Category: Lifestyle Tech

The toxic reasons you need an air purifier

Did you know that dangerous particles could be lingering in the air in your home? We knuckle down on the facts and explore the features of two powerful humidifiers that could be your answer to a breath of fresh air.  

Imagine living on a hill, out in the open, breathing in fresh air from the clean breeze that blows over beautiful seas. Ahh, bliss.

Why is it that the oxygen in one environment can make us feel very different to the oxygen in another? The answer is simple: air quality.

Homes are busy places. They occupy adults, children and pets, and store everyday possessions such as clothes, shoes, furniture and just about every other thing you can think of.

It’s no surprise that even the cleanest of homes gather pesky dust particles and the nasties that the eye can’t see – allergens, bacteria, mould, viruses, toxic fumes… you get the idea.

You may not realise it, but you’re breathing all of these types of dangerous particles into your body, harming your health and provoking allergies.

Not convinced? Well according to the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, the air in your home can be up to five times more polluted than the air outside! It’s time to start facing the (gross) facts.

Air purifiers

Surely it’s enough to open the windows wide and let the sunshine in? While that helps refresh the home, most of us don’t have the opportunity to do so on a day-to-day basis. And of course, there are the colder months and nights when airing out the home seems impossible.

With revolutionary technology and intelligent designs from trusted brands, air purifiers are here to blow you away (pun intended!).

Let us introduce you to a couple of our favourites and their incredible features.

Dyson Pure Hot+Cool™ Link

https://youtu.be/HdUZzatZWUQ

Dyson is known for innovative technology, and this purifier is no exception. Its high-efficiency HEPA filter is so powerful that it removes 99.95% of particles as small as 0.1 microns! (Laboratory tested to EN1822, of fine particles from the air.)

The 360° Glass HEPA filter has a layer of activated carbon granules too. What does that mean? Well, not only does it filter particles, it filters odours too. Even toxic odours such as paint fumes won’t go past this Dyson!

Want something for asthma and allergy sufferers? This purifier would be your top choice. It’s the first humidifier to meet the asthma and allergy-friendly standard and has been approved by National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice® program.

As the name suggests, it’s simultaneously a heater and a fan that’s bladeless. (Yes, it really does do even more.) The temperature control means that the whole room will be heated or cooled evenly with a powerful stream of purified air flow.

It’s also acoustically engineered, so you’ll barely notice it’s even on! And the automatic night-time mode still monitors and reacts to the air in the room but purifies with the quietest settings and a dimmed LED display. Now isn’t that clever?

And you can control it all from a smartphone with the Dyson Link app. There’s the cherry on top.

Sharp KCA60JW Air Purifier with Humidifier

Sharp’s air purifier uses a 2-in-1 system with a HEPA and an active carbon filter to capture 99.97% of dust particles. A mesh pre-filter also prevents larger particles from clogging up the main filter so that your purifier lasts even longer.

This purifier reduces microorganism growth (the spreading of the nasties we mentioned earlier) by maintaining the right humidity level in your home. It has a smart sensor that detects a change in room temperature and reacts by picking up water from the tank and releasing moisture into the air.

Plasmacluster Ions are also released in the process. This technology is cool because it efficiently deactivates any airborne viruses, mould spores and eliminates odours from cooking, garbage and cigarette smoke. It’ll get rid of any lingering scents from pets, too!

You can also leave it to operate at night without fear of it disturbing anyone’s sleep. It features a low mode operation so that the noise level is ultra-quiet.

It’s important to note that this Sharp air purifier has been given the Seal of Approval from the British Allergy Foundation. So if you’ve got an allergy sufferer in the house, they’ll benefit greatly from the reduction of allergens in the air.

Check out the quick demonstration below to see how the filters tackle smoke!

Panasonic Smart Home Feature Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpwywkDG6ms

Wouldn’t it be great if you could monitor and control your home whenever you want, from wherever you are? Now you can with the new home monitoring system from Panasonic. Simple to connect, with a range of outdoor cameras, indoor cameras, motion sensors, door sensors and smart plugs, your home has never been so secure and with no monthly fees!

With simple wi-fi connection, this easy-to-set-up home monitoring and home automation system allows you to remotely activate lights and other appliances in your home, as well as check out what’s going on in and around your home at any time. You can actually create a smart plug schedule to turn devices on and off, and view a record of smart plug power consumption.

