What I Found After Splurging: 2022 Gadgets That Dramatically Changed My Life (3/6)
Hi, I’m Hide, tech journalist and part-time house-husband. This one wraps up the first half of 2022. I’ve made it fun even just to look at the photos, so check out the previous article too. **Previous article: What I Found After Splurging: 2022 Gadgets That Dramatically Changed My Life (2/6)
EcoFlow Wave
An unusual outdoor air conditioner from EcoFlow, the leader in portable power stations. I’d been using an AC made by Zero Breeze, an American startup, but it was about as strong as a light breeze, so this one’s airflow amazed me. It really cools things down, so it eases the worry of heatstroke on summer camping trips. The one catch is that it’s pricey… But an even more advanced model was actually announced at CES. I’ll review it as soon as I get my hands on one — stay tuned!
Theragun
The original of the fascia-release gadgets that were all the rage last year. Apparently the founder built the first one from a Makita power tool. Use a Theragun and you’ll see the pressure is totally different from other brands’ look-alikes. Even the smallest one pushes pretty hard. My favorite way to use it is on long drives. Massaging my calves during breaks gets the blood flowing and makes me less sleepy. The performance gap is big enough that I can say for sure this beats saving a little on a look-alike, so I’m Team Theragun.
ZOOM H3-VR
This product was groundbreaking but got overlooked, and in 2022 — the first year of VR — it was back in the spotlight. ZOOM’s products have been hot lately in general. They’re bringing 32-bit float — sort of like RAW data for audio — to everything. And they’re small and light. For those of us putting out content, they’re all really appealing products, and my spending keeps climbing. The H3-VR records audio in a full 360 degrees. What’s amazing is that when you use it, you can pull out stereo audio from whichever direction you want. Being able to record first and decide later which direction’s sound to use is pretty handy. I combine it with the Canon lens I introduced in the previous article to make content like a virtual experience of the hustle and bustle of Shibuya.
Ring Video Doorbell 4
The definitive product for answering the door from anywhere. I tried Panasonic, Google, and other brands, and nothing beats this. You can actually respond while you’re out, so there are fewer “Nooo, they wouldn’t leave the package…” moments. Another strength other brands don’t have is the indoor chime option. Without it, your smart speaker or phone rings, but there’s a blind spot: they often don’t ring because of silent modes and such. So it only truly works as a doorbell once you have this option. This is important.
Retro Stationery
The theory that retro stuff is the easiest to use! So I looked into all kinds of things. My takeaway wasn’t so much that stationery itself has evolved, but more like “Back then I couldn’t be that picky, but wow, products like this actually exist…” Things like how lead thickness and hardness affect your brain — as a dad, a lot of it was eye-opening. I use the Staedtler writing tools in the photo all the time.
Barcode Battler II
This was one of last year’s biggest hits among my articles. I bought a toy I was hooked on in elementary school and reviewed it again. Turning the barcode on any product sold in stores into battle power and fighting with it still sounds groundbreaking today. And I still scan stuff and play with it regularly (lol). I pitched Epoch on a crowdfunding campaign for a reissue, but no reply. I bet lots of people want a new version, so let’s all get Epoch moving.
CoeLux
Did you know there’s lighting that perfectly recreates sunlight artificially? We actually have one in our bathroom (lol)
CoeLux perfectly recreates the gradations in sunlight, minus the UV. Because of this, a natural phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering happens inside the unit and a blue sky appears. The unit looks blue, yet clean white light pours down — you might not notice at first, but it’s a strange sight. And even though it’s white, it’s nothing like the daylight color of fluorescent lights. It doesn’t tire you out even after long exposure, and it’s perfect for small, dim Japanese homes. I wish it would become standard in home design going forward.
Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 Edition
A high-quality 360-degree lens module you can attach to the ONE RS I introduced in the previous article. The earlier action-camera lens, sold on being co-developed with Leica, didn’t feel all that different, but this one is good. The detailed footage and the software that processes it are both excellent, so if you want a compact 360 camera, I think this is the one. But if you only shoot stills, maybe the RICOH Theta Z1. This is a product that shines for video. By the way, like ZOOM’s H3-VR, you can crop any angle into flat video after recording, so you don’t have to keep switching between selfie and outward shots — handy.
30th Anniversary Carddass 20 Mini Vending Machine
A product I hit “Buy now” on the moment I saw it. It comes with commemorative prism cards, but you can also put in the regular Carddass cards that were sold over the years. I loved the Knight Gundam series, so I bought a few from the very first set and Part 1 of the Holy Knight arc. I get the “just look at the cards normally” crowd, but pulling them out one at a time with this is so much more exciting… (lol) It doubles as a 10-yen coin bank, so two birds with one stone?
EMBER Mug 2
Reviewing a heated mug in the middle of summer — what a brutal move (lol). But when you’re in an air-conditioned room, you actually want hot coffee. (Maybe it’s my age…) This is the famous IoT mug sold at Apple Stores too. You set the temperature in the app, and it automatically keeps your drink at that temperature. It’s rechargeable, so it keeps things warm even when you carry it around, but the mug is heavy, which is a drawback. Still, you can drink hot coffee down to the last drop, so it’s really convenient. In the article, I also touch on drink temperatures in hot weather and how they affect your body.
Three articles to finally cover the first half of 2022… And there’s still another half to go — even I think I review too much. I pick things that make you go “What is this?” rather than the famous products of the moment, so look forward to the three remaining articles on the second half. To be continued!
Here’s the previous article!
What I Found After Splurging: 2022 Gadgets That Dramatically Changed My Life (2/6)
Here’s the next article!
What I Found After Splurging: 2022 Gadgets That Dramatically Changed My Life (4/6)
Also check out BEST HOUSETECH OF THE YEAR 2022, where I rank my top five gadgets of 2022!
What Gadgets Will Trend in 2023? BEST HOUSETECH OF THE YEAR 2022
Questions, comments, or “please review this!” requests — send me a DM on Twitter. Author’s social media:** Instagram: Hide – Everyday life of a part-time house-husband @hidenori.kimura Twitter: Hide – Just a part-time house-husband @hidenorikimura YouTube: Shin Kimura Ke @rekimuras
This story was originally published (in Japanese) on Yahoo! News Japan Expert.
