Homes and Gardens

From the latest lawn mower to hedge trimmer to that great new way to BBQ, or inside that wizzy vacuum, cool fridge. A big topic this one, with new gadgets appearing daily! Come and read other members experiences or opinions, or share your own with the rest of the community.

This portable projector has an internal battery big enough to show two full length movies. Connection types are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, direct cable and more. Best of all it costs less than £400 and it has an Auto Portrait mode when needed. The base allows you to connect a tripod, even without one you can choose its position as it is twelve sided.

895033 IMOU Cruiser 2MP Outdoor Pan Tilt CamerImou Cruiser

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 7 Mar 2022
This is an outdoor camera, it is designed to be mounted on a ceiling or wall and hang downwards. Unlike a lot of small indoor cameras this is designed to be seen and therefore this can have the effect of deterring before intrusion happens.
The problem with most upright cleaners is when you need to move them over obstructions or upstairs they are quite heavy. Now Hoover has produced an upright cleaner that is 30% lighter than previous models but still just as powerful.
This is a battery controlled external camera with Siren and Floodlight and you have the choice of what it can detect, as an example ‘human only’ would be great in my area with the number of cats and foxes that roam around, if can save lots of false alarms that both you and your neighbour's will appreciate.

Cleaning Items and more

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 28 June 2021
I was sent an email offering samples to review from a company called If You Care, I asked for household gloves and cleaning cloths, what I received was far more so I will tell you about what was delivered from ‘If You Care’. Before the pandemic of close to 18 months ago I am sure we all washed everything and wiped surfaces regularly, now I am certain we do all that and more and probably most people’s hands suffer from all the extra twenty second washes that take place numerous times a day.

891666 Vax Platinum SmartWasVAX Platinum Smart Wash

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 16 June 2021
As far as I know this is the first Wash and Dry unit, earlier units shampooed and then washed drying often meant that that room was out of bounds for a good length of time. Here this unit automatically washes on the forward stroke and dry’s on the back stroke, for even quicker results there is a dry only mode.

891646 Ring Video Doorbell Ring Video Doorbell 4

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 14 June 2021
This is the latest offering from Ring, the Ring Video Doorbell 4. As far as I remember this is the smallest ever box yet it still has everything required in it. Dependent on where you live a problem could well be false positives which may be generated by field of view, it is possible to limit certain factors in what the camera sees however bushes and trees may still be a problem, but there is a solution with ‘People only Mode’.

891625 melitta epour electronic pour over filter coffeepour from Melitta

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 9 June 2021
This is filter coffee machine, simple in design but works well with easy to use controls. Perhaps best of all very it is easy to clean so if your tipple is filter coffee then this offering from Melitta should certainly be on your short list.

890185 D Link DCS 8627LH Full HD Outdoor Wi Fi CamerD-Link Outdoor Camera

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 19 Oct 2020
Most recent ‘outdoorcameras that have crossed my desk have been battery offerings that would require you to climb up to change the battery or recharge it. They of course require only fitting, this offering from D-Link is wired so it needs to go through either a wall window or door frame to get power and to deliver its signal to you.
Normally I get a lot of ideas from ‘Christmas In July’ events, of course with the Pandemic there were none but one clever PR company sent links in a very large PDF file with some of the items available to review during what is normally a quiet month August and here is the first of those offerings a pair of pocket pruners that are also a multi-tool.
The Neos Indoor Camera was developed in association with an insurance company and their clients were the first to benefit from it. Here are two more items that can save the householders money by avoiding water damage problems and the second a sensor kit so you can know when a door or window is opened or movement is detected.
This looks outwardly rather similar to the Krups Piccolo XS machine published in December 2019 but that was a manual machine and this one is automatic in that all Nescafe Pods now have a number of strokes to represent the amount of water to make the perfect drink. You adjust the dial on the machine and the correct amount of hot or cold water is then dispensed.
This is an outdoor (IP65 waterproofing) camera, it uses custom batteries that form more than half of the units overall size. Fitting can be done by anyone happy to climb a ladder and it should take only a few minutes but do not try to install it before you have linked it to your phone.

888910 Ring Video Doorbell 3 PluRing Doorbell 3 Plus

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 15 May 2020
Earlier versions had one problem for my door frame they were slightly too wide. This version solves this and indeed another problem that I had never thought of. So the people at Ring have listened to my moans and probably that of others and now both are solved.

