Tech Gifts – techbloggingfool.com

At the beginning of our relationship, my spouse and I discovered that we had very different sleeping habits. She slept with the TV on, while I preferred only the white noise from a small fan. Tinnitus made having some noise masking solution in the bedroom a must for both of us.

I struggled to get used to the TV being on while trying to sleep. The sound wasn’t so bad, but the light and commercials screaming at me were bothersome. She needed more engagement than a fan or white noise generator produced.

We tried various earbuds. She did better with them. I wasn’t able to adjust to sleeping with something in my ear. She tried a headband that had embedded speakers in it, but that was uncomfortable for sleeping in. Eventually we stumbled across a “pillow speaker” at some old-time electronics store. It was just a little hockey puck sized speaker. You plugged it into your phone via the built-in 3.5 mm jack. Then you slipped the disk into your pillowcase.

The Radio Shack pillow speaker worked, but it had some issues. It wasn’t very loud. To hear it well enough, you had to put the speaker on the topside of your pillow. If you rolled over in the night, your ear would be uncomfortably smashed against the hard case. It was also just a plain speaker and didn’t have any controls of its own. This made operation at night an ordeal. Changing the media or adjusting the volume required unlocking your phone and using its controls.

We kept an eye out for improved devices throughout the years. When phones lost their headphone jacks, we had no choice but to find something that used Bluetooth. We found a unit that offered several improvements over the puck design. The new speaker used bone conduction tech to boost the sound volume and quality. It was also housed in a soft-sided case that wasn’t supposed to mangle your ear. Control buttons on the device made life easier too.

The conduction-based pillow speaker actually worked well. It’s loud enough to go underneath your pillow and still be able to hear it. Its soft sides made it more comfortable, but it still hurt if you rolled straight onto it in the night. Its biggest issue was the Bluetooth signal. If the speaker descended too far into the recesses of your pillowcase, it would disconnect from your phone.

While randomly browsing Amazon one night, I found the unicorn of pillow speakers. I reflex ordered it without showing it to my wife first. It had our entire wish list of features according to the description. Reviews were positive. If it even got close to the ad’s hype it would be a perfect upgrade.

The Avantree Slumber 2 showed up a couple of days after I ordered it. As soon as I got it out of the box, I could tell it was a winner. There are 4 speakers surrounded by a soft rectangular pillow that is just the right length for a pillowcase. The controls, Bluetooth, and battery are housed in a small case connected to the speaker assembly via 3.5 mm. This means the Bluetooth signal stays nice and strong all night since the unit remains outside of your pillow.

The sound is fantastic. I usually have mine connected to my phone. I listen to podcasts and audio books more than anything else. The speakers sound so good that use them for other stuff too. I pair my Switch 2 for playing in bed. I also frequently connect to my laptop for an excellent personal movie experience.

You can’t feel the speakers under your pillow while you sleep. They flex and move with you. The controller has nice big buttons that glow in the dark. You can play and pause, skip tracks, or adjust the volume. You can also enable a timer that will stop your chosen media player in 30, 60, or 90 minutes.

The Avantree Slumber 2 can run from battery when you travel. It can also play while being charged from its USB-C cable. The battery lasts through the night on a single charge but won’t make it through two. The controls are in-line meaning that USB-C connects on one end while the speaker pack connects on the other. Theoretically you should be able to use it as a Bluetooth connector for any 3.5 mm speaker set. I haven’t tested using them this way yet.

We’ve had the Slumber 2 speakers for a couple of months now. It is made of high-quality materials, sounds great, and maintains a strong link with your device. If you want a speaker embedded into your pillow, there are no downsides to this model that I can find. It does its job perfectly.

Tis the time of year when all mankind comes together to bring the world peace and happiness, through discount shopping. There’s a lot of technology out in the world today. Some of it is nice and some is naughty. Here’s our list of tech items you probably know about but may not have yet.

4K TV’s time has come. We have crossed the point where not having one means you are missing out. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, YouTube, many gaming consoles, and computers can all take advantage of the format. My cable provider even broadcast’s some sporting events and shows in 4K. If you’ve been holding out for the ideal moment to upgrade, this is it. 65 inch 4K screens are available from multiple vendors for less than $500.00 and smaller screens are under $200.00.

True wireless earbuds are a godsend for office and blue collar workers everywhere. If you wear headphones to stay focused and block out the world, then you have probably run into these situations: drug your phone off something, gotten a headache from the headband, been mistaken for princess Leia in a video chat, been cord yanked, or gone to a meeting with headphone hair. Personally I like the true-wireless buds that feature active noise cancelling, but no matter your flavor they are all at the lowest prices we’ve seen.

Remote start for your vehicle is an easy add-on. Best-Buy will install it into any automobile for less than $300.00. If you’re more a of a do-it-yourself type of person, you can find kits on Amazon. Most are under $200.00 and the one I put on my truck took less than an hour to install. It required no tools, or skills, of any kind, I just had to plug-in a few wires. Scraping snow and ice off your windshield and freezing to death for the first twenty minutes of your commute is so passe’.

I can’t say enough about video doorbells. They are so useful in so many situations that they should be standard equipment on all homes. The ability to see who is at your door no matter where you are is a game changer. They improve security and more importantly let you chase off solicitors without getting off the couch. All of the major brands are available in easy self-install kits that require very little expertise. Follow the video instructions and you’ll have yours installed in no-time.

Smart thermostats save money, keep your home a more consistent temperature, and they look cool. They are available in easy to install kits that require basic home improvement skills. If you can use a screw driver and understand how sheet-rock anchors work, installing one will be a cinch.

In addition to devices, there are some subscription services that can make great gifts for people. Of course you know about Netflix, Amazon, and the new Disney Plus. Have you heard of the Xbox game pass? It gives you access to an ever increasing library of games (more than 300) on the Xbox and PC (Ultimate Pass). There’s an exploit for their $1.00 per month introductory price that will let you purchase up to three years worth of the service at the discounted rate.

Mesh wireless networks have been available for quite a while but until recently they required professional installation. Now major manufacturers have engineered solutions that you can setup with an app on your smartphone. If you can connect your phone to a new WiFi network, you can install equipment that will drench your property in full strength signal happiness. Many of the networks are smart and will automatically load balance your devices to keep them all running at full speed.