Olivia Lin

Olivia Lin

Vancouver

Tech journalist covering smart home, wearables, and consumer electronics. Former editor at TechCrunch.

Articles by Olivia Lin

Celmin Weekly · June 19, 2026

Celmin Weekly · June 19, 2026

This week on Celmin: smart blinds, sleep tech, kitchen gear, and home audio — honest reviews and buying guidance for Canadian shoppers.

Is the Crustello Useful or Just Another Connected Appliance?
AI & Robotics

Is the Crustello Useful or Just Another Connected Appliance?

The Crustello sits in an odd but increasingly real category: the smart baking gadget that is not trying to knead, mix, or bake anything for you. Instead, it is focused on one narrow, frustrating part of breadmaking — fermentation timing. If you have ever looked at a bowl of dough and wondered...

Is the Mdavo Mesh Screen with Magnetic Closure a Weekend Win or a Drawer Filler?
AI & Robotics

Is the Mdavo Mesh Screen with Magnetic Closure a Weekend Win or a Drawer Filler?

The Mdavo Mesh Screen with Magnetic Closure sits in a very practical corner of the home-improvement world: the low-commitment screen-door add-on for people who want airflow without inviting every mosquito in the neighbourhood inside. It is not a permanent storm door, not a custom-fitted retra...

Eight Sleep Pod Cover: How a Temperature-Control Mattress Actually Works
Climate & Comfort

Eight Sleep Pod Cover: How a Temperature-Control Mattress Actually Works

The Eight Sleep Smart Mattress Cover sits in a fairly unusual corner of the sleep-tech market. It is not a mattress, not a topper in the usual foam sense, and not just another sleep tracker trying to turn your bed into a dashboard. It is better understood as a temperature-control layer fo...

Townew T1: The Honest Math on Refill Bag Costs
Smart Home

Townew T1: The Honest Math on Refill Bag Costs

The Townew T1 Self-Sealing Smart Trash Can sits in a slightly odd corner of the home-gadget market: the "smart" trash can that tries to solve a very specific annoyance. Not smell in general, and not recycling, and not kitchen organization. Its pitch is simpler than that. When the bag is full,...

Is the Razer Project AVA a Toy, a Gadget, or a Tiny Assistant?
AI & Robotics

Is the Razer Project AVA a Toy, a Gadget, or a Tiny Assistant?

The Razer Project AVA sits in a strange but increasingly real category: the AI desk companion that is meant to be more than a chatbot window and more theatrical than a smart speaker. It is not just software on your monitor, and it is not a conventional desktop assistant either. Razer is frami...

Swippit Hub Phone Charging System Explained: Features That Matter for Living-Room Life
Smart Home

Swippit Hub Phone Charging System Explained: Features That Matter for Living-Room Life

The Swippit Hub Phone Charging System sits in a fairly unusual category: not a normal wireless charger, not a battery bank, and not quite a docking station either. It is a countertop phone-power system built around one big promise — instead of waiting for your iPhone to recharge, you swap in ...

Is the YISHU 6ft Surge Protector Power Strip 8 Outlets the Audio Fix You Actually Need?
AI & Robotics

Is the YISHU 6ft Surge Protector Power Strip 8 Outlets the Audio Fix You Actually Need?

The YISHU 6ft Surge Protector Power Strip 8 Outlets sits in a very unglamorous but genuinely useful category: the power strip that tries to solve three annoyances at once. It gives you more AC outlets, adds USB charging on the side, and uses a flatter plug and longer cord so it can fit behind...

Norby Robot: The Desk Companion Overview You Won't Get from Marketing
AI & Robotics

Norby Robot: The Desk Companion Overview You Won't Get from Marketing

The Norby Robot sits in an interesting corner of the AI-companion world because it is not really aimed at the usual desk-toy buyer first. On paper, this is a physical AI voice robot built for storefronts, hotel counters, car dealerships, trade-show booths, and other public-facing spaces w...

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced Explained: Sensors, Schedules, and Real-World Comfort
Climate & Comfort

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced Explained: Sensors, Schedules, and Real-World Comfort

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced sits in the part of the smart-home market that tends to promise the most while looking the least exciting. It is not a flashy gadget. It is a wall thermostat. But it is also the control point for one of the most expensive systems in your home: heating and ...

SwitchBot Blind Tilt: Making Existing Blinds Smart Without Replacing Them
Smart Home

SwitchBot Blind Tilt: Making Existing Blinds Smart Without Replacing Them

The SwitchBot Blind Tilt sits in one of the more practical corners of smart home gear: retrofit automation. Instead of ripping out perfectly usable window coverings and buying a whole new set of motorized blinds, this device is meant to motorize the tilt rod on existing horizontal venetia...

The LekDrok 10 Inch Microwave Food Cover & Collapsible Silicone Mat: A Small Upgrade That Changes Your Counter
AI & Robotics

The LekDrok 10 Inch Microwave Food Cover & Collapsible Silicone Mat: A Small Upgrade That Changes Your Counter

The LekDrok 10 Inch Microwave Food Cover & Collapsible Silicone Mat belongs to a very unglamorous product category that quietly makes a kitchen less annoying: microwave helpers that reduce splatter, save cleanup time, and pull double duty once the food is hot. It is not a fancy appliance and ...