10 sensors, and a digital camera that maps the room combine to give it impressive navigation capabilities as it dodges obstacles. Point at a dirty spot on the floor with the remote control and the vacuum will head straight there and start cleaning.

Samsung

$1499

samsung.com/au

• Pros
• — Extra suction delivers impressive cleaning
• — Remote control lets you direct it to dirty areas
• — Will navigate back to the charger when it needs a boost

• Cons
• — Noisy
• — Corners remain a challenge for robot vacuums
• — Not totally intuitive — you might need to read the manual

Kevo Smart Lock

News_Image_File: Kwikset Kevo smart lock.

Unlocking the front door without keys is just the start of the clever features on this battery-powered smart lock. Replacing the normal door lock, the Kevo lets you issue unlimited “ekeys” to family and friends, or gives access to someone for a specified time. When an authorised person comes to the door, the lock pairs with an authorised phone over Bluetooth and sends an ekey notification. The person can then open the door by touching a finger to the lock. You can delete ekey users and the app shows a log of authorised access. If you don’t have your smartphone, you can unlock the door using the supplied fob or a conventional key.

Kwikset

$329

store.apple.com/au

• Pros
• — Manage temporary or permanent access
• — Log of people using the lock
• — Issue ekeys to authorised people

• Cons
• — Battery-powered
• — Requires installation
• — Limited styles

Philips Living Colours Bloom

News_Image_File: Philips Friends of Hue Living Colours Bloom.

Philips builds on its LED app-controlled lighting system Hue with this app controlled tabletop lamp. Sure, you can turn the lamp on and off with a smartphone, or change the colour of the light but that’s just the start of the fun. There are plenty of Hue lighting apps that will do everything from setting a lighting theme for a party to creating your own disco with the lamp responding to the music playing in a room.

Philips

$99.95

store.apple.com/au

• Pros
• — Plug and play
• — Stylish look
• — Works with a range of apps

• Cons
• — Wider Hue system is expensive
• — Fixed angle of light is restrictive
• — Light is not very bright

D-Link Pan/Tilt Wi-Fi Baby Camera DCS-855L

News_Image_File: D-Link Pan-Tilt Wi-Fi Baby Camera DCS-855L.

Things have come a long way since a baby monitor just let you listen out for crying. This camera pairs with your smartphone to give you high-definition streaming video from the baby’s room. Unlike some app-controlled cameras, this model lets you remotely control the camera’s pan and tilt. It has a night-vision mode, two-way audio, and a temperature sensor to indicate if the room is getting too hot for comfort. It has sound and movement detection and the option of blue or pink trim accessories.

D-Link

$249.95

dlink.com.au

• Pros
• — Streams video and lets you take still images
• — You can access the baby camera across mobile networks
• — Pan and tilt control

• Cons
• — Expensive
• — Poor network speed can cause audio lag
• — No Windows app

Belkin NetCam HD+

News_Image_File: Belkin NetCam HD+ camera.

Belkin’s second-generation NetCam takes a handy gadget and makes it better. This easy-to-set up camera streams high-definition video you can monitor securely with a tablet or smartphone. You can set email notifications to be alerted whenever movement is detected. The new push-to-talk function, with two-way conversations, lets you communicate with whoever you detect in the camera’s field of vision. The camera now also works with Belkin’s WeMo smarthome system so you can use the motion-detection features of the camera to activate other WeMo-connected devices, such as lighting.

Belkin

$169.95

belkin.com/au

• Pros
• — Easy to set up and use
• — Smartphone controlled
• — Two-way voice communication

• Cons
• — No zoom
• — Video cloud storage won’t launch locally until early next year
• — 95-degree lens not as wide as some alternatives

TELEVISIONS

LG 55EC930T Curved OLED TV

News_Image_File: LG's 55EC930T OLED television near Sydney Harbour.

Just one year ago, an OLED television of this size would have cost you more than $10,000. Thankfully, the technology that powers this high-contrast, advanced screen is no less impressive than last year while its price is much, much smaller. LG has also added its Web OS smart TV software to deliver internet content to the screen, and refined its design from the more expensive model last year. Dollar for dollar, this TV punches above its weight.

LG

$3999

lg.com.au

• Pros
• — OLED delivers high contrast, bright images
• — Significantly reduced price
• — Web OS smart TV software

• Cons
• — Lacks 4K resolution
• — Limited to 55-inch screen size
• — Only available as a curved TV

Samsung Series 9 78-inch HU9000 Curved UHD TV

News_Image_File: Samsung Series 9 HU9000 Curved UHD LED TV.

Samsung continues to lead the charge in curved TVs. This top-of-the-line, giant, curved screen lets you divide your screen into four sections for multi-tasking, such as watching a show while keeping an eye on its social media commentary. Just because the screen is curved and your walls are not does not mean they two are not going to get along. There is an optional kit for attaching the curved TV to a flat wall.

Samsung

$13,999

samsung.com/au

• Pros
• — 4K resolution
• — Quad-core processor for faster smart TV functions
• — Curved screen

• Cons
• — Little 4K content available
• — Only available as a curved TV
• — Expensive

Sony Bravia X9000B 65-inch TV

News_Image_File: Sony X9000B 65-inch television.

Flatscreen TVs, at least until you turn them on, tend to all look alike hanging on a wall. This model is the exception. On each side of its screen is a strip of magnetic fluid speakers made up of a tweeter, a woofer and a subwoofer. Another design quirk is the wedge shape, with the TV going from thin at the top to thick at the bottom as it widens to enclose the subwoofers. Along with great sound that other 4K TVs struggle to match, Sony’s Triluminos display delivers an impressive colour range.

Sony

$4999

sony.com.au

• Pros
• — Terrific sound quality
• — Impressive colour range
• — 4K resolution

• Cons
• — Design may seem clunky
• — Home-theatre system would negate need for speaker strip
• — Makes widescreen even wider

Panasonic TH-AX800A 65-inch

News_Image_File: Panasonic TH-65AX800A 4K TV.

After sticking with plasma screens longer than most, Panasonic has taken a new approach with its range of LED-backlit LCD 4K TVs. This has a very simple stand that gives it a minimalist look. Using the Skype camera, the TV recognises up to eight people and gives viewing suggestions based on each person’s history. As you would expect in this high-end market, it comes with a basic and a smart remote.

Panasonic

$5799

www.panasonic.com/au

• Pros
• — Minimalist design
• — Content guide
• — Choice of remote controls

• Cons
• — Expensive
• — Needs to be paired with home theatre for truly impressive sound
• — Like all 4K TVs, little native content

Sharp LC70LE960X 70-inch LCD TV

News_Image_File: Sharp LC70LE960X 70-inch TV.

Do you really need a TV with 4K resolution when there’s limited 4K content ready to play? Sharp’s solution is a range of full-HD TVs with a richer picture create by adding a yellow sub-pixel to the traditional red, green and blue colour spectrum of most TVs. Sharp calls this “the only full-HD TV that can receive 4K signal,” with the ability to connect a 4K player, once they come to market, through a HDMI port. This model is also a whopping 70 inches in size.

Sharp

$4999

sharp.net.au

• Pros
• — Rich colour
• — 35 watts of speaker power
• — Built for content that is available now

• Cons
• — Not 4K resolution
• — May not be future-proof
• — Another 4K solution adds to consumer confusion

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