Ah, drinking. There were plenty of devices and gadgets designed to help you sip and savor beer, wine, and cocktails at the 2017 International Home and Housewares Show. Some of them, such as the PicoBrew, for homebrewing beer, and the Alchema, which lets you make cider in your kitchen, we’ve seen before. Other, such as the Bibo Barmaid — a Keurig for cocktails — were new to us.
Check out our roundup of drinking devices below.
I’ll never forget the first time I opened a bottle of wine, because I managed to destroy the cork and have floaties in every glass I poured. This is a common problem, especially among older wines, and the CorkOut is the solution. It’s a simple device that works like a mini ladle to scoop out either the entire thing or errant pieces of cork. It comes with a L’essentiel corkscrew to provide leverage if the whole cork gets pushed inside.
If you regularly drink fine wine, you’re probably acquainted with Private Preserve. Oxygen is its enemy. Even if you put the cork back in the bottle, there will be some air you’ve already let in. Private Preserve — a mix of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon — replaces the air, reducing the amount of oxygen reaching the wine. The gas slows the aging process for other liquids, too, including scotch, bourbon, tequila, and even cooking oil.
With its high price tag, Le Nez Du Whisky — and its wine, coffee, and brandy kits — is aimed at budding professionals. The collection of 54 aromas, with scents such as tobacco leaf, hay, and blackcurrant bud, helps train your nose to recognize scents commonly found in whisky. If you take a whiff of your favorite single malt, you may recognize the scent but be unable to place or describe it. That’s what this kit is for: Helping you pinpoint aromas and learn more about fermentation, distillation, and other aspects of the whisky-making process.
It’s always nice to see a Kickstarter project in the flesh, so to speak. The Aura Glass has a stainless steel ball built into the bottom that lets the cup spin like a top without spilling a drop. The glass sits at an angle, and you can twirl it around, while the ball anchors it to the table. Fifty bucks for a set of two glass is a bit pricey, but they just may save you from having to get red wine out of the carpet.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.