Some cutting edge tech gear to take your home office or bedroom to the next level for accelerated learning, and entertainment.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
— Nelson Mandela
Continual learning is a common thread for all of us on the path to success and even wealth, and even more importantly to happiness. We’re just not talking about just studying textbooks for a degree, but always learning about the things that truly interest you. Learn to play an instrument, discover a new language, master a new skill or research a subject that you’re really curious or passionate about. Scientific studies have shown the many benefits of having a curious mind and engaging in life-long learning, ranging from lower stress levels, higher incomes, greater happiness, confidence, improved health, and even living longer!
Today’s technology allows us to become super-learning machines like never before (who didn’t love the movies Limitless or Lucy or the older classic Lawnmower Man). So let’s get started and have some fun outfitting the dream office or creative space! It could be a home office, a hobbies room or even your bedroom, the key is to make it a place you’re happy to settle into when it’s time to learn or be entertained, like a boss!
Where all the magic happens (aka your desk)
via freepik
Your desk is where you learn, get creative, get productive , communicate , share and entertain yourself: make it powerful, make it stylish. Here are some great tech suggestions to build out your epicentre of personal power!
HP Spectre x360 15.6″ Touchscreen Convertible Laptop
At the heart of your digital workstation is your computer, so make it a good one. This very powerful laptop is a good example of what you should be aiming for, with tons of firepower, solid design, and a beautiful Ultra HD touchscreen display that flips 360-degrees so you can use it as a laptop or tablet as needed.
ASUS ROG G752VS 17.3″ Gaming Laptop
Here’s another option. we know and love this beautiful beast well. We had it as a loaner for a month, reviewed the G752VS here , and then bought our own on sale a week later. Best computer we’ve ever owned, rocks gaming, Photoshop, video editing and anything else you care to throw at it.
Samsung 32″ FHD 60Hz 5ms PLS LED Monitor
We’ve been Samsung monitor users for years, and this new one is touted as an ideal slim-design LED screen to reduce eye strain and fatigue, boasting an Eye Saver mode and Flicker Free technology. By the way, if you haven’t experienced the productivity boost using a dual-screen setup gives you, try it out, you’ll never go back to just one screen!
Logitech MX Master 2S Bluetooth Mouse
As a gamer, I am serious about my mouses really working precisely without glitches as well as comfortably and will pay for quality. This new one from Logitech looks like a winner.
Wacom Cintiq 13HD 13.3″ Creative Pen Display
This is a bit of specialist item, but if you’re an artist, this is pure awesomeness. Also check out the more affordable model, the Wacom Intuos Pro Graphic Tablet.
Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT Bluetooth Wireless Headphones
We’ve huge fans of Sennheiser headphones (and microphones) for years and these new ones feature sound-isolating, over-the-ear design so you can enjoy your music, movies, gaming, podcasts or audio books. This headset is wireless (with a mic) and pairs seamlessly with your smartphone or computer and delivers true hi-fidelity sound.
Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim 2TB 2.5″ USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive
It’s happened to us here, we’ve had a hard drive crash and key data was lost. Never again, we are really good about backing up key data and you should be too. Here’s a great portable, sleek, external hard drive from Seagate to back up your priceless documents, photos, videos and audio books.
Canon PIXMA G4200 Wireless All-in-One Inkjet Printer
Probably less printing and scanning is happening these days but when it is time for hard copies of photos, reports, resumes and flyers, the new Canon Pixma G4200 is there for you, with a full set of refillable (hallelujah!) ink bottles that can print up to 6000 B&W and 7000 colour pages.
Monster 6-Outlet Surge Protector
You’ve spent thousands on your electronics in your creative space so spend a modest $30 on this heavy duty six-outlet surge protector that comes two USB charging ports. It also has EMI/RFI filtration which can help avoid any electronic interference in your devices sound or picture quality.
Take your room to the next level with these sweet additions
We’ve recently been using these at the Faze office and we can’t get enough of them. So fun, so helpful, and the cool factor alone definitely make both worth the investment.
Google Home
Ready for a high-tech digital assistant? The Google Home voice activated speaker is a must-have. We’ve had one since its launch in Canada and it controls our lights and other devices, plays music (and sounds great doing it), gives us the weather, news, sports scores, tons of quick facts, reminders, sets alarms, and even tells us jokes when we’re bored. And that’s for starters. Well worth the $179.99 price tag.
Philips Hue Starter Kit
Bring futuristic lighting to your creative space with the Philips Hue Starter Kit. Includes a transmitting base and three bulbs that do amazing things. Download the Philips app for your smartphone or pair with a Google Home device and you can control your lighting with your voice or fingertips, changing brightness and colours in ways you never dreamed possible to suit any mood you may find yourself in.
Time to chill and have some fun
PlayStation 4 1TB Console
When it’s time to be entertained, fire up your Sony Playstation PS4 and get your game on. Of course, the PS4 also doubles as your Full HD 1080p Blu-ray player, and also lets you tap into the hottest movies, TV shows, live sports and streamed content from Netflix, YouTube or Spotify.
Remember, learning makes you smart and smart is really, really sexy
We’re so lucky in 2017 to have both the technology and an endless supply of information that we can sink our curious minds into, and most of it is free. Wikipedia is the greatest store of knowledge in the history of mankind, YouTube has millions of how-to videos and tutorials, TedTalks rock and Khan Academy, Lynda.com, and The Great Courses are just a few of the high quality educational content providers out there. So we wish you luck and have a ton of fun on your journey exploring new ideas and new hobbies!
“Education is the single most important job of the human race.”
— George Lucas