THE CARD HOLDER THAT GUARDS YOUR CARDS, AND PERSONAL INFO

Going cashless is convenience with an inconvenient drawback:

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

Going cashless is convenience with an inconvenient drawback: According to Dutch company Secrid, all cards – from credit to transport – have a chip and antenna for wireless communication that can be easily read, activated and cloned by card thieves from a metre away. Its aha solution: a card holder made of aluminium (the metal is a poor conductor of electromagnetic waves) to deflect radio waves, shielding cards from unwanted wireless comm.

The card holder has only one slot for up to six cards (or four if the cards are embossed). Organise and stack them together, then slide the deck into the slot. A spring mechanism inside and a lever at the bottom push the cards out slightly when you need them. For more storage, Secrid suggests binding two aluminium card holders together with its elasticised band (see above). From Ante @ Tangs at Tang Plaza, $59$199. – RT
 
 
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THE SMART FRIDGE

It doesn’t have a sexy name (Samsung calls it the Family Hub refrigerator). But what it lacks in “coolness”, it makes up for by being, well, really cool. It has three built-in cameras inside, between the two upper doors. They operate with the fridge’s app (which you download onto your phone), that lets you see what’s inside (or not inside) the fridge without opening its doors, without you being anywhere near the fridge, and while you’re at the grocery store trying to remember if you still have soya milk.

That’s just part 1 of its smarts. Part 2: The screen on the top right door is like tablet-meets-TV. You can access Facebook, Youtube, and TV programmes through Smart View (the app that mirrors your Samsung television or phone screen), and recipes via preinstalled apps. It even streams tunes from Spotify Premium accounts. At major electronics stores, $7,499. – HIY 
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"They also have a built-in alarm that’s for your ears only. "

THE EARBUDS THAT HELP YOU GET SOME SLEEP

The difference between earplugs (which block out noise that could disturb your rest), everyday earphones, and Bose’s Sleepbuds: Bose’s do not cancel noise or need to be plugged into a device for music to shut out noise. What it does is provide 10 pre-recorded spa-like tracks, from calming beach waves to fireplacelike crackling, to mask sounds you’d prefer to hear less of. Which means you’ll still hear your partner’s snoring, but it will “blend in” with your chosen soundtrack to put the former more in the background than the main event. The Sleepbuds, $379 a pair, are wireless, rechargeable, and come in three sizes. Get the right size to ensure a snug fit, which makes the noise masking more effective. A single charge gives up to 16 hours of use – perfect for travel and overnight stays. The battery powered case also helps charge them when you have no USB port. – HIY