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Products We Can’t Live Without - II. Dropcam

Dropcam! We love this video monitoring system meant for the home. We bought it to monitor our toddler during his naps and even play time (for those of you who don’t have young kids, you can use it for security, pets, etc). The best part of it is that it’s wifi enabled, so we can “drop in” on him from literally anywhere. They have apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android, and can also be accessed from PCs. There are also no receivers to worry about like in traditional monitors, so any number of people can view the video feed at any point of time. You also never have to worry about interference (remember those hair-raising high frequency sounds?) or anybody potentially watching your videos.

The picture quality is amazing, and the ease of use is phenomenal. It has great night vision, so we can keep an eye on our toddler when he’s fast asleep. It also has a talk-back feature, though we haven’t had the need to use it yet. For a small fee, users can also upgrade to the “pro” version which lets you save videos. I wish we’d known of it earlier during the hard days of sleep training, because I’m sure the recordings would have been really useful in finding patterns and troubleshooting sleep problems!

The best part for us is that my husband can look at him when he’s missing him at work (not that he ever um… does that). Imagine the peace of mind of being able to monitor your nursery or home from any internet connected device! The dropcam is also beautiful, sleek and appeals to my adult aesthetic, and doesn’t look like a baby gadget at all. It blends in with our child’s room so well that we often forget it’s even there.  To us, the peace of mind is worth every penny for this $149 device. Yes, we were surprised that it costs a lot less than many baby monitors out there, and it’s got a much better feature set. We’re in love. 

We didn’t know such an internet-connected device existed until we stumbled upon the Dropcam online. We already owned a baby monitor, but this was too compelling. Today, there are other options out there as well. At evolguide.com, we are all about helping you discover the features out there and finding the right product for you. So head over to the Baby Monitor Finder, select your requirements, and find the right monitor for you! If you buy end up buying a monitor or already have one that you love, drop in a line!

Products We Can’t Live Without - I

As we pondered on our next blog entry, we thought that it would be fun to have a conversation with our readers on products they can’t live without. You know, every once in a while you come across something, and you ask yourself ‘How did I live without this?’ Since evolguide.com is all about discovery (what features are out there) and matching (what features are right for me), we thought this would be a good fit for our overall theme. So we are kicking off a series highlighting products “we never knew we could live without,” and would love for you to share products that you can’t live without! Here’s to smart shopping!

We are kicking off the first product with a pedometer! No no, not the boring kind. It’s a pedometer of the iPhone era, and one that I am basically addicted to.

Fitbit

I’ve been trying to work out and eat healthier, and improve my overall health. Fitbit is the perfect companion for that. It’s like a pedometer, but it’s so much more. It goes beyond tracking steps – it also tracks calories burnt throughout the day and steps climbed. It also tracks my sleep, and acts as a silent alarm (vibrates) if I need to wake up before my husband (umm… not something that happens too often!). But the key to making all this work is the app – fitbit automatically uploads your data which you can then see on their website or on their phone app. The website also let you track your weight, blood pressure, lets you log what you eat throughout the day and write notes about how you feel. The icing on the cake for me personally was that it also tracks sleep patterns. It shows me how many times I wake up at night each night, so I can justify feeling tired some afternoons!

Overall, I love that it connects the dots between what I eat, how I sleep, and how I feel, giving me a holistic view of my health.  It’s now easy for me to find patterns and understand my health in a way I never did before. I have now been able to discover which foods make me have a crappy night’s sleep, and I can also see that my sleep quality is so much better on days that I exercise (are they rigging that?).

It’s super small and has an inbuilt clip so it attaches easily to articles of clothing. This small but powerful device has really helped me with my fitness goals. And the feeling of having achieved my goals is awesome! Definitely something I can’t live without!

You can buy a Fitbit here. There is a cheaper one that doesn’t track sleep. We have a pedometer category at evolguide.com. Depending on what your needs are, you can get a basic pedometer or a fancy one like fitbit. Check out our Pedometer guide to find out what’s right for you!

Also, don’t forget to tell us about products that you can’t live without!

An Answer to the Age of Choice Overload

Many buyers spend way too much time researching – trying to figure out what some technical jargon means or exploring what the cool new features offered are. And this is valuable time that most of us can’t afford to waste. But heck, if I’m spending my money on something, I want to make sure it’s right for me.

Buying fashion items like clothing and accessories are easier, because those decisions are subjective, and often impulsive. Also, we never have just one bag or one pair of shoes, so the pressure on it being the “right” one is less.  On the other hand, it’s harder to buy stuff such as electronics and appliances (what we call the objective or functional buying space). Decisions here are not based just on how something looks, but rather what the product can do for you. So we spend time connecting the dots as we match our needs to the product’s features. We learn about the merits of a Plasma display (before deciding that LCD suits us better – what a waste of time). Find out what megapixels mean (ok, so higher is better, but how high is good enough?). Discover that hair dryers have a cool shot button (would have never known!). This takes a lot of time, and we are still left with a nagging feeling that maybe I missed something. Maybe when you go to a friends place, they have a toaster that keeps their toast warm – exactly what you had wanted! But you bought yours just last week – how did you miss that?

What we need is a guide that is quick and simple, presenting product choices based on how we plan to use a product. That is what Evolguide is. We are the new age buying guide – guides for the age of twitter. People don’t have the time to spend on endless hours of research any more, but still want the right product. So we will tell you what’s right for your needs, making sure that your money is spent in the best possible way.

Check us out at www.evolguide.com!

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