Top Tech

Every so often (OK, it’s far more frequent than that!), we found ourselves seduced by the siren call of a high-tech tool promising to make our lives a little easier (or a lot more fun). And so, from a pretty portable printer to an at-home anti-aging device, we’re pleased to share some of our most recent technical take-ons, below. —Noa Nichol

point, snap, print. A lover of the print medium, we’ve gone totally gadget-gaga over the HP Sprocket 2-in-1 ($220)—a pocket-sized portable smartphone printer with a built-in instant camera that lets us snap, edit and print adorable peel-and-stick two-by-three-inch pictures, mostly of our kids and dogs, right from our phone. It all happens via a free-to-download app featuring a quick-and-easy two-tap process (plus frames, emojis, text, stickers and filters to give each and every pic a personal touch). It even comes in colours to suit varying styles (rose gold, please!), with cute coming-soon accessories like a photo album, wallet case and string clips. Oh snap, indeed! hp.com

pack perfect. Our editor in chief started working from home this summer … which actually means working, much of the time, at the coffee shop down the street. And, after much trial and error (i.e., carrying my laptop, files, notebooks and pens in her hands, then in a cloth shopping bag, then in her purse and finally in a case borrowed from her husband), she finally discovered the best way to make my office truly portable: with Poppy & Peonies Brooklyn backpack ($119). It’s got tonnes of smart features for organization, including a padded 13-inch laptop compartment, two water-bottle side pockets and a front zippered pocket, plus a spacious interior, and looks cute, to boot. And the leather? Vegan, baby. poppyandpeonies.com

tighten 2.0. Between a two-year-old, a monthly mag and the occasional yoga class, our EIC doesn’t have much room in her schedule for beauty treatments that, say, eat up an entire afternoon or involve a lot of downtime. Enter the Titan—a new anti-aging tool by Silk’n ($300 at Shoppers Drug Mart) that’s meant for home use, with zero recovery. This device harnesses not one, not two, but three forms of energy to reveal tighter, younger-looking, glowing skin on both face and neck. Sweatpants on (possibly the greatest benefit of at-home beauty), spread a thin layer of the slider gel over the area you intend to treat, start at the lowest energy level (turn it up gradually as you feel comfortable) and move it back and forth over your skin for 15 minutes. Twice a week, 10 weeks, and voila! Smoother skin without leaving the house! silkn.ca