With one push pairing, setting up the Panasonic home monitoring system couldn’t be simpler. It easily communicates with any components such as the door and window sensors, and the hub can take a micro SD card to record images and vision from the cameras installed. With clear two way communication, you can even have the ability to remotely speak through the cameras. Featuring advanced DECT technology, this system has an uninterrupted range of up to 300 metres. You can register up to 4 cameras and 50 sensors or smartplugs.

You can use the sensors around your home on windows and doors, even in the cameras themselves, to trigger camera recording, call a preset phone number or notify you on your smartphone. Or you can use the sensors with a smartplug to turn on a light, for example, when you walk through the hallway in the middle of the night. Smartplugs can also be programmed to activate when your smartphone reconnects with your wi-fi router, for example when you return home in the evening a lamp can turn on in the front passageway or lounge room.

With remote operation from any smartphone or tablet via Panasonic’s home network app, you can control and keep an eye on your home from wherever you may be. And if anything does happen, you’ll be alerted immediately.

As you can see, Panasonic’s range of home monitoring and automation products are easily to use and provide peace of mind and control no matter where you are.

SwannOne Home Security Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK7bDzfDPtg

SwannOne is an integrated smart home and security solution. One simple application and one central device offers a range services including recordable video monitoring, alarms, and automated appliances. You can add sensors and cameras as you need, making it easy to customise and control your home from anywhere.

So how does it work? First, connect your smart hub to a power outlet and to your router using the included ethernet cable. Batteries are already inside devices such as key fobs and door sensors, just make sure the battery tab has been pulled out to activate them. Also plug your Cameras into a power outlet.

You also need a SwannOne account. You’ll use this to control and manage your SwannOne devices and services. It’s then a cinch to log in, set up your hub and camera and pair all your devices. When you download the SwannOne App for iphone or Android phones, you can receive alerts, watch what’s going on and much more.

You can also move your smart hub to another part of the room to ensure connection to all your different sensors and cameras – just make sure it’s within wireless connection range to your wireless router.

And check this out – SwannOne listens and learns with state of the art audio analytic technology. It has microphones in the smart hub, sensors and cameras that can recognise windows breaking, a baby crying and other important sounds. You can then decide how SwannOne responds – with an alert, start recording video, or activate a siren.

Here are some of the individual components that you can add to your SwannOne system. Some of these come bundled in various packages as well.

The soundview indoor camera has night vision, can detect motion and stream video to your smartphone. The outdoor camera does all that and is also weather resistant. The window/door sensor not only detects entry but also temperature changes. The motion sensor detects movement and room temperature.

The keyfob has buttons that let you activate the different modes of your system, home, away,, sleep and a customised setting. The keyfob can be allocated to a family member so you know when they have arrived home.

The Smart Plug can remotely control and schedule electrical devices that are plugged into it, and also monitor energy usage. This gives you more control over appliance usage and could help save money on your power bill.

In addition to the alerts and recordings that can be triggered by an event, the SwannOne siren deters intruders with a loud siren and flashing strobe.

No matter which SwannOne kit you start off with, you can expand on your original system with these different components, with easy pairing and quick and painless setup.

That’s smarter security with SwannOne.

PANASONIC Air Conditioners

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgCrmU90a6E

From the moment you walk into your home you want to be comfortable, in both summer and winter and Panasonic’s New range of Air conditioners have a host of features to deliver that comfort.

Panasonic air conditioners are super efficient, thanks to Panasonic inverter. The inverter technology means once the desired temperature has been reached the air conditioning unit constantly adjusts the unit’s output to provide optimum comfort and reducing power consumption.

The new i-Auto X  feature enables significantly faster cooling using the new p-tech technology, allowing the compressor to achieve maximum frequency in the shortest possible time from start up.

The new aerowings design incorporates two independent blades that concentrate airflow to cool you and your personal space in the shortest possible time. And better yet, after reaching the set temperature, the aerowings direct the air up towards the ceiling to create a shower cooling effect as the cool air drifts gently down to control the ambient room temperature. This indirect airflow helps prevent the overcooling of people in the room, creating a more comfortable experience.

Econavi is a smart sensor technology which uses 5 detection methods to effectively cool the environment. It does an area search, detects when people are around, how much they are moving around, the amount of sunlight in the room, and the temperature wave. These 5 individual sensors work together to constantly adjust the unit output, giving you the perfect comfort while consuming as little power as possible.

