From opening your eyes to rushing out the door, winter mornings are never easy. It’s gloomy outside, snowing in most of the country, and you must pile on layers so you don’t get frostbite the minute you step outside. But, every year we know we have to deal with it, so why not get some gadgets to make it a little easier? Here are 5 of the most helpful, smart home gadgets to make your winter morning routine more bearable.
First, you have to actually get out of bed. If you have trouble waking up without the sun shining in your window, you can emulate the summer rays with the Phillips Hue White Ambiance light. It’s a lamp alarm clock that will gradually grow brighter over a set time until your room is full of bright warm light, mimicking the effect of a sunrise. Instead of that annoying alarm beeping noise, the light will gently wake you, leaving you feeling more refreshed for the day.
“OK Google, turn on the lights.” Connect your Philips Hue with Google Assistant and you’ll immediately have the modern day clap on/off, this time voice activated. You can also set timers to make getting out of bed easier during those gloomy mornings or ask Google if you left the lights on during your commute to work.
It’s not considered morning without your first cup of coffee to start your day. After brewing a nice hot cup of coffee, try the latest in smart tech mugs with the Nano Heated Mug to keep your coffee at the perfect temperature for almost an hour. With one full charge, this wireless mug gets 7 refills worth of hot coffee, and will save energy automatically turning itself off after 30 minutes.
Robot, the great. If you’re familiar with Amazon’s Alexa, you’ll be happy to hear some of the upgrades they’ve made to connect your life a little better. The most recent update for the Amazon Echo allows you to ask Alexa to add items to your google calendar. You can use voice commands to have her read them back to you. So if you’re running late and can’t find your phone, you can ask “Alexa, what’s on my calendar?” to see if anyone will notice if you’re in by 10 am.
Once you’re on your way to work, don’t worry about turning your thermostat off. With the latest in the Nest product line is the 3rd Generation Nest Learning Thermostat, which pays for itself after owning it for 2 years from its monthly savings on your heating bill. Not only can you control the device from your smartphone, it automatically turns itself down when nobody’s home to save energy.
And upon your return from work, be warm and welcomed with the heat and the lights back on without keeping them running all day. With Philips Hue, you can set the Geolocation on to automatically detect your arrival back in your comfort zone. Or when you’re traveling towards the equator on holiday, pretend you’re home with the routine function in the Philips Hue app.
With these top tech products, we can’t guarantee you’ll start to like these upcoming winter months, even if daylight is so short. But, we know they will make your life a little easier, brighter and more efficient than ever.
