Random Things That Made My Life Better: Tech Edition

Browsing TikTok, I see a lot of people claiming they were “born in the wrong generation.” While that may be true for them, it definitely isn’t for me. I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be born into an electric wine opener that’s available on Amazon for $25.

After seeing the viral “random things that made my life better” trend, I started thinking about how most of the items that improve my life (and further prove that my tastes are in line with my generation’s) are tech of items. From my electric wine opener to my JBL Clip 4 speakers, here are some tech gadgets that, while they may seem random when put together, make my life just a little bit better.

So far, aside from my smartphone, my AirPods Pro are the one piece of tech I can’t live without. Countless times I remember leaving my apartment, realizing I forgot my AirPods, and turning around to get them. Not only are the AirPods Pro easily compatible with my iPhone, but the different noise-cancelling features allow me to easily turn noise-cancelling on or off when I’m out and about.

The sound quality of the AirPods Pro remains the same nearly two years after purchase, and the 6 hours of battery life allows me to listen to tons of music without having to worry about finding an outlet when I’m out and about.

Granted, I also bought AirPods Max on Black Friday and now I can use them interchangeably with AirPods Pro, but I still prefer earbuds to over-ears because they’re portable and powerful, especially It was while traveling.

A phone case might seem like an overly basic piece of tech, but my Casetify Airline Tag case is truly one of my favorite tech accessories. It wasn’t until I started writing and reviewing phone cases that I began to realize that phone cases were an underutilized medium for expressing one’s personal style. My Casetify Airline Tag case not only provides maximum protection for my phone, but it also showcases one of my passions: traveling.

Turns out, this box with labels from airlines around the world is a huge conversation starter. Everyone who asks about the case usually asks me if I have ever been to any of the places shown on the case, which leads to an interesting conversation about my past and future travel plans. Plus, it protects my phone well when I travel around the world.

Creating a calm atmosphere in my apartment is one of my favorite ways to relax at the end of the day. Usually I light a candle, make some food, and of course, put on some of my favorite records. As a music lover at heart, the Electrohome Kingston record player was one of the first products I tested when I started my career in tech journalism, and almost two years later, I’m still impressed. Before owning this massive record player, I had only owned cheaper record players from Amazon or Urban Outfitters. So the Kingston record player was a real game changer for me and showed me what real vinyl sounds like. Whether as a speaker or a record player, the sound is rich and smooth.

The Kingston is more than just a record player, it also includes a built-in radio and has Bluetooth functionality that acts as a speaker so you can play music directly from your phone. Not surprisingly, Kingston record players sound great. Whether you choose to spin records, listen to AM or FM radio, or connect to Bluetooth, the sound remains consistent. The front of the record player has knobs for turning the volume up or down, giving you more control over the volume than with other record players. The biggest drawback to the Kingston is the space it takes up. Although you’ll need a nice side table to hold your record player, it’s worth it.

As I mentioned, I like to create a calming atmosphere in my apartment as a way to relax at the end of the day, and there’s no better way than using an essential oil diffuser. An essential oil diffuser allows you to choose any scent you like (I prefer eucalyptus or lavender) to diffuse throughout the room. Essential oil diffusers are also the perfect winter essential, helping to add humidity to dry, cold air. I love this particular product from Amazon because it also has an LED light so it gives your room a beautiful glow at night.

Two years ago, I purchased my first serious digital camera: a Fujifilm X-T200. At first, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of features this camera has, but now that I’ve taken the time to learn the ins and outs of the camera, it’s an absolute must-have for me. My friends and I always use the Fujifilm X-T200 when we travel to take photos or capture the world around us, the quality is a bit higher than our phones.

The Fujifilm X-T200 features an LCD touch screen, face/eye detection, 4k video recording capabilities, and built-in Wi-Fi. You can also download the Fujifilm app on your iOS or Android device, which lets you easily download photos using your camera’s Wi-Fi. The app does take a long time to download photos, so I recommend purchasing an SD card reader that connects to your laptop or phone. Below are photos I took with Fujifilm X-t200.

It might be awkward to have an electric wine opener as one of my tech essentials, but an electric wine opener has definitely made my life so much better. I’m not the biggest drinker, but when I indulge in a wine night, nothing mortifies me more than trying to open a wine bottle with a corkscrew. Somehow, the ability to open a bottle of wine like a graceful adult is not my strong suit. So when my friend gave me an electric wine opener, my life changed for the better.

The Secura electric wine opener has excellent battery life and can open 30 bottles of wine on a single charge. All you have to do is place the bottle opener on top, press the button, and the bottle opens. It’s easy and will save you from any possible embarrassment when trying to gracefully open a wine bottle.

One thing I’ve always been very conscious of is any facial hair I might have. I’m of Italian descent and thick hair is in my genes. Unlike men, I can’t just hold a razor to my face, which always makes me wonder how to get rid of those annoying little hairs that pop up at the most inconvenient times. That is until I started using the perfect hair removal device as the finishing touch.

The device has a stainless steel blade for hair removal and can trim peach hairs on lips, chin, cheeks and neck. The device can also be used to clean up your brows, so you can save money instead of waxing them every two to three weeks. It’s not a direct replacement, but it gets the job done and makes for easy maintenance.

I firmly believe that everyone should own at least one speaker. It doesn’t have to be a giant $300 speaker that blasts music throughout the house, having speakers of any type always makes any room lively. The JBL Clip 4 is my favorite speaker to take with me on vacation, beach trips, or hikes. The speaker easily clips onto your bag without adding a lot of extra weight. I take this speaker with me almost every time I travel, hike, and hangout with friends.

As far as sound quality is concerned, the saying “good things come in small packages” rings true for this speaker. The quality of such a small speaker is much better than you might think. While it’s not loud enough for a family gathering, it’s more than enough for a small pregame and relaxing on the beach.