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July 7, 2014 in Uncategorized

The Best Smart Watch You Can Buy

pebble smart watchThe folks over at the verge have created a great review of smart watches currently on the market. Smart watches are one of the latest gadgets that are gaining momentum, and with good reason.

So what makes a smart watch so great? Smart watches provide notifications from your phone, so you dont have to pull your device out. Of course they tell the time, again letting you keep your device in your pocket. And of course they look sleek and futuristic. Many watches have voice activated functions, and some can run apps.

So what is the best smart watch money can buy? The Pebble Steel is the winner for the folks at the verge, and Chicago Handyman likes it too. I mean it looks cool on the internet. If we get one, We will let you know.

July 5, 2014 in Uncategorized

Top 5 Smart Home Upgrades

When it comes to smart homes the choices can seem overwhelming. This is a great list of the 5 easiest smart home upgrades you can make.

  1. Smart Lock – open your locks with your smart phone, a wink, even a thought. just think about what you want to happen and the mind link function picks up your vibe.
  2. Thermostat. Nest, Ecobee, others im sure, Check them all out and see which one suits you. they will all translate into instant utility bill savings
  3. Smoke Detectors – burning toast does not an emergency make. your voice activated Smoke detector will keep the kids in bed while you burn your midnight snack.
  4. Outlets – turn any light or plugin device into a smart phone controlled technology of the future.
  5. Lights – bulbs you can control with your smart phone. Congratulations you are now a lighting technician. Ready to go on tour?

Check out this video for the full rundown from C|Net. Hit us up with any questions on how to implement smart technology in your home.

Cheers!

July 2, 2014 in Uncategorized

3 tips on Painting A Straight

If you are painting, things can get messy. Therefore, we have created a brief list of items to help you with your paining project. We also included a video below.

Painting a straight edge

Not getting paint all over the ceiling or the trim is one of the hardest parts of painting a room. None the less, Pro handyman Dominick Amorosso shows you three ways to do it in this video.

  1. With an angled edging brush – This is the hardest method but can be developed with patience, practice and a steady hand.
  2. By taping the ceiling – This works pretty well but taping a straight line on the ceiling can be challenging and it’s a lot of extra work to tape up an entire room.
  3. With a square sponge edger such as a Shur Line edger – The easiest way for most people to do it.

The key when using the edger is to keep it clean, make sure your paint is only on the sponge and not on the rollers that are rolling against the ceiling. As such, I like to lay it on a little thick and smooth it all out with the sponge but watch out for dripping paint. However, You can also screw the edger onto an extension handle if you don’t want to climb up a ladder as much.

Happy painting, if you need any help in the Chicago area contact us!