Personal tech: gadgets designed to 'simplify' our lives.

• Author: Gray, Bruce
• Position: Tech Talk

Innovation and new ideas are always around us. In an age of relatively easy capital through crowdfunding, it seems everyone is gelling into the game and creating new devices to "simplify" our lives. Over the post year I've noticed a for of these gadgets that have piqued my interest enough to dig a little further. These are targeted for personal use, but in some cases also can be useful in the bud nesses environment. So, here is my list of tech items of interest.

ThingCharger (www.thingcharger.com)

I first saw this via a crowdfunding appeal and was intrigued by the simplicity and utility or the device.

The ThingCharger essentially replaces your crating wall outlet with not only the two standard plug receptacles, but two USB ports (on the bottom) and a port on the top for charging your phone. There is the standard micro-USB port, as well as an optional Apple iPhone adapter. Installation is easy, too: Simply plug ThingCharger over your standard wall outlet and it's ready to go.

The brilliance of the device is that you don't waste a standard plug to charge your devices. 1 have one in my bedroom, and 1 have my tablet and watch charger cables plugged into the two USB ports tm the bottom and the micro-USB port on the top for charging my phone. I have one downstairs in our family room, as well. And I tool one to the office, where we have very few electrical outlets to start with.

I purchased mine via the company's crowdfunding campaign and so received a fourth ThingCharger when purchasing three, I can truly say that I use this device daily

TrackR (www.thetrackr.com) & Tile (www.thetileafip.com)

Being a CPA, I do lend lo have routines and regular places lo keep things, and can be a little OCD about it at times. However, I do know many people who live the daily struggle of trying to locale their keys, wallet or phone. Wouldn't it be nice to be able lo track these items using good-old Bluetooth technology?

Well, there are two players that seem lo have the bulk of this space: TrackR and Tile, Both essentially use Bluetooth technology and a small device attached lo your keys, wallet, laptop, DVD remote, child, whatever,

An app on your smartphone then can locale the small device and trigger an alarm to allow you to locate the missing hem. Even better, both or them utilize any user of their apps to create a broad search net in the event something is lost.

For example, let's say I'm shopping and drop my keys somewhere along the way. I can't find my keys...