Amazon Echo Is A Cool Tool

Amazon Echo would be a spurge, since it's more technology than I need right now. And yet, it's a super cool tool at an affordable price. Echo is like having Sari in a room, except Echo is handsfree and responds to the name, Alexa (or Amazon). Ask Alexa all kinds of questions, such as "How many tablespoons are in 3/4 of a cup?" It will answer, "There are 12 tablespoons to 3/4 of a cup."

Echo the gadget is connected to Alexa, a cloud based service, so it can access all sorts of information when you ask; and the cloud is always getting smarter. 

Alexa can pick up your voice from anywhere in a room even with background noise like water running in a kitchen, or a television playing in a living room. Echo fills the room with immersive sound. That means it blurs the line between the physical and digital worlds.

Alexa also responds to commands. It can create shopping lists, provide news, traffic and weather reports, turn on lights, keep your calendar, set timers and reminders, plus reorder items from your Amazon shopping history if you have an Amazon Prime account. (Yikes, spends your money!)

You can play music off the internet from sites like Pandora, iHeartRadio and more; or have Echo read you audiobooks. If you ask, Alexa will even tell you jokes.

It would be easy for a household to get addicted to the convenience of Echo. Like what we saw on the Jetsons, or Star Trek right? Wow, whether you ask questions or give commands, the technology is real and available today. Not very expensive either. Cost: $179.99 with free shipping.

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The Innovative Vector Cup Holder To The Rescue

John C. (a former co-worker) and I bought Apple laptops at about the same time. Years later I'm still using mine, but John's new computer died after he spilled a cup of coffee all over his keyboard. That was enough to spook me into sitting my beverage cups down on the living room floor, only to absentmindedly kick the liquid over (too many times to count), staining a wool rug. Sheesh, what is a person to do in our electronic age?!

Well, often necessity is the mother of invention. A new tool is on the market to prevent your drink from snuffing out your computer ... or living room rug, whatever the case may be.

Enter the Vector Cup Holder, a clever accessory that is designed to put a stop to these annoying accidents. Created out of high-grade anodized aluminum, it is sleek, lightweight and mobile. (In fact, the metal nicely matches that of a Mac Book Pro.) It easily attaches to the side of a table or desk. When in place, the Vector Cup Holder secures your beverage, whether you are drinking from a 16 ounce mug, a 30 ounce cup, or even a small airplane cup. The gadget also folds flat, so you can conveniently carry it with you to work on a plane or in a cafe.

Another bonus ... because your drink hangs off the side of a table, it frees up work space. A clamp that attaches to a flat surface is equipped with rubber strips to guard against scratches.

The product has a cute slogan, "Your computer's knight in shining aluminum." No more spills! It's simple, practical and costs a lot less than replacing a computer drenched in coffee or soda.

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