Home office heroes
ALL THE LATEST GADGETS TO UPGRADE YOUR 2021 WORK LIFE
WHETHER you’ve been diligently working from home since March 2020 or you only return for lockdowns, having a smart home office can make a huge difference.
Mercifully, technology, gadget and accessory makers are responding to this need, creating devices that can help make you more productive and comfortable when toiling remotely.
And with more than one in four Aussies still frustrated by an inappropriate work set-up, according to an Amazon Australia survey, it might be time to invest.
Below are 15 upgrades, ranging from $50 to $2500, to help ensure home office 2.0 is working for you.
1. TWELVE SOUTH SURFACESNAP twelvesouth.com.au
$50,
Without an IT department, ensuring loose cables don’t ruin your desk is your responsibility.
The Twelve South SurfaceSnap offers an elegant solution, with leather bodies that can be stuck to your desk and covers that keep your cables in place with metal snaps. Each pack comes with two single and one double cable organisers.
2. ARLO CHIME 2 $79, arlo.com/au
If you’ve installed a smart doorbell from Arlo, this new device will make sure you hear it ring even if your smartphone is out of battery or you’re in a distant room. The Arlo Chime 2 plugs into a wall socket and connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network to receive alerts from the doorbell. It can play different melodies depending on what it detects outside your home, and users can even use it to blast a siren to deter unwanted guests.
3. TOSHIBA CANVIO FLEX $85-$149, officeworks.com.au
It’s shaped like a stocky smartphone but this silver rectangle is capable of keeping your important files safe as you swap between devices and formal and more casual workplaces. The Toshiba Canvio Flex comes with a USB-A and USB-C cable so it can connect to Windows and Mac computers or plug into a tablet. The drives, which weigh just 149g, are available in storage sizes of up to four terabytes.
4. HP ENVY PRO 6430 $99, hp.com.au
Printers can be the weakest link in the work-from-home chain but this model from HP tackles some of their challenges. The Envy Pro 6430 is not just a colour printer but can also be used to scan and copy documents,
and it comes with wireless connectivity to receive commands from smartphones and tablets.
5. UPRIGHT GO S PRO BUNDLE uprightpose.com
$115,
Along with collared shirts and formal shoes, good posture quickly became a victim of the work-from-home phenomenon for many. This new health gadget is designed to bring it back by tracking a user’s posture and vibrating when it is out of alignment. The unit is less than 5cm long, connects to Apple or Android smartphones to issue reports, and can be worn on a necklace from this bundle or stuck to your back with provided patches.
6. TWELVE SOUTH HOVERBAR DUO $140,
tryandbyte.com.au
At the start of the work-by-video-call era, almost no one understood flattering camera angles. The Twelve South HoverBar Duo is designed to help us all do better by holding and raising an Apple iPhone or iPad off the desk and letting users find their best angle in FaceTime or Zoom conferences. Its metal body is hinged like a desk lamp to hold the device up to 38cm off the desk, while its clamp will keep it in portrait or landscape mode. When not chatting, the HoverBar can also be used to turn your device into an extra screen.
7. THRONMAX MDRILL ONE PRO KIT
$240, harveynorman.com.au
The best microphones will help make sure you’re heard on all your conference calls. The MDrill One Pro, for example, comes with four
sound modes to suit your setting and will plug into any computer or games console without extra software. An LED indicator ensures your audio levels are correct.
8. LOGITECH COMBO TOUCH
$300-$350, logitech.com
A cheaper take on Apple’s Magic Keyboard, this iPad Pro accessory from Logitech can turn the tablet into something more laptop-like for serious work. The Combo Touch comes in two parts: a rugged case that fits around the back of the device and offers a kickstand to keep it upright, and a keyboard with touchpad that connects to the iPad magnetically.
9. MICROSOFT SURFACE HEADPHONES 2 $400,
microsoft.com Cancelling noise can be incredibly helpful in a home office but, if done too aggressively, can make it sound like you’re working in a vacuum. Microsoft’s second-generation headphones avoid this trap by offering 13 levels of active noisecancellation you can control by spinning a dial on the left earpiece.
The right dial controls volume. The new cans also deliver a battery life of up to 18.5 hours on one charge.
10. NANOLEAF ELEMENTS STARTER KIT
$429, jbhifi.com.au
Few home office additions are as striking as a wall of glowing panels, and Nanoleaf has just upgraded its gear again. The new illuminated decorations arrive in hexagonal panels that look like they’re made of wood but can be fixed to a wall with double-sided mounting tape, plugged in, connected to an app and made to glow in pleasing animations.
11. SONY WF1000XM4 $450,
sony.com.au Sony’s audio technology gets even better at tuning out noisy neighbours in these earbuds, which feature a new sound processor to deliver thorough active noise cancellation. The fourthedition earbuds can also pause music and let in sound automatically when they detect your voice, adapt their sound to your environment and charge wirelessly.
12. SAMSUNG SMART MONITOR M5 32-INCH
$499, samsung.com/au
This ‘smart’ monitor can connect to
an Apple MacBook wirelessly using AirPlay 2 to double your displays. It can also connect to a faraway Windows PC using Microsoft Remote Access. And it comes with streaming apps, like Apple TV and Disney+, so you can use it to entertain yourself when work is done.
13. AMAZON EERO 6 SYSTEM amazon.com.au
$499,
The Eero 6 three-pack features a router and two wireless Wi-Fi extenders that connect to boost the broadband speed in your home to up to 500 megabits per second (depending on what your modem and plan deliver) and ensure it reaches difficult and distant areas. Their mesh network covers up to 460sq m.
14. ANDA SEAT MARVEL EDITION GAMING CHAIR
$880, www.andaseat.com.au With great workloads comes a great responsibility to remain comfortable. This office chair from Anda Seat features generous moulded foam covered in scratch-resistant PVC, a reclining angle that can be locked in place, memory pillows for your back and head, and armrests that can move in four directions. And, thanks to a collaboration with Marvel, it arrives themed with Spider-Man (pictured left), Ant-Man, Iron Man or Captain America insignia.
15. APPLE IMAC M1 24-INCH
$1899-$2499, apple.com/au Apple’s newest iMac was designed for work-from-home times. Its camera steps up to full high-definition resolution and it packs in three microphones to ensure you’re heard. Plus, this desktop computer uses the new M1 chip for a performance boost and comes in a choice of seven vivid colours with matching accessories.