OUR ANNUAL TECHIE AWARD WINNERS

BY EVAN MONROE

BEST HOME SECURITY
Netatmo Presence
This camera and app can actually differentiate among person, car, or animal, then reports in real time if someone loiters around your home, a car enters your driveway, or your pet is in the yard. There’s also a live stream option. $299 netatmo.com

BEST HOME SECURITY

BEST SENIOR CARE
Zenbo
This remarkable and mobile robot gives mom and dad spoken reminders of information like doctor’s appointments, medication schedules, or anything else that needs to be remembered. It also entertains with music, movies, and photos, helps with online tasks like social media and shopping, and reacts to emergencies by notifying family members. $599 zenbo.asus.com

BEST SENIOR CARE

BEST PORTABLE AUDIO
UE Boom2
This is every damn thing we’ve wanted from Bluetooth audio since its invention in 1994. About the size of a pint can, it’s rugged, waterproof (you can submerge it for an hour!), packs punchy bass and detailed highs, has an eight hour battery life, and you can turn it on and equalize sound via a smartphone app. $149 crutchfield.com

BEST PORTABLE AUDIO

Northwell A22 SPREAD

BEST ART TABLET
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition
This drawing tablet combines the latest Wacom tech with the paper of your choice to offer a new yet familiar way of working the feel of Finetip Pen on paper as the Intuos captures every stroke…or connect to a computer and work directly into Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. $549 bhphotovideo.com

BEST ART TABLET

BEST PET PAL
Furbo WiFi Dog Cam
The market’s full of home security and pet cams, but with the treat tossing Furbo, you are able to be virtually together with your pooch in a unique way. Its camera and linked app allow you to see, speak, and even throw treats to your pal when you are away. Android and iOS friendly. $199 furbo.com

BEST PET PAL

BEST TV BANG FOR THE BUCK
LG 55 Inch 55UJ7700
This living room large model offers 4K Ultra HD, a TruMotion 120 refresh rate, Active HDR with Dolby Vision, and LG’s web OS that includes most of the most popular streaming video apps, including Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. $675 bestbuy.com

BEST TV BANG FOR THE BUCK

BEST RETRO PORTABLE
HP Sprocket Photo Printer
Photos are great, but all too easily disappear into the iCloud ether. With the Sprocket, you’ll have a hard copy of shots as quickly as you post them. About the size of a cell phone, and weighing around six ounces, its two by three inch photos or stickers are printed through the HP Sprocket App. $129 target.com

BEST RETO PORTABLE

BEST GAMER ACCESSORY
Steel Series Arctis 7 Headset
With the same drivers found in Steel Series’s flagship $300 headsets, the Arctis 7 delivers a detailed, balanced soundscape with ultra low distortion, while its ClearCast microphone uses an exclusive bidirectional design for outstanding voice clarity and back ground noise cancellation. $149 steelseries.com

BEST GAMER ACCCESSORY