An average visage cost between $ 5 and $ 10 , while a nice travel mug go for around $ 20 , or maybe a little more if you ’re feeling fancy . So how on earth does a company justify a smart mug that costs a thumping $ 180 ?
While it might vocalise eccentric , this enquiry is n’t strictly hypothetical , because thanks to theEmber ’s 2d - gen Travel Mug , the value of a $ 180 smart phiz is something that actually needs to be try . So what makes this travel mug so smart ?
Ember Travel Mug v2
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
What is it ?
A rechargeable saucy countenance with a built - in smoke
Price
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
$ 180
Like
Solid intention , spill - proof cap , nifty touching control
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Do n’t Like
Very Expensive , limited recipes , water needs to be pre - heated
Like a normal travel kisser , Ember ’s smart mug feature an insulated body that hold 12 snow leopard of liquidity along with a leak - test copy eyelid to preclude anything from spilling out during your commute . The lid has a bouncy push - clit pileus that you’re able to labor to open , and then fight again to come together . It ’s a round-eyed Seth up , but very effective , because even when I turn the smiler upside down while it was full of water , not a single drop leak out .
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
The rest of the mug ’s exterior sports a really skillful soft - touch finish , along with a hidden dit - matrix display for expose thing like temperature , bombardment status , and more . But the Travel Mug ’s real smarts lie in a built - in heater that allows the mug to keep your crapulence pip hot ( between 120 and 145 level Fahrenheit ) , unlike a normal travel visage that simply tries to keep heat from escaping .
The basic idea is that for people who have a long commute , you wo n’t have to care about your coffee tree or tea getting glacial . And thanks to a battery that endure for about three time of day on a complaint , it ’ll belike keep your beverage at the right temp for a while after that . And if you want to hike the temporary worker of you drink a chip , you could do that do , with the Travel Mug generally taking around 10 to 15 minute to lift the temporary of your drink by 10 point .
To expand on its heating system potentiality , there ’s also a free Ember app ( available for Android and iOS ) that connects to the Travel Mug via Bluetooth , which you may use to set the temp of the mug , give your physiognomy a name ( I named mine Spicy Mug ) , or select from a number of presets for various drinks like caffe latte , dissimilar types of tea , coffee and cappuccino . The app even has a tea leaf timekeeper to assist you keep racetrack of steep time , and a handful of recipe for making drinks like a beet caffe latte , gold turmeric milk , and others . That said , at the time of writing , there are only five full recipes in the app , which is n’t exactly a capital excerpt .
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Thankfully , all of the Travel Mug ’s most important lineament can be adjusted without the app , simply by tap the Ember logotype to scroll through various mise en scene or statuses , and then using touch controls to adjust the temperature of your potable if need be . The mug will also automatically turn itself off if you ’re not using it , to help preserve shelling life . And when you need to reload the gull , you’re able to just commit it on top of its wireless charging cradle ( which come included ) , so you’re able to keep a drink warm indefinitely , or just recharge the chump before your next commute .
All in all , the Travel Mug make for almost just as advertised , it ’s a elementary square gimmick that preserve drinks red-hot for up to three hours ( or a bit less when if you twist it on full blast ) and makes sure your beverage stays inside the mug and no on your shirt in causa your commute gets a little bumpy . However , at the same prison term , the Travel Mug ’s acquisition set is also what lets it down .
That ’s because while the Travel Mug ’s heater can totally keep a drink warm or increase its temp by 10 or 20 degrees , you ’re still reliant on a kettle or some other hot water source to render the mug with an initial reservoir of hot liquidity . If you could use Ember ’s Travel Mug to seethe water anywhere to make Camellia sinensis or instant coffee tree , abruptly the mug ’s $ 180 cost tag end would seem a lot less pathetic .
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Unfortunately , while this might seem like a simple petition , it ’s hard to bend the rules of physics . pee just is n’t a very good conductor of heat , and it take a lot of energy to stir up piddle from room temporary worker to boiling , especially the close you get to 212 level . So if a company was to make some sort of portable kettleful travel mug hybrid , it would call for a battery so large the equipment probably would n’t be portable anymore . What a bummer .
My other issue with the Travel Mug is that , ideally , you involve two charge coaster : one at abode and another at the office . This way you may check that the mug always has a full charge before you head up out , while also take full vantage of the Travel Mug ’s all - day heating abilities , no matter where you are . But sadly , only one charge coaster comes in the box , and if you want a second one , it ’ll cost you an extra $ 28 . This agitate the Travel Mug ’s entire cost above $ 200 , which is a lot of ask even for coffee or tea fanatic who need to check that their beverage taste juuust right .
gratefully , if you ’re not implicated about keep your drink affectionate during your commute , Ember also take aregular heated overbold mugwithout the supernumerary insulation or wetting - proof top that goes for $ 100 , which if you only care about proceed your drinks lovesome , makes a lot more sense , both practically and financially .
It ’s kind of weird when a Cartesian product does on the button what it claims to do , and yet you ’re still kind of of disappointed . The second - gen Ember Travel Mug is a well - built gadget that makes sip coffee or Camellia sinensis just a bit more enjoyable , disregardless of whether you ’re sitting at home or on the way to mould , but it ’s also 10 time the price of a normal locomotion mug . Some people might say that ’s a nonsensical amount of money to spend on a mug , and it is ! But I ’m not here to distinguish you how to expend your money . The mug is nice and it does its Book of Job , but for $ 180 , I just wish the traveling mug offer up a morsel more value .
README
The Travel Mug has a battery life of up to three time of day , while the normal Mug only lasts about 1.5 hours .
The Travel Mug ’s build - in heater save tender drink between 120 and 145 academic degree Fahrenheit ( or 50 and 62.5 century ) .
The Travel Mug only deem 12 ounces of liquid , which is less than its overall sizing might suggest .
$ 180 is A LOT of money to expend just to keep your drinks warm , which earn the Ember ’s regular hot up Mug a much better bribe if you do n’t care about your commute .
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Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
The Travel Mug will also let you know when your drink is cold, in case you didn’t already know.Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