Panasonic air conditioners also deliver cleaner air in your home, with over 50 percent of homes having someone who suffers from asthma, allergies or hayfever. Nano G technology removes and deactivates ninety nine percent of viruses, bacteria and mould in the air and on surfaces around your home.

That’s the New Panasonic range of air conditioners. Cleaner air, faster cooling and energy savings.

FUJITSU Air Conditioner Range

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrhBVdh44JA

Whether you need an air conditioning solution for a small bedroom or large living space, Fujitsu’s combination of technology and design provides an effective and efficient way to keep you and your family comfortable.

Bing Lee carry two ranges, the lifestyle range and the designer range. The Lifestyle range is a stylish, standardised design so all the air conditioners can have a consistent look and feel throughout the home. These are the most energy efficient air conditioners Fujitsu have designed.

The Designer range has a sleek, modern finish, a genuine style leader. The combination of stylish looks and intelligent features makes them a leader in both form and function.

Of course, both ranges share a multitude of features to make your living area cool and comfortable.

The indoor units are stylish and compact, so they can exist in the living area without being obtrusive. Their high energy efficiency means the room can be cooled effectively and quickly.

The human sensor control detects the movement of people in a room and adjusts its operating mode to save energy consumption. It continues with normal operation when the room is occupied, and the energy saving mode kicks into action when the room is left unoccupied for twenty minutes. Normal operation resumes when someone re-enters the room.

Fujitsu air conditioners are all about comfort and convenience. You can tailor your comfort needs at the touch of a button. When cooling, it uses a long reach horizontal air flow to maximise its reach across the whole area. In heating mode, it switches to a vertical floor level airflow to get the heat where it’s needed most.

The low noise mode is great for situations where the outdoor unit is close to neighbours. On nights where you need to use your Fujitsu air conditioner, press the low noise button on the remote to bring the outdoor unit noise down by three decibels, making sure you and your neighbours sleep soundly at night.

Finally, the weekly schedule timer lets you set and forget a daily timer so you can come home to a comfortable environment each day of the week.

That’s the Fujitsu range of air conditioners – energy efficient, innovative and modern.

 

NETGEAR Nighthawk Range

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYxBQNP6gvo

The average Australian home today is connecting 10 devices. Think about how many devices you have connecting at home?  It quickly adds up, and many of these are streaming videos and gaming at the same time!

It’s important to upgrade your home network and router to suit any application so you can enjoy ultimate performance from all devices, now and in the future. As we demand more from our home network, it is important that we have the correct router to improve the performance for the best online experience

The Netgear range of Nighthawks are perfect for all internet connections and usage types.

There are several routers, modem routers and extenders in the Nighthawk range and each are designed for ultimate performance.

For fast, buffer-free connections your network needs to have as much speed as possible. With next gen AC WiFi, all Nighthawk products feature a minimum of AC1900 dual band WiFi. All nighthawk products include a minimum dual-core 1GHZ processor for faster WiFi, wired and WAN-to-LAN speeds as well as faster USB access.  With best-in-class processors, you can do more, faster.

QoS automatically priorities traffic for best gaming & streaming performance. Beamforming plus boosts speed, reliability & wifi range.These features and more are perfect for all households, with multiple devices, content streaming and gaming.

The newest premium model in the Nighthawk range is the D7800 – an AC2600 Dual band Modem router.The outstanding features in this modem router means it is the best performing model in the market.

Traditional WiFi routers stream data to one device at a time. More devices lead to more congestion. MU MIMO enables streaming to multiple devices simultaneously, delivering twice the throughput. As the world’s fastest VDSL/ADSL Modem Router on the market, it will process network traffic incredibly fast, which means not only do you get fast internet but you can run several applications at the same time.

Dynamic QOS will recognize your application and make sure they are performing at their fastest at all times. It also has 2 x USB 3.0 and 1 x Sata port for super-fast data backup and streaming. Additional features like itunes server, secure remote access and enhanced parental controls means security and peace of mind for your network.

And of course, the Netgear Genie app is a great way to monitor and control access across your entire network, a must have app for your Netgear networking services in your household.

Get the best out of your home networking with a new Netgear Nighthawk.

SAMSUNG Galaxy S6 Edge Plus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqNbXXegY1c

Today we’re showing you Samsung’s large screen addition to the S6 family, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, which seamlessly blends premium materials with the most powerful Samsung technology yet.

Carefully crafted from metal and glass, the Galaxy S6 edge plus blends a premium and stylish design with powerful features. The Galaxy S6 edge delivers a vivid and immersive viewing experience with a 5.7 inch curved display on both sides. Its glass body is made from the toughest glass to date, Gorilla Glass 4.

