There's nothing quite like starting your morning with a steaming cup of chai, rich with spices and robust English breakfast tea. Picture this: you're on your backyard porch, savoring each sip, surrounded by birdsong. But then, reality hits, and you have to dive into your morning emails and messages. After 45 minutes of intense digital correspondence, you reach for your cup, only to find it cold and unpalatable. Ugh.

For years, my daily routine included reheating my forgotten cup of chai in the microwave—a hassle, to say the least. That was until I discovered the game-changing Ember mug, a sleek solution designed to keep your drink perfectly warm for hours.

Ember: The Mug That Redefines Warmth

Ember isn’t just any mug; it’s the epitome of smart drinkware. With a built-in heating element, it keeps your beverage warm for up to 4-5 hours. This means my chai stays hot and enjoyable until lunchtime, transforming my mornings.

The Ember mug stands out with its superior build quality. Made from a special ceramic material with an aquaphobic coating, it’s incredibly easy to clean—just a quick rinse, and it’s spotless. No residue, no fuss. Plus, it comes with a sleek charging base, ensuring your mug is always ready for action.

Smart Temperature Control

One of Ember's coolest features is its temperature control via a mobile app. Pair the app to your mug using Bluetooth, and you can monitor and adjust your drink’s temperature to your preference. It’s an effortless way to ensure your drink is always at the perfect warmth.

Worth the Investment?

You might wonder if all this technology is necessary for a mug. Isn’t it easier to just reheat your drink in the microwave? Sure, that's practical. But once you experience the consistent warmth Ember offers, you’ll see the difference. It’s a significant quality-of-life improvement, turning each sip into a small pleasure. After a few days, using any other mug feels like a step backward.

More Than Just a Mug

Ember’s lineup includes a smaller cup, a tall tumbler, and a travel mug. I personally use the 10 oz regular mug and the 12 oz travel mug. Both have revolutionized my hot drink routine. The regular mug, after five years of daily use, still looks brand new. The travel mug, a Christmas gift from last year, keeps my green tea perfectly warm throughout the day. These mugs are built to last and truly enhance your drinking experience.

Final Thoughts

Whether for yourself or as a thoughtful gift, an Ember mug is a fantastic addition to any hot beverage lover’s life. Once you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. Get yours today, or add it to your next gift list—you won’t be disappointed, and soon, your whole family will want one too.

Now that everyone is a Zoom video star, there are times when you need that professional static steady shot of your quarantine face. Too many meetings are beset by jittery video as participants try to adjust their phone, tablet or laptop cameras in unwieldy positions, often looking like the nauseating shots from the Blair Witch Project.

The easiest way to get a professional looking steady video shots is just to invest in a good stand for your mobile device. The one that I really like is this CamKix Tripod that also comes with a BlueTooth remote control. The stand can accommodate various phone sizes and fits my iPhone 11 Pro Max comfortably. That's the widest device that will fit this stand.

For your tablet such as an iPad or iPad Pro, there is the Viozon iPad Pro stand. It has two clamps for a small and a large iPad size. I am using this with my 12" iPad Pro and it almost looks like a cute little iMac.

Once you have these stands, all your video calls will be steady as a rock and you can sit comfortably anywhere. Not only that, now you can get a straight on face shot without the camera looking up your nose hairs or your double chin.

These stands also double up as viewing stands to binge watch your favorite Netflix show. My wife now prefers the iPad Pro on the stand over the large TV in our living room. She can sit outside in the yard or her favorite chair in our bedroom and binge away.

Often, the simplest solutions are the best ones.