Looking back to the future
The top 10 gadgets and innovations that helped to improve our lives in 2021
ONCE again, as the year comes to a close, we can reflect on a 12 months that blessed us with some sensational tech.
Let’s remember all the ways these innovations helped keep us connected in hard times, and made life a little bit more bearable…
Because, while it can be a force for bad as well as good, the best of the tech world does all it can to make our lives better.
Here are ten things, in no particular order, that I think helped bring a little joy into the world this year.
iRobot Roomba j7+
I kick off with this because my robot vacuum cleaner, while not quite as fancy as this one, is one of the few things in my life I have not once regretted buying.
Only my Nintendo Switch and every pair of Dr Martens boots I have ever owned come close.
This is partly because they work as well as you had hoped, do a better job than I ever could, and there’s nothing like the feeling of having an afternoon nap while the robot does all the hard work.
It’s like doing two things at once. This new Roomba is a fabulous upgrade for 2021 – it can see things in its path, like cables, and avoid them. And if you have room for the one with the base, you can forget about the vacuuming and just enjoy a clean house for a couple of months.
■ £899.99 at irobot.co.uk
Pixel 6
I think that 2021 saw the Google Pixel phone enter the last chance saloon – all Pixels have been great phones, but none of them have made much of an impact in the market.
I have no idea why. And so, the 6 perhaps represents Google’s last big push to make a dent in the market. They have differentiated this one from the last by following Apple’s lead and making their own chips to power it, based on all their knowhow gleaned from building their own hardware for the data centres that power their search engine.
It’s a great phone, looks a bit different from anything else out there, and, despite some teething troubles, ought to be a real contender.
■ From £599 at store.google.com
Philips Hue
Smart lighting is another thing that’s no game-changer, but it brings a flexibility and convenience to your home lighting that adds a sense of wonder and magic to something that may seem mundane.
The Hue system is perhaps the most rounded out and compatible of all the options, and the company just keeps adding more and more devices to the ecosystem, allowing you to create an environment that can lift your mood.
You can’t put a price on that.
■ Starter kits from £49.99 at philips-hue.com
Rakuten KoboLibra2
E-readers are not complicated devices. A good screen is a must, and a light is game-changer.
What’s perhaps more important, as the e-reader platforms are all locked down to their own stores, is that the stores that power them have all the books available that you want. That’s why Amazon has cornered the market.
But there are alternatives – Rakuten makes a whole range of Kobo e-book readers that rival anything Amazon has to offer at similar prices. And its bookstore is a winner too.
■ £149.99 at uk.kobobooks.com
Millo smart blender
Another home helper, here is a new concept smart blender that might just have you sticking the old Nutribullet in the cupboard and trying to forget about it.
Of course, there’s only so much a blender can do – it really just, erm, blends things.
What’s cool about the Millo is that it’s cordless so you can take it anywhere, it works using a magnetic motor, remembers how you like your smoothies, and stores settings in its smartphone companion app.
It’s not going to bring about world peace and an end to poverty, but it will bring a bit of joy into your world.
■ £250 at getmillo.com
iPhone 13 Pro
Not for the first time, I’m of the opinion that the latest iPhone Pro, of either size, is the best smartphone you can buy.
It has the best build quality, the best camera system, the best screen, the fastest chip, and the best OS. Throw in all the apps that can help you get through the day and you have a real powerhouse – it’s hard to think of any other device since the invention of the TV that has changed our world as much as the iPhone.
■ From £949 at apple.com/ukz
iPad
Apple is not known for knockdown prices, but at this price the latest iPad is an absolute steal.
It’s fast, has incredible battery life on the go, and is compatible with the first generation Apple Pencil.
Crucially in these times, of course, it’s also a great portable video calling device, which this year gained a super-wide-angled front facing camera to enable CentreStage – Apple’s trickery that pans around the room if you move, to always keep you in shot.
As tablets go, it’s got the lot.
■ From £319 at apple.com/uk
MacBook Pro
Speaking of chips… 2021 was the year that Apple unleashed the pro versions of its M1 chip – this powers computers, not phones.
Somehow beating the traditional chip makers, Apple has managed to create an engine for its line-up that runs faster than the competition, while at the same time using less power.
The pro version of the M1 powers the latest iteration of the MacBook Pro laptop, which was a significant step forward for any pro users who ply their trade with these machines – for the first time, really, you could take your workstation anywhere. Prior to this device, if you were doing anything that required a lot of power, you needed to be tethered to a power outlet.
The M1 Pro and Pro MX chips in the new MacBook Pros changed all that.
■ From £1,899 at apple.com/uk