The Galaxy S6 edge plus is matched with a totally revamped and lighter interface that makes it easier to use. The Touchwiz with Lollipop operating system simplifies applications and offers features and settings in a more intuitive way.  Swiping the edge of the S6 edge plus gives you access to commonly used apps and your favourite contacts. You can customise this edge feature to appear on either curved side as well as the position of your apps and contacts.

For those that love taking pics, the Galaxy S6 edge plus is equipped with a powerful, bright and fast front and rear camera. The F1.9 lenses and high resolution sensors on both the five megapixel front and sixteen megapixel rear cameras provide brilliant images in a smartphone, even in low light. In addition, Auto Real-time High Dynamic Range and Smart Optical Image Stabilization provide more natural white balance and colour tones as well as sharp images.

The Pro mode gives you even more control over your photos and you can save your favourite images in RAW format just like a professional camera. A “Quick Launch” feature give users fast, direct access to the camera from any screen in just 0.7 seconds* by simply double clicking the home key button. These advanced camera functions help users to capture their most precious and personal moments in both spontaneous and planned situations.

The Galaxy S6 edge plus also works with any wireless pad available in the market that supports the common WPC and PMA standards. Using the new Ultra fast wireless charging pad, you can go from flat to a full battery in just two hours.  They have incredibly fast wired charging, providing about 4 hours of usage after only 10 minutes of charging.

The 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen offers users a screen with pixels virtually indiscernible to the naked eye. Enhanced outdoor visibility with a brighter display lets consumers experience content without compromise, be it videos, images or text, anywhere, at any time.

That’s the new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus – powerful, head turning and personal.

SAMSUNG Galaxy Note 5 Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzc5ggxt78U

Today we’re showing you Samsung’s new productivity powerhouse, the Galaxy Note 5, which seamlessly blends premium materials with the most powerful and useful Samsung technology yet.

Carefully crafted from metal and glass, the Galaxy Note 5 plus blends a premium and stylish design with powerful features. The Galaxy Note 5 delivers a vivid and immersive viewing experience with a 5.7 inch AMOLED display with practically no borders. Its glass body is made from the toughest glass to date, Gorilla Glass 4. The curved back of the Note 5 makes it very easy to hold in just one hand.

The Galaxy Note 5 is a powerful productivity tool. Use the S pen with air command to draw, write, and edit images with ease. The multi-window feature allows you to have two apps on the screen at once, so you can drag and drop text from a website to an email for example. The 4GB of RAM keeps all active apps running at their optimum, making switching between your apps smooth and lightning fast.

The addition of pre-loaded Microsoft apps and 130GB of Microsoft OneDrive storage space gives you all the business tools you need right out of the box. The Octa-core processor will never make you wait to get the work done.

For those that love taking pics, the Galaxy Note 5 plus is equipped with a powerful, bright and fast front and rear camera. The F1.9 lenses and high resolution sensors on both the five megapixel front and sixteen megapixel rear cameras provide brilliant images in a smartphone, even in low light. In addition, Auto Real-time High Dynamic Range and Smart Optical Image Stabilization provide more natural white balance and colour tones as well as sharp images.

The Pro mode gives you even more control over your photos and you can save your favourite images in RAW format just like a professional camera. A “Quick Launch” feature give users fast, direct access to the camera from any screen in just 0.7 seconds* by simply double clicking the home key button. These advanced camera functions help users to capture their most precious and personal moments in both spontaneous and planned situations.

The Galaxy Note 5 also works with any wireless pad available in the market that supports the common WPC and PMA standards. Using the new Ultra fast wireless charging pad, you can go from flat to a full battery in just two hours. They have incredibly fast wired charging, providing about 4 hours of usage after only 10 minutes of charging.

The 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen offers users a screen with pixels virtually indiscernible to the naked eye. Enhanced outdoor visibility with a brighter display lets you get on with business without compromise, be it videos, images or text, anywhere, at any time.

That’s the new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 – powerful, productive and personal.

BELKIN WeMo Connected Home Range at Bing Lee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uqGpcCm_rk

With the release of Belkin’s Home automation is now within reach of anyone with a smartphone and wireless network. With this new range of smart connected products, you can be in control of lighting, turn appliances on and off from your powerpoint and keep an eye on your home when you’re not around.

