Why it’s smart to talk to your kettle (yes, really!)
Smarter iKettle €130,Seesmarter.am
I’m not sure how many times a day I boil a kettle but it’s more than a few. I always have a cup of tea on the go and I suspect I’m not alone in this nation of tea drinkers. The idea of being able to turn the kettle on while you keep your feet up is appealing. The previous version of the iKettle could do that but now Smarter are back with a new version that’s made for smart homes.
Opening up the box reveals a kettle that looks much like any other. I bought the chrome version but there’s a limitededition white and gold version for the super style-conscious. Just like a standard electric kettle there’s a base and the kettle itself in the box.
The first thing I needed to do was download the accompanying app, which has iOS and Android versions.
This is the first device I’ve used with BlinkUp, so there’s no need for Bluetooth or WiFi pairing. Instead, following the onscreen instructions from the app, I held my phone to the base of the iKettle after turning on the power and it instantly paired to my WiFi network.
With that done, there’s a very quick calibration setting where you simply place the base on a flat surface, so the iKettle can always tell you how full it is. While it doesn’t take up a lot of room, this is a good sized kettle, with 1.8-l capacity.
The iKettle’s app has been re-designed for this new kettle and it’s brilliantly simple to use. A big screen shows the preferred temperature you have set; by default that’s boiling – 100°C. When you want to boil the kettle, it’s as simple as tapping the big start button. Also on the main screen of the app is a water button. Tapping this shows you how much water is in the kettle and there’s a useful conversion to cups, so, for instance, you know you have enough water for a four-person pot.
The app also has other features that will help you shave a few minutes off your daily routine. There’s wake-up mode, which