The word ‘smart’ has come to mean something more than the simple meaning it used to have. Now, it refers to anything that involves the use of the Internet, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or sometimes even just a computer. Therefore, when you come across a smart TV or a smart fridge, you need to remember that these are household articles that are out of the ordinary. They go beyond what you’ve seen all these years and almost do the job of thinking for you! It is why they are known as being smart! Taking it further, we refer to a home which has all these kinds of devices as a smart home.

Bottom line: when you use technology and specifically internet-based applications to operate household equipment, you are using an intelligent appliance. The great thing about smart devices is that you don’t have to be tech-savvy to use them!

Let’s look at a couple of features on some of these household appliances or smart home IoT devices. Lighting, refrigerators, and televisions are probably the simplest and most common home appliances that you will come across.

Smart Lighting:

Energy-efficient lighting has a direct impact on your electricity bills. This is the most sought-after kind of lighting today. It has bulbs that consume very little power. You also have sensors and switches. These ensure that the lights come on only when needed and switch off on their own, when not in use. It is a common problem in houses and offices to have people leave the toilet lights on. Though this might sound like a small issue, in terms of power consumed, leaving the light on for more time than is necessary will get compounded over a period. You can avoid this if there are suitable IoT devices that turn off the lights when not in use and save power.

Smart Refrigerators:

They are one of the biggest boons to homemakers today. A smart fridge can keep a tab on the kind of food and other articles that you have stored. These fridges have inbuilt barcode and RFID readers. Using these, they collect and collate details of the various items placed in the refrigerator. Since it is an IoT device, the refrigerator will be able to gather the manufacture and expiry details from online sources. A smart fridge works almost like an alarm system where expiry dates of foods stored are concerned! A smart fridge ensures you never forget and consequently waste food. Thus it also saves you money!

Smart Televisions:

One of the things that you need to remember about your smart television is that there are always updates to be identified and installed. Smart TVs connects to the Internet and automatically update themselves. On this kind of TV, you can use your smartphone and cast a video from any website to your television screen. With this specific feature, you can use your smart TV to watch your favorite programs and movies on Netflix, YouTube, etc.

Having smart home appliances increases their efficiency and allow them to make smart decisions. A stable and fast internet connection is the backbone of IoT. Make sure your connection is both and enjoy the benefits of home automation!

Finding just the right toys for your kid or the adult on your list that is a kid at heart can be a challenge. With fads changing faster than ever before, technological gadgets and toys can be a great choice. With technology taking over so many facets of life, it’s no surprise that it has now emerged with a bang into the toy industry.

Many of these remotely operated toys are easy to use and come with downloadable apps that go right on your smartphone. There is no need to buy and learn to use a complex hand-controlled system. The advantage of using a smartphone app as your remote is that your program will be automatically updated whenever there are changes to the system.

When choosing a new tech you, take the time to research the best RC rock crawlers via Dronethusiast or take a look at some of the other amazing remote toys on our list below.

Sphero BB-8

Every Star Wars fan will fall in love with this adorable robotic replica that looks and moves just like the little fellow in the movie. For under $150 you can enjoy hours of fun with this simply designed technical marvel. The Sphero BB-8 can be operated up to 100 ft radius, giving you the freedom to take the fun all over the house. The toy comes with a detachable head, holographic features, and a specially designed loading dock.

Wowwee R.E.V. Air

This combination RC toy comes with a flyable drone and car combination from Wowwee. The game consists of a ground to air battle that will keep your kids entertained for hours. Each player can choose whether to pilot from the sky or the ground, or a solo player can choose a vehicle and have the other controlled via Artificial Intelligence. The copter and car are both equipped with high-tech sensors that control the virtual weapons that are waged in war during this exciting game.

Power Up Paper Airplane

This application comes in complement to your own creative designs. For around $20 you can download the Power Up Paper Airplane app that goes with the front smart sensor, rudder, and propeller that can be attached to any paper airplane design. Browse the app to find a series of airplane design templates that you can try. This game can stay charged and in the air for hours and comes with its own USB for rebooting.

Brookstone Rover – Land & Sea

There is nothing as magical to a kid as being able to control every movement of a toy. With this RC rover, your kids can enjoy racing and exploring inside or outdoors. The Brookstone rover has a built-in camera so you can watch your journey right on your smartphone from out of sight. The sturdy all-terrain construction is great for racing anywhere outside and it’s also waterproof so the kids can take it right in the water with them.

Conclusion

Technology has created some amazing innovations in the toy industry. Let your children or another “child at heart” enjoy the thrill of remote control power in the palm of their hands.

The field of information technology (IT) is constantly expanding and growing faster than any other industry as technology continues to advance and a higher percentage of the population begins to depend on the internet for normalcy in everyday life. In this web-centric world, IT professionals are in high demand and anyone who can prove proficiency in any area of IT will have a very desirable salary waiting on them after graduation.