Belkin’s Wemo range is really simple to setup and use. This is because the entire range is modular, meaning you can start with just one or a couple of Wemo devices, and then add on as you require. Everything seamlessly links back to your wireless router, with most components connecting back to your router directly.

Everything is controlled by a free app that you can download and use on your Android Smartphone or iPhone. In fact, you don’t need a computer to get your Wemo devices connected at all – just use the Wemo app to identify and connect your Wemo device to the network. After that, you can monitor and control your WeMo products from inside your house or halfway around the world.

Here’s some of the WeMo components that are now available. The WeMo LED lighting starter set is a great way to get started with your smart home control. This pack comes with two smart light LEDs in your choice of either bayonet or screw-in. The starter pack comes with the WEMO link, which is the central control unit for the WeMo light bulbs. The beauty of this WeMo link system is that you can connect up to 50 WeMo light bulbs and control each one of them.

Using the Wemo link, the light bulbs and the WeMo app, you can turn your lights on and off, dim them for different mood lighting, and schedule them to automatically switch on or off. Group your light bulbs into locations or rooms and control them individually or together.

The WeMo switch lets you turn appliances on and off from an external location. For example, if the weather suddenly turns chilly while you’re out, you can turn on your electric heater remotely. Like the light bulbs, you can also put appliances connected to the WeMo switch onto a power schedule.

The Wemo Insight switch adds energy consumption tracking as well. You can track the usage of any appliance plugged into the Insight switch, and you can export that data to look closer at energy use and cost, a great tool to minimising your power bill.

The Belkin Netcam HD is a great security addition to your house, which also connects directly to your router and delivers high definition images to your smartphone via the Belkin Netcam app. It’s not just streaming live video from your cameras, you can also record the vision and sound from the room that’s being covered by the Netcam. The NetCam HD also comes with infrared night vision, for perfect monitoring any time of day.

Home Automation is simpler than ever with Belkin’s WeMo range of smart home devices.

Fitbit Product Range at Bing Lee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3RiQB-FxG0

Here at Bing Lee, we’re excited to have the Fitbit range of fitness trackers in store now! Fitbit isn’t just about the amount of steps you take every day. Fitbit helps you monitor all of your activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep – so you’ll stay motivated and see how small steps will make a big impact. Let’s see how the trackers work with the app to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

First we have the Flex, a slim, stylish device that will give you all the motivation you need to get out and be more active. Tracking steps, distance and calories burned, the row of LED lights show you how you’re stacking up against your daily goals, each light representing 20 percent of your daily goal. Then at night it tracks your sleep cycle, helping you learn how to sleep better and will even wake you silently in the morning.

Your Fitbit Flex doesn’t need to be tied to your smartphone 24/7 either – it will store up to 7 days of detailed data and up to 30 days of daily totals. So whether or not you have your phone in your pocket or at home, your Fitbit Flex will be tracking your movement.

The Fitbit Charge is a high performance wristband that delivers real-time fitness stats right on your wrist. The bright OLED display shows you steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned and more. You can glance at your wrist when your phone rings to see who is calling with the caller ID display feature. Like the Flex, the Charge will track your sleep and wake you with a silent, vibrating alarm so only you are woken up.

The Fitbit trackers work in tandem with the Fitbit app that is available on many iPhone, Android and Windows phones. It’s a powerful app that not only takes the data from your FitBit tracker but also helps visualise your daily fitness goals and enable sharing and competing.

You can set your goals on the Fitbit dashboard and track your progress through easy to read graphs and charts. You’ll also earn badges that reward step-based activities, floors climbed and weight goals that you can show off to your friends. And why not get them involved too, by sharing your stats and starting a group challenge. Then use the leaderboard to stay on track and use the friendly competition as extra encouragement.

The Fitbit app can also log your eating habits as well as workouts and weight. The more info you log, the more detailed analysis of your health and fitness progress Fitbit can give back to you.

Other models in the range Bing Lee carry include the pocket-ready Zip, the belt-clip ready One and the Aria smart scale that tracks weight, BMI, body fat and more, and recognises up to 8 different profiles on board, and keeps them private. The Aria data syncs back to your Fitbit app for goal setting and tracking.

As you can see Fitbit’s devices, dashboard and app work together to deliver a complete, connected and fun fitness experience. And now with multi-device support, your app will automatically detect when you swap from one device to another, making it simple to use your favourite Fitbit device for any occasion! So get on board now and start hitting those fitness goals!