In the tech world, the topic of a “Virtual Office” is a truly intriguing subject. You may be asking yourself, “What’s a Virtual Office? What devices and gadgets should I buy?”
IT manager, translator, copywriter, videographer, content creator, researcher, designer, programmer, a … what am I doing! Am I gonna state up each & every work needs Virtual Office! There are too many!
Now before we get to the gadgets and devices let us first introduce what a virtual office is all about.
Virtual Office.
The concept behind a virtual office allows people to work from home, remotely. This allows for flexibility with their careers, as well as, giving them the ability to work on their terms & schedules. You can do all of your work online without having to be in an office at your specific company.
A personalized, comfortable, high-tech workspace is a key component for productivity. Working with a cramped or annoying setup can make you feel stressed at times. So why not make your workplace as restful & comfy as possible? Here are 15 amazing gadgets and devices to enhance your virtual office workspace!
1. Adjustable Desk.
Desk height may seem like an afterthought, but a study by Well Works for You discovered that an un-ergonomic desk can have adverse effects on your health! Potentially affecting your posture, mental health, stress levels and can even develop medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and carpal tunnel syndrome. An added advantage of an adjustable desk is that it allows you to periodically stand, giving your back a rest from a hunched seated position.
Here you are two examples of a high-tech, ergonomic adjustable desks.
From 22″ to 48″ electrically adjustable height.
This desk offers you great stability when at its max-height, as well as, speed electronically adjustment with premium German gears & motors.
2. Comfy Office Chair.
Another important office component is the office chair. Much like desk height, sitting at a desk for numerous hours a day can have adverse effects on your health. If you don’t have the resources for an adjustable desk then why not have a carefully chosen throne for your workspace!
We’ve picked some of the best ergonomic office chairs out there. All recommended by experts.
Designed by Herman Millers’ designer Bill Stumpf, this chair’s unique design helps reduce pressure on your lower back.
Steelcase did some great work designing this chair, the key feature here is that anyone can optimize this chair to their body size & shape. Sitting on a chair that is either too small or too big can add to those pesky adverse health issues we mentioned above.
3. Fast & Secure Wi-Fi.
Considering how fast-paced society is nowadays, nobody can endure a slow Wi-Fi service. Most speeds depend on your local internet service providers, we recommend you do thorough research based on your work requirements. You can measure your Wi-Fi speed using some great sites like Fast & Telstra.
4. Laptop or PC.
I know I know, most of you already have them. But others not yet, so it’s still worth mentioning.
Purchasing a Laptop or PC should be viewed as a serious investment so if you’re planning to invest in a new one, check out our “Laptop/ PC Buying Guide” below.
5. Mouse & keyboard.
When sitting at your desk, regardless if you’ve chosen to work on a laptop or a PC, you need to get a solid mouse & keyboard. The key thing to look for when choosing a mouse & keyboard is “ergonomics”, which gives you comfort and efficiency. Since you’ll probably be working hours at a time, why not get the most comfortable mouse and keyboard to work on!
We put together a list of some of the best mice & keyboards in stock.
The keyboard has been curved just perfectly to ensure the best wrist rest for you. The mouse also has the approval from multiple ergonomists for being very handy, comfortable and productive. Both work with the fastest wireless connection, so you don’t have to bother with cables or ports.
HP has some of the most trusted products in the marketplace. This ultra-slim keyboard & mouse are considered a great deal for the price.
As a premium option, Logitech MX900 Performance Keyboard & MX Master mouse is our recommendation.
The keyboard offers advanced backlit keys and an ergonomic feel. The mouse offers a smart, high-speed adaptive scroll wheel.
This mouse & keyboard can connect to multiple devices at the same time, with the ability to switch between them dynamically anytime you want!
6. Mouse Pad & Wrist Rests.
Typing on a laptop or PC for long periods can cause pain in your arms & wrists. To prevent that, a wrist rest is key.
Here are the 3 best mouse pads & wrist rests according to Bustle:
For a relatively low price, you can get a well-made keyboard and mouse rest combo! Both are made with gel memory foam that cushions your wrists!
Kensington is mainly known for its storage devices, but they also sell computer accessories as well. Such as this valuable two in one piece. If you’re the type who prefers versatile tools, then this should be on your radar.
If you were one of those who likes simplicity & usability then Glorious has a… Glorious (haha) offer for you. With its soft material cover & premium gel inside, it can be a great option for you.
7. Mixed Reality Smart Glasses.
More and more companies are investing in the VR ecosystem. Some, spend billions of dollars innovating smart glasses that can be fully functioning & reliable.
One of the few, if not the only, who made it fully functioning & usable, is HoloLens by Microsoft.
The HoloLens mixed reality smart glasses contain multiple sensors that study the environment around them. With advanced optics to visualize things as if they were real. As well as, unique speakers that can simulate sound as if from anywhere in the room. Using its holographic processing unit, it creates an amazing mixture between the virtual world & your immediate surroundings.
As an advance device, HoloLens comes equipped with a few microphones, HD camera, & ambient light sensor.
This technology can be extremely valuable, as it can produce a fully functioning PC setup, by recreating a visual monitor in front of you!
This is a premium item and is priced at a premium cost. The last iteration of the product the ‘HoloLens 2’ starts at $3,500.
8. Smart Mug.
You know that day when you made yourself a delicious cup of coffee, then after being busy working, you ended up finding out that it’s just cold? Even worse if you drank some sipping piping hot coffee that scalded your tongue.
Well, a Smart Mug is your savior. These can control the temperature of anything inside them, regulating it to the perfect level for you!
