VR Headset

No matter how much you try to deny it by heading to the pub after work, there’s no escaping the fact that it is now October, the weather is getting colder the evenings are getting darker earlier. With the cooler winter season fast approaching and Christmas lurking just around the corner you are going to soon be spending considerably more time at home trying to entertain yourself. Before you suddenly find yourself stuck in your house with no entertainment or decent ‘man gadgets’ to keep you occupied, I’ve compiled a list of some cool ‘techy things’ that should at least go some way to making your impending winter days at home feel just that little bit less dreary.

Pay-per-view TV with CHILI

The best way to spend a cold rainy day is wrapped up in a blanket, hot beverage in hand, watching a good movie. There are many services available, but one of the new kids on the block is the new service CHILI which has a lot of cool perks such as letting you pay only for what you actually watch. Launched in 2012 the service has been so successful in Italy with 1.6 million subscribers that it has now entered the UK market – check out the press release here.

Backed by Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Viacom, Sony Pictures, and 20th Century Fox they have a great selection of content so be sure to take a look at the movies that they have to offer – discover movies on uk.chili.com here – and get your watch list going for when the weather decides to takes a turn.

Invest in a Smart-TV

Now although not a new piece of technology if you haven’t yet invested in a smart-TV you may well be missing out on a great piece of tech in your home. A Smart-TV will change the way you use and watch television which a major plus when it comes to winter days. As a smart-TV has a good quality screen you can enjoy your favourite movies, as well as download tons of apps, such as YouTube, and have everything in one place without the need for connecting up a console or messing around with unreliable streaming from a Chromecast or similar device.

Virtual reality headset

A virtual reality headset gives you the ability to step into virtual worlds while in the comfort of your own home. If it’s stormy out, you can whisk yourself away to a tropical island. If you’ve been stuck inside due to storm warnings, you can transport yourself elsewhere virtually. These special headsets let your imagination wander and certainly avoid you being stuck in the same environment or feeling trapped by dreary weather. Although still not commonplace in the UK home these headsets have been getting talked about and showcased at the major tech events for a number of years now. It really is only a matter of time before you have one so why wait!?

Music in the shower!

For me a hot shower or bath on a cold day is always best paired with my favourite music humming in the background. Historically this would mean the tinny speaker of my iPhone at maximum volume which let’s face it, is never going to offer much of a positive experience!

Thankfully, waterproof tech devices have improved considerably in the past 5 years to a point where they are now able to withstand temperature and humidity so you can have your favourite music playing while you relax without fear of ruining your device. If you want something specific, Moxie, for example, is a shower head that can sync up with devices via Bluetooth and comes with a portable wireless speaker that attaches into the shower head! This kind of musical wizardry is certainly not one to be ignored so take a look at the latest in waterproof tech, warm up those vocal chords and belt out your favourite tunes in technological style!

Buy a smart kettle

Now this is definitely one for the couch potatoes. We all know the feeling of being cosy on the sofa and not wanting to get up to hit the kettle for a cup of tea or coffee. Even though in most instances the kettle is within sight, a mere 3-5 metres away! Am I right!?

If you’re one of those people, and I know I certainly am, a smart kettle is definitely going to become your best friend throughout the winter. From the comfort and warmth of the sofa you can link the kettle to your home network and have the kettle boil water directly from your smart device – go one step further and you could even link it up to Alexa or Google home and command the kettle to boil! Oh the power and fun that we have!

One that I’ve spotted recently on Business Insider is the iKettle. It does of course come with an app which shows the water level, notifies you when the water is boiled to your preferred temperature and allows you to set a specific time frame when the kettle should be boiled!

So what do you think? Are you preparing for the cold nights yet? Feeling lazy enough to invest a smart kettle or brave enough to get on board before your mates with a VR headset? Perhaps your marriage/relationship is strong enough to invest in a digital shower device? Winter is coming, so best get your tech stack prepared and ready!

By Nick

Nick is the founder of Life of Man with a passion for trying out the latest technology, eating out at the best local restaurants, trying the latest IPAs hitting the craft beer scene travelling the world. As a parent Nick loves to spend time with his family and write about days out as dad blogger.

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