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The coolest spring tech you can get your hands on

Spring has sprung, and so you might be itching for a tech refresh.

Question is, what should you buy?

As you might expect, you’ve got some options. And good ones, too.

From stylish smartwatches to an ultra-portable PC to a Wi-Fi camera to a robotic lawnmower to a super thin television to an app to watch your favourite shows anywhere, the following are a few noteworthy suggestions.

Watch this

Perfect for on-the-go types, a smartwatch captures activity data, vibrates to remind you of important calendar appointments, and gives you glanceable information on your wrist without you having to reach for your phone. From $225, Fossil Q offers a number of styles – from touchscreen models that show you who’s calling, texting, emailing, and more, to analog watches that look like classic timepieces but have some smarts to them, too. Also for iPhone or Android, Michael Kors Access smartwatches ($330) fuse style with substance, with both digital touchscreen and analog designs to choose from. Digital watches also let you customize the watch faces, see map information, sports scores, and much more.

Flip out

Why buy a laptop and a tablet when you only need a “convertible” PC? From $1499, the HP Spectre x360 is a premium (and versatile) computer. When you no longer need the full-size island-style backlit keyboard, simply bend back the 13.3-inch 4K LED-backlit touchscreen up to 360 degrees – hence the name – and use this like a tablet. Or prop it up in tent mode if you’re limited in space on a desk or table, or presentation mode by having the screen propped up with the keyboard underneath. Under the hood, this device packs a 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8 gigabytes of system memory (RAM) and 256 Gigs of SSD storage – all crammed into a compact, ultrathin design. Battery life tops 12.4 hours.

Thin is in

Whether it’s to watch baseball games, movies, TV shows or video games, this new breed of OLED TVs are a sight to behold. From 55 inches ($4999), LG’s E7 television — a 4K UHD OLED Smart TV — uses organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) that offers “infinite” contrast (brighter whites and deeper blacks), as well as more vibrant colours. And because no backlighting is required – as each pixel that makes up the image is self-illuminating – we’re also talking about a ridiculously thin TV at just four credit cards thick, and an energy efficient one. On the “smart” side, the E7 is powered by LG’s webOS 3.5 platform. If you’re looking to amplify audio for any television this spring, you might also consider LG’s new SJ7 ($749), a modular soundbar that can be used in multiple modes.

TV to go

You no longer need to watch TV on your, er, TV. With the Bell Fibe TV app, for example, you can access more than 500 live and on-demand channels, on your smartphone or tablet, whether you’re at home or on the go. At no cost for Fibe TV subscribers, you can watch live television, on-demand content, your saved shows on a PVR (personal video recorder), or start something on the app and then finish it off when you’re back at home. You can also use this free app as a remote for your TV or to access the guide to see what’s coming up and set the PVR to record at home – even when you’re not there. Fibe TV is also now an app for Apple TV, in case you own one of those boxes, so you can access all your stuff via the popular media streaming box.

Remote possibilities

A smart product like the D-Link Omna 180 Cam HD lets you see what’s happening in your home – even when you’re not there. As the name suggests, this Wi-Fi camera benefits from a 180-degree wide-angle lens, therefore you can see more than other Wi-Fi cameras – via the free companion app – plus it supports night-vision, motion detection, two-way audio, local memory backup (via microSD card), and more. The Omna is also the first Apple HomeKit-enabled Wi-Fi camera in Canada, therefore it works with Apple’s embedded Home app in iOS; works seamlessly with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple Watch; with end-to-end encryption for better security; and lets you use your voice (e.g. “Hey Siri, show me my family room,” and so on).

A cut above

What could be better than sipping a cold one and watching a lawn mower do your work for you? The Husqvarna 450x Automower ($3,999) is a robotic lawnmower with a quiet electric motor, therefore can do its job day or night. In fact, after you set its perimeter (when you set it up for the first time), this Automower can cut grass over 1.25 acres before it needs recharging – and it then returns to its charging station to power up. Powered by GPS-assisted navigation, the weather-proof mower can handle lawns with a complicated shape, including up to steep 45-degree slopes, plus it’ll navigate around obstacles (like flower beds, rocks and fences). Other features include headlights, anti-theft alarm, weather-proof body, and companion app for your smartphone.

Yahoo Canada readers, any awesome spring gadgets you’d recommend to others? Feel free to share in the Comments section below.