Here you are some of the best in stock;
9. Scanner Pen.
A Digital scanner & highlighter can be a great addition to your desktop. They allow you to digitize printed text and transfer it to a computer or device using technology called Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
10. Wireless Drive.
External hard drives are great due to their portability & convenient storage for photos, videos, and other miscellaneous files. Here you are some of the best:
11. Smart Notebook.
If you’re an avid note-taker potentially making mountains of crushed paper on your desk, then a smart notebook can be very useful to you. With its ability to be wiped, reused & synced to a mobile/desktop app, it’s a great investment to include in your office.
12. Smart Security Key.
There is nothing worse than an unsecured data. All operating systems provide antiviruses, firewalls, and other authentication methods. But nothing is as secure as an external physical key to protect your most important files.
As a recommendation we simply suggest using Google’s Titan Security Key, this device is being used by Google’s developers and employees!
Make sure to buy this exclusively at Google’s Official Store.
13. AI Virtual Assistant.
Radio Rex, 1911, was the first voice-activated toy. Now, the smart device market is exploding. A few years ago big brands like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon took the concept of an IVA (Intelligent Virtual Assistant) to the next level. IVAs are getting smarter day by day, performing more & more functions that can alleviate your schedule & save valuable amounts of time.
From what we have seen, IVAs ARE future assistants. With their numerous advantages, here are some of the features IVA’s have to offer;
- Adding events & arranging schedules.
- Booking flights, restaurants, hotels, reservations.
- Giving recommendations.
- Controlling smart home furniture.
- Making phone calls, shopping lists, travel arrangements, “to do” lists.
- Ordering food.
- Providing information about businesses, stocks, currencies, etc.
- Setting alarms & reminders.
Below, is our list of some of the best IVAs out there.
The world’s most used AI personal assistant, with more than 1 billion users. Google Assistant is the smartest, most convincing IVA due to its strong correlation with Google’s servers. It allows you simply to enquire about anything anytime while also being fluent in over 100 languages.
If you’re an Apple fan, this one is perfect for you. Apple Homepod comes with a built-in Siri Assistant, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and is functional with other apps in the Apple ecosystem like iMessage, Beats One and iTranslate. It’s also compatible with ‘Smart Home Kit’ devices like Apple TV.
Echo by Amazon is another brilliant voice assistant. Alexa can perform most of what we have mentioned before besides Its key feature is shopping, shopping & shopping. Alexa makes it considerably easy to buy anything, anytime. While also providing you with the latest offers and deals. Add to that, it’s a valuable educational tool for adults and kids.
14. Cloud storage.
To avoid losing your data, consider purchasing a cloud storage service. This service gives you the ability to access your files from any device & any place. By using cloud storage, you get great optimization for your work, more storage space for less money compared to buying any kind of hard drives. And if you choose the right provider, you gain extra security!
Note: You can start using most cloud storage services for FREE, giving you a total of (10-50 GB) cloud storage.
We prepared you a list of some best Cloud providers out there;
OneDrive comes integrated into Windows 10, making it highly compatible with everything in the Windows ecosystem, photos, documents, desktop backups. Add to that, MS Office support, allows you to complete your Office apps work anytime, anywhere.
Microsoft works hard all the time adding more & more effectiveness for its users. OneDrive has an official app for most platforms (Android, IOS, OS X).
Don’t forget to check their Business plans, they have an Unlimited deal for $10 a month!
This offers maintenance file syncing, for all files including those on network drives. It also allows you to share files by Email as well as any other social media network, like Facebook or Twitter. Its key features are; high security, ease of use, speed, AI support. iDrive can also, organize all of your photos automatically based on face recognition.
Android users can find this already integrated into their devices. Google Drive works perfectly with nearly every device on the market! The best thing about it is its Unlimited free Photo storage. It does, however, reduce image resolution a bit, but is still very convincing compared to competitors.
Google drive is also compatible with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, Gmail, Photo.
Apple users will be the main beneficiaries of this Cloud. As apple provides them an integrated iCloud drive in Mac laptops, PCs & iPhones. iCloud supports the iWork office suite, so all your work is synced to the cloud all the time. High security is Apple’s major concern, as a result, your data is more than safe.
Windows users can also take advantage of this service using iCloud for Windows.
15. Healthy Lighting.
While sitting in your comfortable workspace, you need to take into consideration your eyes too. Research recently conducted by Arch daily shows a correlation between the amount of lighting in a room & mood improvement. The study suggests that an adequate amount of light improves mood & energy levels, while poor lighting contributes to depression & other deficiencies in the body. Not only the amount but also the type of lighting can directly affect concentration, appetite, mood & many other aspects of your daily life.
Here we have some pieces of advice for a great lighting setup;
If you can do your work during the day, try to park your office near the closest window and enjoy. Some people say they get inspired near windows, so if you’re a writer move your desk near a window, right now.
- Set a Good Overhead Light.
Like any other room, your workspace needs overhead lighting. This will provide you with as much light as possible without making it annoying or losing a relaxing tone.
Photographers insert their filming lamps into something called Soft Boxes. The reason behind that is to reduce the sharpness of the light produced by those lamps, as a result, their content looks clean & natural. In your case, this criterion shell makes the light less annoying & irritating.
Apply this when considering overhead lighting. Choose a good lamp box that softens the light without distracting much of it.
Another consideration is NOT to choose any color except white. Some people tend to use sandy light because it feels warmer and is relaxing, this however, is a problem. Sandy lighting is over relaxing! You want to be comfortable while working, but not lazy or sleepy! White lamps make you less cozy & give off a more energetic feel.
A desk lamp helps you stay focused on whatever you are doing on the desk. Desk lamps also serve to illuminate & add texture to your desktop. The most focal benefit is that it reduces eye strain as you are working.
What are you waiting for! Go ahead and build up your best home office ever😉