However, before you jump into the first educational program you can find, and embark on your journey towards becoming a well-paid IT pro, it’s important to prepare yourself for the challenges ahead and equip yourself with the basic skills and knowledge needed to avoid mishaps and disappointments along the way. With that said, here are 11 things that every aspiring IT student should do before getting started on their career path:

1. Take an IT Course as a Primer

While you might not think that taking a simple course will help you on your path earning a degree in IT, it will definitely prepare you with an intermediate-level understanding of the technology ad tasks involved. You can check out some of the IT courses listed on findcourses.co.uk to see examples of some of the entry-level skills you’ll learn. Of course, being knowledgeable at the start of your educational path is never a bad thing because it will prepare you to become one of the best performing students in your class.

2. Subscribe to IT Blogs and Magazines

Reading blogs and magazines that are related to IT and technology, in general, will help you become a more knowledgeable techie, which will greatly simplify the challenge of learning basic topics as a student.

However, you can’t always rely on your own inquisitiveness to find the best headlines, so the best way to stay exposed to interesting and informative stuff is to subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed or email newsletter. Of course, subscribing to online magazines would probably be more in line with the tendencies of an IT enthusiast as opposed to going the archaic route of printed magazine subscriptions. On the other hand, collecting cool magazines can be another fun hobby.

3. Join a Few IT Forums

Joining a forum is one of the best ways to learn a lot very quickly about any topic, especially the fast-changing world of IT. Forum members are always discussing the latest and most ground-breaking topics in the industry, so joining the discussion will help you stay on top of trends and developments in technology that you might not notice otherwise, unless you’re really serious about heeding the previous tip – in which case you’d be exposed to a plethora of headlines that keep you in the loop as well.

4. Decide Which Field You Want to Specialise In

If you’re just approaching your career aspirations from the angle of knowing that the field of IT will be profitable for you in the long run, you might feel like you’re caught off-guard when the time comes to actually decide what kind of job you want to have. There are so many job titles you could strive towards within the broad field of IT, including IT consultant, cloud architect, web developer, server administrator, software engineer, health IT specialist, and many more. By knowing which field you’re going to be specializing in before you even get started, you can tailor the courses and degree programs you enroll in around your pre-conceived professional goals.

5. Take a Few IT Quizzes

There are plenty of IT and technology-related quizzes online that will test your general knowledge to see where you stand in comparison to the average person. There are also advanced quizzes that will help you brush up on your skills and see how you compare to an actual professional. Taking a few pro-level quizzes on specific topics will also give you an idea of what to expect in terms of course content and complexity.

6. Do a Couple of Instructables or Other DIY Projects

Building something technological can be a great experience to introduce you to the hardware side of IT. That way, you can see if that’s a specialty you’ll want to pursue, or if you’d be more inclined to work on the software end of things instead. Instructables is a great site for finding odd engineering projects that you can carry out at home, usually with a nominal investment of time and funds.

7. Build a Blog

Every IT professional doesn’t have to be a web developer, but it’s best that you at least know how to set up a website and hosting plan and create a basic blog. This is something that even casual bloggers can do, so if you haven’t done it yet, it should be one of your first steps towards becoming an IT professional. Plus, you can use your blog to publicly document your journey into IT and eventually it may serve as a powerful portfolio for you.

8. Join Social Groups Related to IT & Technology

Joining groups related to IT on Facebook and other social sites will introduce you to like-minded individuals, which can always be helpful when you have aspirations to achieve a goal that most of the population does not share an interest in. In other words, if you’re finding it hard to talk about IT at the dinner table, a social group can give you an outlet to foster your creativity with the conversation.

9. Check Out Job Listings

Aren’t you curious to find out how much you’ll be making and what kind of job duties you’ll be responsible for? If not, you should be, because your salary and job description are going to have the biggest impact on how much you enjoy and appreciate your job in the long-term.

10. Create a Basic App

While you might not have any interest in developing an app, there’s a good chance that being proficient in this area could pay off tremendously for you. Thus, it makes sense to go ahead and start experimenting with a few basic app concepts as a novice so that you can be prepared for the mobile technology side of IT if that winds up being the field you eventually pursue.

11. Learn How to Use a Professional IT Software

Study a list of the tools that IT professionals use and try your hand at learning one of them. Start by reading the support documentation for the software and watching a few free instructional videos online and then work your way up to becoming an advanced user. This will give you an idea of what it’s like to work in the same way an IT pro would on the job.

Taking the Above Steps Will Put You Ahead of the Class

Although you’ll already be a highly eligible candidate just by earning a degree in IT, it’s always best to position yourself as the best person for the job by getting as much of a head start as possible. By building a basic level of proficiency as an IT enthusiast before you even start your academic pursuit, you’ll also be in an ideal position to earn a high-grade point average, which will look great on your CV and might even convince investors to fund your future business endeavors.