888778 Imou 1080P Indoor Security CamerRanger IQ from IMOU

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 27 Apr 2020
This is an indoor security camera, the colour option works in lower light than a lot of others and while easy to setup once you have decided what ‘password’ it wants you to enter to link, then it offers a great deal more options in the settings than almost any other such camera and for those who want them it can provide so many choices over the basics.

888563 logitech c922 streaming web camerLogitech C922 Webcam

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 15 Apr 2020
Web Cams until the recent CoronaVirus were something that sat in the top surround of a panel of your Notebook/Tablet, often people worried about being spied upon, recent panels I have seen now have no Web Cam. So hence the need for decent offerings like this one from Logitechh that can keep friends and family in touch.

888219 Vax OnePWR Blade 4 Cordless Vacuum CleaneVAX Blade 4

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 20 Mar 2020
The latest vacuum cleaner from VAX also handles hard floors. The previous one that I saw was the Blade 2 and there are a number of changes not least is the fact that the battery is removable and can fit all of the latest range of VAX products.

887974 Vax OnePWR SpotlessGo Cordless SpotwasheVax ONEPWR SpotlessGo

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 17 Feb 2020
This is designed to collect spills and stains without the need to have a whole room item which is often the reason why professional carpet and floor cleaners exist. That wine stain fully removed along with 99% of any bacteria with this small handheld unit. The other main drawback with the full-size cleaner is where do you put the furniture while you use it.
This indoor camera is shaped like a wheel and has a slightly magnetic base so it stays where you put it. Like most such items it is controlled by an App. The setup is therefore almost entirely on your phone. Place the camera and insert the long micro USB lead and answer a number of questions on the phones screen and then you have a working security camera.

887512 icebreaker poIceBreaker Pop

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 3 Jan 2020
Picture a normal mid sized ice cube tray and place another upside down on top of it and you arrive quite close to what you have with IceBreaker Pop. There is more to it including the ability to keep other items frozen for longer.

886683 Krups KP1A0140 Nescafe%CC%81 Dolce Gusto Piccolo coffee pod machinKrups Piccolo XS

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 9 Dec 2019
It’s the nations favourite Pod coffee brand often known as Nescafe Dolce Gusto, for those who like Starbucks coffee it now includes Starbucks brand coffee to work in their Pods. So what does this ‘XS’ machine offer well first it is rather small with a water tank to match. So probably the ideal unit for a single user or just maybe a couple.
In the morning there are two stimulants to get you out of bed one you will know about as you reach older age -your bladder - and the second the smell of a fresh brewed cup of coffee, even the sound of the beans being ground could do it.

886412 Google Nest MinGoogle Nest Mini

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 13 Nov 2019
Early this year I told you about the Google Home Hub, now Google have launched another range of products. I will start with probably the smallest the Google Nest Mini (2nd Generation) that is truly small but it has a big sound with twice the base of the first generation offering.
This is a foldable chair that fits into the back section of a backpack, it can be used separately from the backpack or still attached to it, so ideal for those journeys on a packed train where you can find a corner but cannot find a seat.
A recent very noisy event at an iconic London institution had me see a range of audio items one such was this soundbar from Orbitsound and if you delve through the Gadgetspeak archives you will find other such reviews from them.

885868 Neos SmartCam security camerNEOS Smart Cam

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 7 Oct 2019
Originally only available for those taking out insurance from this company, it is now available for all. I looked at the early offering in February. Now it comes with packaging more fitment options and the chance to get far longer video clips.

885624 Philips Viva Collection Air Fryer XXPhilips AirFryer XXL

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 25 Sep 2019
Over the years I have reviewed a couple of earlier – and smaller – versions of this item. When I saw this at the recent Philips demonstration day ‘Xmas In July’ the claim was made that it could cook a whole chicken in a small amount of time so never one to turn down a challenge I accepted.

Family or Isolated View

Published in Homes and Gardens by mfereday on 19 Sep 2019
When televisions began to dominate our Living Rooms, neighbours would pop in to view important televised events. But today it does not happen.

885608 Ring Door View Cam Video doorbelRing Door View Cam

Published in Homes and Gardens by adrianmorant on 15 Sep 2019
The Ring Door View Cam combines a video camera, motion sensor and two-way talk with a traditional wide-angle viewer so as to improve front door security.

885191 Decor Microsafe Containerdécor Value Pack

Published in Homes and Gardens by paul_smart on 16 Aug 2019
Another of the items I saw at the Homewares show in June. This time a set of five – three of one size and two of a smaller size – that are sold as a value pack and since they arrived have been put into service both in my fridge and my microwave.