RainyDayGiftGuide 2020 : Working From Home
Happy Christmas and Merry Holidays!!!
As in previous years, we have put together a series of RainyDay-tastic Gift Guides for this holiday, full of suggestions for our readers.
As with every one of our Guides, all of the items in this guide are: things we looked at, or things we reviewed and liked, or brand new things we haven’t reviewed yet but we think you would like. These suggestions should make working from home even more enjoyable in the coming year.
Happy Holidays!
Working From Home (WFH)
This pandemic has shown us that:
- many of us are NOT essential workers,
- we can do much of our work without going into the office, and
- WFH looks to continue regardless of the availability of a vaccine.
So, for 2021, it just makes sense to setup and/or better equip everyone’s Small Office/Home Office (SOHO). To that end, we want to share some of our favorite gear for such an endeavor.
For Better Posture
The one essential piece of equipment for any SOHO is a chair. The BEST one we can recommend is the QOR360 Active Chair. You can spend ten times as much and not get a better one, not because it won’t be more comfortable, but because it won’t be better for your HEALTH.
The QOR360 chair is awesome, but for everything to “work properly” it is critical to have the monitor at the proper level.
We looked at a lot of different mounts and decided on the MountUp. The arm is easy to setup, very flexible, and is the best value for the money.
For Better Conference Calls
Zoom calls have become a way of life for everyone on the planet now WFH. Here aisre some gear to make those calls just a little bit, uh, better.
For Apple iPhone users, AirPods are the best in-ear speakers bar none. The integration with the iPhone is far superior to all other contenders, with no exceptions. Don’t be fooled by lookalikes hoping to trade on the iconic Apple color and shape. If you didn’t buy it from a trusted source, you may not be getting the real deal.
Bose SoundSport headphones wirelessly play consistently and clearly, whether the phone is in your hand, in your pocket, or sitting on top of the treadmill. The volume-optimized EQ and Bose digital signal processing make music sound full and balanced at any volume. Best of all, these earbuds aren’t afraid of sweat or rain. Included is a charging case and fit-customizing accessories.
StandSense, the adjustable and foldable laptop stand, helps transform anyone’s laptop into a posture-perfect desktop workstation. Its design allows better air circulation under the notebook, and raises the screen to eye level for a better conference-call camera angle. A perfect solution for the home office setup!
For Better Sleep, Focus, and Concentration
Human beings sleep for close to a third of their lives. This resting period is critical to our health and well-being! Some sleep deeply, others…not so much. These items actively help promote better sleep neuro-scientificly and aurally.
During sleep, the brain emits low frequency waves known as theta waves. The NeoRhythm headband’s Improve Sleep program emits a dominant 4hz theta frequency, accompanied by a 2.67hz delta frequency. According to Omnipemf, the brain synchronizes with these frequencies, which creates an optimal environment for the body to enter a deep, regenerative sleep.
A team in Finland came up with a pair of in-ear active-noise-cancelling earbuds that filter out disturbing sounds without the blockiness or heft of earmuffs. We have tried the QuietOn for a week and they work exactly as advertised. They are awesome 🙂
For When You HAVE to Go Outside
Working at home doesn’t mean never having to leave the house! For times when venturing out is what’s called for, bringing along backup power is always a good idea.
Here are three excellent options for when it is time to go mobile.
Always misplacing your AC cord or the USB cable? The myCharge HubPlus has them (cables, plug) integrated into the case. Give someone the HubPlus and their devices will always be able to power up.
Small, power-dense, and waterproof, the myCharge AdventureH2O is the perfect external power pack when you want to drop the weight but nothing else.
Nobody wants to lug around a huge battery, but everyone wants long-lasting power. Harbor solves this problem by providing a power bank that is dense, versatile, and doesn’t require you to be a weightlifter in order to to carry it around.
The Harbor has two laptop ports (USB-C PD), two smartphone ports (USB-A QC 3.0), and one wireless charging pad (10W). This thing can charge 5 devices at the same time!
Masks are now a part of everyone’s grab-n-go gear these days. Vaja makes the one we reach for more often because, unlike other masks, the Vaja design lets the mask stay further away from the nose and mouth, making breathing and talking is easier. This design is not possible with the fabric-type masks. Also, Vaja’s inner fabric filter is washable, replaceable, and uses an ingenious two-magnet design that keeps the cloth off the face.
For Something Completely Different
Those not trapped by the past and are willing to stretch for the future…keyboard-less, anywhere, anytime input is here! The Tap Strap 2 is a virtual input device that uses chords to register text. There is no projected keyboard, no invisible key patterns, and no holograms. It is also a very precise and easy to use mouse.
Other Things For the Home Office
For Mac users, TimeMachine is the backup mechanism of choice. The Seagate 4TB drive is big enough to store a typical year of automated hourly backups without any fuss.
What better way to personalize the home office than with photos? Both the AEEZO and Skylight frames have their own email address so friends and family members can send snaps directly to them for display.
The 9″ AEEZO WiFi photo frame has 16GB of internal memory, which allows you to send 10K to 30K photos from your Frameo app. This basically means you can have enough images stored that you won’t see the same photo repeated for days, weeks, or even months…depending on how long you let each image linger before transitioning onto the next one 🙂
We have had the Skylight frame for a year now and it is really effortless to setup and use. The images displayed are bright and clear. The 10″ size is perfect for a desk, countertop, or coffee table.
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