The holiday season is fast approaching. Of course, by 2020, we were supposed to have flying cars and jetpacks, but since that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, we’ll have to make our lives easier and more fun with some more down-to-earth gadgets.
So what’s coming both in time for the holidays, and what’s on the horizon, ready for those gift vouchers you’ll receive from family and friends that have little imagination?
Mixfit
Not to be confused with the ill-fated Juicero, which was revealed to be nothing more than a $400 juice-bag squeezer, Mixfit creates smoothies and drinks that are designed to kick off your day with the right balance of nutrients — personalized to your dietary needs and activity levels.
Mixfit claims to serve up the right combination of the 23 essential nutrients your body needs, and in precisely the right amounts. At $399 for the device and $59 a month for the ingredients, it might not be everyone’s cup of herbal tea, but we imagine it’ll go down well with Menlo Park VCs. Maybe it’ll take away the bad taste of their $118.5 million Juicero investments.
Smacircle S1
Personal mobility is going to be huge in 2020. We’ve already seen the streets littered (sometimes literally) with e-scooters, electric bikes, and self-balancing wheels, but many of these are hard to take on trains, planes, and in the back of automobiles.
The Smacircle S1 has an intriguing design, collapsing down — like a Transformer — into a package as small as a backpack. Unlike a Transformer, it won’t put you in mortal danger, trash your house, or give your friends a heart attack when it starts talking to you. It also won’t (probably) help you get acquainted with Megan Fox.
Lumen
You know what’s coming next, don’t you? You’re going to gorge on more food than an elephant can handle in the space of two days, and fall into a deep, overeating coma while watching Harry Potter for the fifteenth time. January approaches, and it’s time to buy that gym membership you’ll use two, maybe three times.
Lumen is here to help you. Looking like the bastard child of an Amazon Echo and a pregnancy test, you blow into Lumen, and it tells you whether your body is using fats or carbs for fuel. That’s right, keto lovers — no more peeing on paper strips. It then gives you personalized meal plans to help you maintain your chosen diet. If you’re feeling flush after the holidays, you can add a personal trainer to your Lumen app with unlimited chats and advice.
LIZ
2020 is going to be the year when, hopefully, everyone agrees to do their bit for the environment and stop buying single-use plastic packages, the most evil of which is the humble bottle of water.
LIZ is a smart bottle (yep, you read that right) that cleans itself at the press of a button by blasting your chosen clear beverage (use your imagination — it doesn’t have to be water) with UV-C light, killing 99.9% of bacteria. It will even remind you to drink: not a problem this author suffers from.
Litter-Robot III
We mustn’t forget our four-legged friends this holiday season, so why not splurge out on something that will last longer than the latest in fluffy balls and vaguely mouse-shaped toys for the target of your feline affections, while keeping your house clean and odor-free?
Litter-Robot III bears an uncanny resemblance to the pod Felix Baumgartner used to set the record for the highest skydive (a coincidence that he has a cat’s name, I promise). So even if its practical capabilities wear thin on you, you’ll always be able to legitimately claim you own a space-cat when posting pictures to your pussy’s Instagram account.
Tempdrop
The holidays are a boom period for bringing new life into the world, which may or may not fit into your plans for 2020. But it’s OK because technology is on hand to save the day, once again.
Tempdrop is a device for women that looks a little like a step tracker. Still, instead of measuring your activity (in or out of bed), it provides accurate data for popular fertility apps to help you either conceive or avoid conception. The company claims “you can temp even if you spend your Friday nights drinking margaritas and your Sunday nights flying red-eye flights.” Handy.
Neova Ring
The holidays are a great time to learn a new skill, and it seems everyone wants to be a superstar DJ these days. But turntables, Kaos pads, and keyboards are so, well, 2019.
Neova Ring is a MIDI controller that fits on your finger. It detects your motions and fires off sounds and effects while your other hand creates sweet, sweet music. The hub that Neova talks to can fire off any keyboard or computer, and acts as a charger too. It’s OK though — one full charge will get you through that epic eight-hour deep house set you’ve got planned for New Year’s Eve.
