Whether you’re working at home or in the office, the key factors for productivity, efficiency, and creativity often come down to the work-space around you and the tools you use to get the job done.
More than ever, connected technology and the Internet of Things are looking to make your work life easier and more rewarding than ever before and smart office devices are looking to not only save you time and money in the long run but also to provide some truly awesome tech smarts into your working routine..
The latest and greatest smart office devices are here to help you leave the old notion of office drudgery at the door. It’s time to work smarter.
Smart Office Device Essentials
The best smart office devices are designed to help you do more with less.
That means less money spent, less energy exerted, and less time wasted.
From air quality and posture, to hands-free control over the connected devices in your workplace, we’ve taken a look at the best smart office devices to help you get the job done twice as well in half the time.
Remove Distractions
Utilizing a set of headphones to block out the noises of the outside world may not be a new strategy when it comes to looking to increase productivity, but the latest generation of noise cancelling Smart Earbuds from Here One are looking to take this to the next level.
These wireless earbuds are a smart office essential and utilize Bluetooth to connect with your compatible devices meaning you can use them to listen to music or make calls from a paired phone.
The ability to block out distractions using noise cancellation technology makes the Here One earbuds ideally suited for noisy environments such as the office and commuting, or to eliminate the sound of that construction work outside or the neighbors barking dog.
Providing 2 hours of operational run time between charges when used wirelessly, these smart earbuds are designed to offer a discrete solution to removing the distractions of the day and allowing you to get down to business.
Learn more about the Here One Smart Earbuds here
Sit Straight
As we all know, good posture and desk working don’t exactly go hand in hand when it comes to working in an office or using a keyboard for most of the day.
The smart office device answer to hunching over your desk every day may have arrived with the Upright Smart Posture Trainer which is looking to rehab your sitting habits and bring you back into perfect alignment.
By sticking the device to your upper or lower back, the system works by measuring and correcting your posture through a series of monitored feedback and training suggestions to re-program your posture throughout the day.
Learn more about the Upright Smart Wearable Posture Trainer here
Breathe Easy
Whether it’s Summer or Winter, the chances are there are irritants of some kind in the air you’re breathing when getting down to work each day.
One of the best ways to improve the quality of the air in your workspace is through the use of an air filter and the latest iteration of connected devices such as the Airmega 400S Smart Air Purifier are designed to tackle exactly this problem.
Controllable via a companion app or using your voice through built-in Alexa compatibility, the Airmega 400S provides real-time feedback (through a user-friendly LED display system on the unit itself) on the quality of the air in the room, as well as utilizing a ‘smart mode’ to automatically adjust the filtration speed in response to the air quality around it.
A healthy working environment is obviously a key component to optimal productivity and this smart office device puts the quality of the air in your work-space at the top of the priority list.
If you’re looking for a connected solution to guarantee the quality of the air you breathe in an area of up to 1560 sq ft, then you can’t do much better than this smart filter.
Take a Note
We’ve all been there.
That meeting where you take notes but miss the most vital element of what was actually said when you went to write it down.
Luckily thanks to the growth in smart office writing tools, those days are a thing of the past and using a smart pen like the Livescribe 3 will help you get more writing bang for your buck than you imagined possible.
Effectively a pen and dictaphone rolled into one, the Livescribe 3 will actually transcribe what you write down on paper into an identical digital format on a paired tablet or smartphone using Bluetooth connectivity to communicate.
If you’re writing something down, the Livescribe 3 will also utilize the microphone in the connected tablet or phone to take an audio recording of the meeting you’re in, tying it up to the physical, handwritten notes which it’s digitized on the paired device. You can then access both the digital version of your notes and the recording in one place at a later date for convenience.
Taking minutes just got a whole lot easier.
Learn more about the Livescribe 3 here
Save Energy
There are usually a lot of devices occupying the power outlets in a workspace or home office, and where this is the case, there’s always the potential for leaving things powered on without realizing it.
Whether we’re talking about printers, copiers, lamps or fans, having the ability to know everything has been switched off at the end of the workday not only provides peace of mind, it can also help you save big when it comes to energy bills.
The latest smart power outlets and plugs provide you with the ability to both remotely control all of your socket-based appliances and devices and even automate when they turn on and off each day, meaning when it’s time to clock off, things will also power down without you having to lift a finger.
One of the best names in the business here is WeMo with their Mini Smart Plugs providing an excellent low-profile way of ensuring that everything in the office is only drawing power when needed.
Energy efficiency and efficient working often go hand in hand when it comes to power usage and this smart office device not only helps you save on utility bills, but also provides a built-in ability to work with Alexa.
This means that not only can you schedule these amazing smart plugs to switch off when not needed, but you can also do so using your voice – perfect for those hot summer days where you need the fan switched on but simply can’t make it across the office to hit the switch.
Learn more about the WeMo Mini Smart Plug here
Virtual Assistance
Voice control is undoubtedly the future of the smart home environment and this trend naturally extends into the remit of smart office devices, with almost as many aspects of productivity assistance covered by smart voice controllers as there are other compatible connected devices on the market.
The leaders in the field of voice-controlled automation and assistance at present are Amazon with their Alexa range of controllers and Google with their Google Home device.
In the work environment where efficiency and productivity are perhaps most important factors of all, the benefits of being able to call on a virtual smart assistant such as the Alexa enabled Amazon Echo are numerous.
From asking Alexa a question about exchange rates, defining a word or telling you the traffic on the roads, to using your voice to turn up the lights while you work, voice-controlled virtual assistants are transforming what it means to multitask.
