It’s time to become aware of what you’re breathing. That’s the impetus behind AWAIR 2nd Edition, a US$199 smart air quality monitor that recently hit the market. With a built-in display that gives an indication of air quality with a glance and an iOS app that provides details and notifications, AWAIR 2nd Edition is the way for anyone to determine how the air in their home is affecting health.
My wife has suffered from asthma for many years, and we often have no idea what will set off an attack. That’s why I found the idea of AWAIR 2nd Edition so attractive — getting constant input on five major factors affecting air quality to make it easier to find out what triggers her asthma.
Those five factors are:
- Temperature (°F / °C)
- Humidity (%)
- CO2 level (%)
- Chemicals (measured in parts per billion)
- Fine dust (measured in micrograms/cubic meter)
Temperature readings go between -40° and 257°F (-40 to 125°C), and are accurate to with 0.36°F. Humidity is measured with an accuracy of plus or minus 2 percent, and fine dust measured between 0 and 1000 micrograms/cubic meter. Chemicals — total volatile organic compounds — are measured between 0 and 60000 parts per billion, while CO2 measurements are made between 400 and 5000 parts per million and displayed as a percentage.
The device itself is quite attractive. It’s a 6.30 x 3.54 x 1.97 inch (160 x 90 x 50 mm) box with a nice wood exterior and a front that is somewhat like a small speaker. In the speaker “grille” are a number of small white LEDs that light up to display a bar chart of the five readings as well as a number between 0 and 100. 100 indicates the best possible air quality, while you’d probably run from your house if you saw a 0 (poorest possible air quality).
There’s also a single color LED that glows green when the air quality is good, yellow when the quality is considered fair, and orange when the air quality is poor. The LEDs are nice, since we have the AWAIR 2nd Edition located in the family room where we spend a lot of time. But it’s the iOS app that is much more useful on a daily basis.
The app is used for setup of the device, which requires a 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi network to operate. The AWAIR also requires power, and uses a provided power adapter and cable.
Once you’re in the app, there’s a wealth of information at your fingertips. An overview screen gives you the chance to look at several AWAIR monitors, helpful if you have more than one device located around your home or several homes.
The “Score” tab shows current readings at a glance with a big composite score listed at the top of the screen in the color that’s appropriate (green, yellow, orange), as well as individual readings for all of the measurements. Tips provide a list of ideas to help your air quality. For instance, during one slightly high CO2 reading the app said that we should “Get an English ivy or a Snake plant in your bedroom. It will help remove toxic chemicals as well as reduce CO2 concentration.” Another tip detailed how poor air quality can trigger eczema outbreaks — something I was totally unaware of.
I love my Apple Watch Series 3, so I keep it charged up by placing it on a charger every morning for about twenty minutes. That usually keeps it “topped off”, but about once a week I need to charge it a bit longer to get it powered up to 100% capacity. Since I’m not always near my Watch charger when the need strikes, a portable Apple Watch Charger seems like a great idea, which is why the MOFUU Portable Wireless Apple Watch Charger ($36.99, Amazon Affiliate) is now permanently on my keychain.
Design
The design of the MOFUU Portable Wireless Apple Watch Charger is brilliant. It’s a small charger with the standard Apple-type magnetic “puck” surrounded by a silver plastic housing that can be attached to a keychain or a loop in a bag or backpack.
A short USB cable is hidden inside that housing and can be easily unrolled for charging. The result? You don’t have that long Apple cable tangling with all of your other charging cables, and the charger can always be at your fingertips when you need to charge the Watch.
Function
The MOFUU Portable Wireless Apple Watch Charger is MFi certified by Apple, so there’s no worry that your Watch will be damaged or otherwise compromised by the charger. With the addition of USB ports to many airplane seats, the charger makes it easy to top off an Apple Watch during a flight. Have a few minutes at some other location with a USB port? Just pull out the MOFUU charger and give that Apple Watch a burst of energy.
Having the charger available at all times made it possible for me to charge the Watch in my car as well — I don’t usually carry my “official” Apple Watch charging cable with me, but this little accessory makes it possible to get a charge just about anywhere.
The price is more than that of Apple’s official charging cable ($29), but the extra cost of the MOFUU charger is more than made up in the convenience of always having it with you. MOFUU offers a 100% money back guarantee, so if you’re unhappy with the charger for any reason, you won’t be out any money.
Conclusion
The MOFUU Portable Wireless Apple Watch Charger is a really smart accessory for any Apple Watch owner.
