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Make your home smarter by replacing your light switches with Brilliant Controls

Brilliant Controls replace your existing light switches to add smart home control capabilities to your rooms. The Brilliant Control features a color LCD touch screen that allows everyone in the house to access music, temperature, and more with just a simple touch or voice command. Don’t worry, no smartphone is required.

The controls are touch, voice, and motion controlled and also have a built-in camera and microphone so they can be used as an intercom system.

Compatible with SmartThings and Wink hubs, Brilliant Controls not only allow you to control your lights but with Amazon Alexa built in, you’ll be able to check weather forecasts, sports scores, add items to your Amazon shopping list and more.

Brilliant Controls will be available this summer with prices that start at $199, but the first thousand Brilliant Controls will be sold at a special early-buyer price starting at $149. For more info visit brilliant.tech.

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Make your home smarter by replacing your light switches with Brilliant Controls originally appeared on on February 25, 2017 at 4:06 pm.

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That’s no moon, it’s a Death Star popcorn popper

Make your next movie night something special with this Star Wars inspired popcorn popper that looks like the evil empire’s Death Star. But, you won’t need to use the Force or even oil to make about 8 cups of yummy popcorn with this popper.

The popcorn popper uses air to quickly pop the kernels and the top of the popper even doubles as a bowl. The Star Wars Death Star Popcorn Maker is priced at $49.99 and is available from Amazon.

If you’d rather pop your popcorn in a popper from the good guys, then check out this R2D2 inspired hot air popper too. It’s also available from Amazon and is priced at $31.99.

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That’s no moon, it’s a Death Star popcorn popper originally appeared on on February 25, 2017 at 11:40 am.

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Trivae is a Gadgeteer worthy trivet. Wait, what?

If you enjoy cooking, then you can probably relate to this scenario. You’re making a pot of soup, boiling pasta, tomato sauce, etc. and you need to put the pot lid down so you can stir or serve the food. If you place the lid “face down” on your stove or countertop, the condensation that built up from the steam in the pot will drip onto the surface, making a mess that you’ll need to clean up later.

Trivae has been designed to solve this problem. It’s an over-engineered trivet that can keep one or even two hot pots from damaging a countertop and it can also fold into a z-shape to convert into a handy pot lid holder.

In this configuration, the Trivae trivet can hold upside down lids or even elevated platters of food. Don’t worry, it won’t collapse under the weight of your homemade meat lover’s pizza because it’s strong enough to hold up to 10 pounds.

Trivae is available in four colors and is priced at $80. You can read more about it at Trivae.com and order from The Grommet or Amazon.

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Trivae is a Gadgeteer worthy trivet. Wait, what? originally appeared on on February 24, 2017 at 11:46 am.

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Ember mug keeps your hot beverage at the perfect temperature (in theory)

Every morning I fix myself a large mug of hot tea after getting to my day job or before a marathon of couch surfing on the weekends at home. I don’t drink the tea quickly enough to enjoy the full mug at a temperature that’s just right. I usually end up nuking it in the microwave a couple of times before finally finishing and starting on a new cup. That’s why the Ember mug looks pretty awesome to me. The Ember 12oz. mug that features a customizable temperature control that lets you set the stored liquid’s temperature from 120°F to 145°F with a twist of the base.

An LCD on the mug displays the temperature as you turn the base to set your desired heat level. You can also customize the temperature using an app. That’s right, you can pair the Ember mug with your phone. I don’t know why you’d want to do that instead of just turning the base,

The mug has a built-in battery that charges via a wireless charging base that they call the charging coaster. By itself, the Ember mug will keep your tea or cafe mocha grande frappuccino venti latte (I don’t know anything about coffee if that isn’t glaring obvious) at your set temperature for up to 2 hours per charge. But the mug can keep your hot beverage at your favorite temperature all day long if you set it on the charging coaster.

This all sounds great to me except there are a few caveats to consider. First of all, the Ember mug is/was a successfully funded Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that ended back in November of 2015 and there are still backers who haven’t received their mugs even though they are currently listed on Amazon and has been picked up by Starbucks.

Another issue is that there are quite a few people complaining about the battery life of the mug on Amazon and the Indiegogo backer’s page. And last but not least, the Ember mug is priced at $149.99 with shipping due next month through the Ember site. I think I’ll stick with my sip, nuke, repeat method of keeping my tea warm. What about you?

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Ember mug keeps your hot beverage at the perfect temperature (in theory) originally appeared on on February 22, 2017 at 11:57 am.

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Sort out your grinds for the perfect cup of coffee with the Kruve Sifter

The coffee enthusiast will tell you that a good, consistent grind is essential to the perfect cup of coffee. That’s hard to achieve at home without a high-end coffee grinder. The Kruve Sifter is an ingenious solution that enables you to consistently get the most out of your beans with the grinding gear you already have in your kitchen.

The Kruve Sifter is ridiculously simple. A pair of sieves are inserted into stackable trays with a lid. Pour in your grinds and give it a shake. The ideal grinds for your brewing system are now separated from the larger and smaller particles (known as “boulders” and “fines” in coffee lingo), ensuring that you achieve the perfect flavor profile for your precious beans. 

The Kruve Sifter is available in silver, red and black. Three packages are offered (the Two, Six and Twelve) that are distinguished by the number of different sized screens included in the package so that you can dial in the specific grind level for your needs. The Six and Twelve also include a rack for your sieves. Prices range from $49 to $129.

I’m interested in picking one of these up to see what it will do for the trusty blade grinder in my kitchen. If you’re ready to step up your coffee game, you can purchase the Kruve Sifter directly by visiting the Kruve, Inc. web site.

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Sort out your grinds for the perfect cup of coffee with the Kruve Sifter originally appeared on on February 22, 2017 at 6:38 am.

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