Olivia Lin

Olivia Lin

Vancouver

Tech journalist covering smart home, wearables, and consumer electronics. Former editor at TechCrunch.

Articles by Olivia Lin

Is the Crustello Useful or Just Another Connected Appliance?
AI & Robotics

Is the Crustello Useful or Just Another Connected Appliance?

The Crustello sits in an odd but increasingly real category: the smart baking gadget that is not trying to knead, mix, or bake anything for you. Instead, it is focused on one narrow, frustrating part of breadmaking — fermentation timing. If you have ever looked at a bowl of dough and wondered...

Mdavo Mesh Screen with Magnetic Closure: A Weekend Win or a Drawer Filler
AI & Robotics

Mdavo Mesh Screen with Magnetic Closure: A Weekend Win or a Drawer Filler

The Mdavo Mesh Screen with Magnetic Closure sits in a very practical corner of the home-improvement world: the low-commitment screen-door add-on for people who want airflow without inviting every mosquito in the neighbourhood inside. It is not a permanent storm door, not a custom-fitted retra...

Eight Sleep Pod Cover: How a Temperature-Control Mattress Actually Works
Climate & Comfort

Eight Sleep Pod Cover: How a Temperature-Control Mattress Actually Works

The Eight Sleep Smart Mattress Cover sits in a fairly unusual corner of the sleep-tech market. It is not a mattress, not a topper in the usual foam sense, and not just another sleep tracker trying to turn your bed into a dashboard. It is better understood as a temperature-control layer fo...

Townew T1: The Honest Math on Refill Bag Costs
Smart Home

Townew T1: The Honest Math on Refill Bag Costs

The Townew T1 Self-Sealing Smart Trash Can sits in a slightly odd corner of the home-gadget market: the "smart" trash can that tries to solve a very specific annoyance. Not smell in general, and not recycling, and not kitchen organization. Its pitch is simpler than that. When the bag is full,...

Razer Project AVA: A Toy, a Gadget, or a Tiny Assistant
AI & Robotics

Razer Project AVA: A Toy, a Gadget, or a Tiny Assistant

The Razer Project AVA sits in a strange but increasingly real category: the AI desk companion that is meant to be more than a chatbot window and more theatrical than a smart speaker. It is not just software on your monitor, and it is not a conventional desktop assistant either. Razer is frami...

Swippit Hub Phone Charging System Explained: Features That Matter for Living-Room Life
Smart Home

Swippit Hub Phone Charging System Explained: Features That Matter for Living-Room Life

The Swippit Hub Phone Charging System sits in a fairly unusual category: not a normal wireless charger, not a battery bank, and not quite a docking station either. It is a countertop phone-power system built around one big promise — instead of waiting for your iPhone to recharge, you swap in ...

YISHU 6ft Surge Protector Power Strip 8 Outlets: The Audio Fix You Actually Need
AI & Robotics

YISHU 6ft Surge Protector Power Strip 8 Outlets: The Audio Fix You Actually Need

The YISHU 6ft Surge Protector Power Strip 8 Outlets sits in a very unglamorous but genuinely useful category: the power strip that tries to solve three annoyances at once. It gives you more AC outlets, adds USB charging on the side, and uses a flatter plug and longer cord so it can fit behind...

Norby Robot: The Desk Companion Overview You Won't Get from Marketing
AI & Robotics

Norby Robot: The Desk Companion Overview You Won't Get from Marketing

The Norby Robot sits in an interesting corner of the AI-companion world because it is not really aimed at the usual desk-toy buyer first. On paper, this is a physical AI voice robot built for storefronts, hotel counters, car dealerships, trade-show booths, and other public-facing spaces w...

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced Explained: Sensors, Schedules, and Real-World Comfort
Climate & Comfort

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced Explained: Sensors, Schedules, and Real-World Comfort

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced sits in the part of the smart-home market that tends to promise the most while looking the least exciting. It is not a flashy gadget. It is a wall thermostat. But it is also the control point for one of the most expensive systems in your home: heating and ...

SwitchBot Blind Tilt: Making Existing Blinds Smart Without Replacing Them
Smart Home

SwitchBot Blind Tilt: Making Existing Blinds Smart Without Replacing Them

The SwitchBot Blind Tilt sits in one of the more practical corners of smart home gear: retrofit automation. Instead of ripping out perfectly usable window coverings and buying a whole new set of motorized blinds, this device is meant to motorize the tilt rod on existing horizontal venetia...

The LekDrok 10 Inch Microwave Food Cover & Collapsible Silicone Mat: A Small Upgrade That Changes Your Counter
AI & Robotics

The LekDrok 10 Inch Microwave Food Cover & Collapsible Silicone Mat: A Small Upgrade That Changes Your Counter

The LekDrok 10 Inch Microwave Food Cover & Collapsible Silicone Mat belongs to a very unglamorous product category that quietly makes a kitchen less annoying: microwave helpers that reduce splatter, save cleanup time, and pull double duty once the food is hot. It is not a fancy appliance and ...

House Gem Mug Warmer with Temperature Display: Worth the Counter Space
AI & Robotics

House Gem Mug Warmer with Temperature Display: Worth the Counter Space

The House Gem Mug Warmer with Temperature Display sits in a very specific corner of the kitchen-gadget world: the small electric pad meant to solve the extremely ordinary problem of coffee going lukewarm before you finish it. It is not a coffee maker, not a travel mug, and not a fancy app-con...