Last year has been quite a fabulous year for gadgets, and we’ve seen endless notebooks and smart watches launched, alongside a plethora of smart fitness trackers and wristbands, fun gadgets, and ultra-secure smartphones. There have been also more small wireless gaming devices than we can count, including intelligent gaming controllers and futuristic communication tools.
On the other hand, 2014 also brought us an endless array of mediocre or even bad gadgets, so knowing exactly which one of these break away from the pack might be difficult for the uneducated consumer.
Here is a rundown of the best gadgets of 2014:
- Philips Norelco QT4070 Vacuum Beard Trimmer
Beards are going strong these days and keeping that buzz cut look or stubble can be tricky if you do not have the right gear around. An electric trimmer is obviously a good choice, but Philips decided to take this common device to another level. Seeing that many customers complain about the difficult cleaning, the engineers and designers from Philips added a vacuum feature to their top of the line Norelco electric trimmer series. Although a simple addition, the vacuum feature is completely new in the electric beard trimmer niche, and it has its indisputable benefits. Also, if taking into account how expensive straight blade razors can be, getting an electric vacuum beard trimmer does seem a good idea, especially if you do not have to clean up the mess.
- Logitech Powershell
When the Logitech Powershell was launched, iPhone users had a lot to cheer about. Widely regarded as one of the best mini gaming controller for the iPhone, Logitech’s Powershell has a solid look, excellent materials and can fit loosely in a pocket or a handbag. What’s more, the iPhone fits perfectly inside the Powershell, without you having to pull the controller apart, unlike other rival models. You can even use all the phone’s functions without any difficulty, thanks to its intelligent design. For instance, the headphone jack and the lock button remain fully functional, and users can listen to music at all times.
- Sony SmartWatch 2
Many tech geeks consider 2014 the year of smart watches, and seeing all the amazing products launched in this niche, we have to agree fully with them. There are hundreds of smart watch models to choose from, but the Sony SmartWatch 2 impressed even the hardcore neo-luddites. Its simple, sleek design, coupled with an excellent price (almost $100 lower than the Galaxy Gear from Samsung) made the SmartWatch 2 the best pick in this very competitive market. The smart watch manages to elegantly bridge the gap between style and functionality, offering excellent materials, a great build quality, a crystal clear 1.6-inch sun-readable display and good software features, including a web-browser and a notification widget.
- Misfit Wearables Shine
A fresh addition to the overcrowded fitness trackers market, the Misfit Wearables Shine is a great accessory that can be worn anytime and everywhere. It is compact, unintrusive, it has a sleek design and it is so light that you can almost forget about it. When it comes to software, Shine uses an iOS and Android compatible system that helps to sync with an iPhone or Android smartphone. The battery is another strong feature of Shine, ensuring a working lifespan of more than four months, almost triple than its closest rival, Fitbit Force.
- Withings Pulse
This small fitness tracker helps you monitor your physical exercise, calories burned, heartbeats and steps taken, in order to ensure that you get those six-pack abs as quickly as possible. You can easily pair it up with an Android or iOS device, and the statistics can be stored, viewed or you can create your own personalized schedule. An especially interesting feature included is the ability to monitor sleep cycles, including deep sleep or wakefulness levels.
Flaviu Mircea, the writer, is a tech blogger who takes time to go over the successes of the past year, every year, as well as its foibles. Sometimes though, what’s new isn’t always what’s best, and those looking for something more secure than e-mail to send data (for example) are advised to seek an online fax service. Flaviu highly recommends http://www.findafax.com if you’re needing to make comparisons. You can learn more on Google+.
